British Bike Tours Anmeldelser 11

Dear me…. Peter Milburn and BBT have closed down! Good riddance albeit am sure he is scamming with another company name now! Arrogant and absolutely no idea about client service, hired goons for guides who were only interested in getting from point A to B so they can sit and drink their beers!
Day 2 of the Scotland NC500 I decided to break away from the group and ride at leisure and take in the beautiful sights and pictures which the tour guide had zero interest in accommodating! Day 3 had another couple of riders join me on our own tour so as to speak😀
Truly hope no one falls for Peter’s nonsense again he is a travesty to the riding community shame on him! It took me 2 years on to write a review so much more to tell but can’t be bothered 🤦‍♂️
PS the experience date was April 2023 still felt obliged to write it as a warning to other biker brethren!

Not a very good Guide good job its is last one

What a fantastic holiday with British bike tours, my first time in France with my tiger 900 gt pro, I booked the 5 day Normandy D day tour and what a great tour it was, fantastic value for money, Simon our tour rep and guide could not have been better, he really worked to make sure the group (14) got to see everything we wanted,he made us all feel relaxed and confident with our riding abilities, as I was quite anxious about riding abroad, but Simon made it straightforward and very enjoyable.
The hotels were superb with very secure parking for the bikes, a great selection of breakfast items, and evening meals at local restaurants plus a couple of pints and a great laugh with people I had never met before but we all became friends very quickly.
I cannot recommend this tour and Simon highly enough, I am looking forward to booking another trip very soon, go and enjoy the trip with this company, you won't regret it.
Cheers Chris p.

I was asked by a friend of mine to accompany him on a Himalayan Motorbike Tour and after some research came across the British Bike Tour website. The combination of miles covered, locations, cost and duration seemed a good compromise. It is advertised as "Trip of a Lifetime" and "we will never stop loving this tour" with lots of details and pictures on the website. Only 4 positive reviews though which I found a bit odd. Now I know why. It really was a trip of a lifetime as I won't be going again - regardless of them saying that they "don't care about reviews as they have 75% rebook rate". Yeah whatever! Look at other reviews ...

But anyway, let me briefly summarise my experience of the trip. I only have 4000 characters so I keep it brief.

The good:
Beautiful scenery and landscapes. The Himalayas are
beautiful and a photographer's dream (when you have
the time).
I met some lovely like-minded people on the trip and our group really was a group (mostly) rather than lots of individuals.
The in-country suport team was really competent and helpful. They were always friendly and managed to keep the bikes running or fix them on the spot (broken horns, flat tyres, ...)
The bikes (Royal Enfield Himalayan) were well suited for the trip and are very easy to ride. Front brake was very bad on my bike though ...
Great riding experiences which certainly expanded my biking comfort zone in a "trial and error/swim or drown" scenario, out of necessity to complete the trip. It's not for the 21 year old newbee or the midlife crisis 40 something trying out biking in India as several crashes from "experienced race track bikers" showed. Proper off riding (even at night due to road blockage, river crossings, desserts, river beds, sandy/rocky paths on steep cliffs, manic city riding amongst a plethera of other vehicles coming at you from any direction, etc.)

The bad:
This is NOT a guided tour at all. There is one guide at the front and the support team catching up on bikes and with cars. There sort of is a brief to not be a "$%^&" and not turn off the main road if you lose the guide but that's about it. Crossing rivers, super soft sandy passes, rocks, traffic jams, etc etc, you're on your own with no help or guidance at all. We stayed in smaller groups to look out for each other, which switched my carefree adventurous riding brain off and ruined the rest of the trip for me as it never switched back on again.
The pace of the leader was way too fast, which meant you'd inevitably lose them after a few miles. Didn't see the point as it's not for their enjoyment - it's their buiness to keep customers happy and more importantly safe. If one or several of us had crashed or fallen down a cliff they wouldn't have known until they'd stopped. Bizarre business model based on ignorance and luck that nothing major so far has happened? Apparently ...
Every morning we were told by the business owner (Peter) that taking pictures is fine as long as it's quick and we don't hold up the group, i.e. him. I felt bad going for a pee! The aim seemed to be to get to the destination ASAP in order to disappear and have G&Ts which they brought along for themselves.
There was a distinct lack of communication before and during the tour. Initially I tought that's because of the world travellers' relaxed attitude but it turned out Peter didn't seem interested to interact with the group and any concern or feedback was brushed off as personal offence against him or his company. In the end I just rode at my own pace which was appreciated by a few other people in the group now following me. I thought I'm paying for this so I will not be bullied into something I'm uncomfortable with.

Hotels sometimes were not as advertised as more than once riders (who hadn't met before the trip) had to share double beds or sleep on a mattress on the floor as substitude. The hotel "in" Shimla was 6km away on other side of the valley. Lunch usually was the Indian version of Super Noodles at random stops.
My friend fell off his bike in the Spiti Vallay and broke a couple of ribs. Peter seemed out of his depths and clueles what to do and I told him to carry on. I was way more relaxed without him there. I stayed with my buddy and waited for the support vehicle and then rode in convoy with them. We organised hospital transfers and appointments ourselves assisted by the Indian support crew and not once was he approached how he was! They just didn't seem interested at all, instead he was asked if he'd be riding the last 2 days??
On our arrival in Delhi, Peter couldn't wait to get out of India. He literally left a couple of hours after arriving at the hotel after a shower and a beer and a "happy customer" group photograph for his Facebook page to drive to the airport to fly to Dubai.

Don't waste your money and time on a lacklustre trip with disillusioned owner and operator. Shame really.

Refund everyones money
Having now had time to get back to normal following our two weeks away on the above tour we have decided to bring to your attention our complaint of which I'm sure you have a few others.

This tour was described as a guided tour turned into a bit of a nightmare, on the first day expected to be a long day and was but we didnt expect to be told by the guide that he would prefer if riders went of on their own as it would make his job easier. This kind of talk carried on throughout the tour with some riders being told your too slow so make your own way. One rider who was not confident was put at the back as a marker and got lost abd got into a crash, when he contacted the guide was basically told sort yourself out no help or assistance was given and he was left to his own devices. NOT GOOD. When we checked into the hotel I was presented with the bill for the whole group and I had to explain that was not for me to do, and at another I was asked to pay tax which should have already been paid by your guide.

Now as per the description and pictures we were le to believe we would visit the memorials at Verdun, our hotels would be on the banks of lake como, near lake garda, according to your description should have been a great holiday. Nearly every hotel was far from the places described in fact were on industrial estates not close to restaurants and if the hotel actually had a restaurant/bar it was closed or didn't have enough food for everyone. Need I say more. On the two day stops we all felt like we had been abandoned in the middle of nowhere.

The last three day were a big slog especially the last as our booking for eurotunnel meant we had to be there for 10:30 this meant going without breakfast and just pushing on only stoping for fuel in order to get there in time. I know there is a time window but a later booking would have been easier for all.

Yours Dissatisfied

I want to Ieave feedback on the recent mountains and lakes tour. I could bang on at length, but there is little point in that. There is simply too much to write about.

I appreciate the tour is somewhat cheaper when compared to competitors and that should be considered in the content of the tour. However, the following points stand out.

the stated visit to verdun simply did not happen. The guide showed me the route and confirmed we were never going. This was a particular disappointment to me as I have visited several other sites of this type. Quite why we did not go is still a mystery.
It was then suggested we would not be doing the Stelvio pass as it was ‘the worst biking road in the world’. After further discussion it was clear that the group could go over if they wished, but they would be met at the top.
Hardly as described in the itinerary. The lesser experienced members of the group now rather anxious to the coming event, some saying they may miss it out.
I encouraged them to do the pass, it’s far from the worst road. They were all glad they did it!

The visit to the moto Guzzi museum was a total loss. On closer inspection, the facility is open to the public on Friday and Saturday. As we were there on a Wednesday, the doors were locked. This is cited in the recommended things to do, but I fail to see how. Time lost searching for it and little else to do in the time remaining.

Bologna was the Saturday, where the recommendation of visiting the Ducati factory and museum. A high point to see the factory. Unfortunately the factory is closed on the Saturday and only a visit to the museum possible.
This was not worth the mileage committed to getting there as we doubled back the next day. Significant time lost for the group.

Hotels: never were they ‘on the shores of’ or actually close to anything at all. By far most of them had no food on arrival and often no bar. After a long day riding, I did not want to walk 30-45 minutes to find some sort of food. Often being turned away from the only resource as they are ‘fully booked in advance’.
Had we known there were no facilities, then alternative arrangements could be made during the day. However, I prefer riding to sitting in a restaurant during the day.
Poor organisation and poor comms. Simply not good enough,
Most hotels were in industrial estates or on the far reaches of any town. Not exactly inviting the exploration of the visited town or sampling the ‘many bars and restaurants’ as suggested.

this is my first paid for bike tour. I shall not do it again.

On one day, the group were travelling and the rain started, the group was left by the guide and told ‘you are all too slow and I am getting wet. You have the hotel address get yourself there’. The group arrived sometime later very irate by this.
The guide saying the tour is escorted not guided somehow justifying his approach. Our definitions of this role obviously differ.

There is more, but these are the standouts for me.
Don’t use this company and spread the word far and wide. My money was wasted, I don’t want others to suffer the same.
The roads were fantastic, go ride them. But not with these guys.

British bike tours
Avoid at all cost

I must say I was extremely disappointed in the tour organisation.
When we met the supposed tour guide, he explained that this wasn’t a guided tour, but escorted.
We could follow him to the hotel’s or make our own way.
He said he would prefer if we made our own way.

That was the start of the holiday and sort of set the theme of it!
There was never a briefing or any sort of guide to what the day would entail.
Just “I’m leaving at 9.00 or 9.30 see you later”.

Regarding the advertised highlights of the trip
Visit to French fortress on first day wasn’t on the route!
We were actively discouraged from riding the Stelio pass
“It’s the worst road in the world”
The motoguzzi motorcycle factory & museum was shut
The Ducati factory was shut.
Most of the hotels we were booked into had no open restaurant (the Berchtesgaden one was shut, we were advised to walk half an hour to the nearest village, to find all the restaurants we’re booked, so walked half an hour back again in rain with nothing to eat). (Great holiday)
One chap had an accident on the second day, no one knew where he was or what had happened.
He got in touch with the so called guide later in the evening to say he had got lost during the day and collided with a car .
His bike was un rideable, the advice given was book yourself into a hotel and save the receipt for travel insurance, bye !
We heard the next day that the chaps son had been in touch to say why wasn’t anything else being done.

So to sum it up I could have organised a better tour myself, in a couple of hours on the internet .
I would have chosen better hotels rather than bargain basement ones out of town with closed restaurants.

I would have spent more time researching the areas to find places of interest to visit rather than rely on what I thought was a guided tour.
The so called guide was only interested in getting to a hotel as fast as possible to get pissed every night.
He had no idea on how to guide a tour and basically no interest.

I wrote to the company before writing the review and got no response.

So do yourself a favour and don’t bother with this company.

This is the first "guided tour" I have been on. I have travelled extensively in Europe on my own or with a couple of mates. This time I thought I would let someone else take the helm and organise routes and hotels etc. Unfortunately, it was a mistake.....
The guide was a great guy and really friendly. However, the "highlight roads" were way to few and short. Way too much motorway riding, and the some of the hotels were below what was expected. One was basically in the middle of an industrial estate and another was surrounded by a huge carpark next to a motorway. I would advise thinking twice about booking with this company.

Me a buddy did the Himalayan trip in Summer 2022.
Some of the riding was epic…gravel roads in the mountains especially.
But some of the link-up roads through endless joined together towns was stressful and dangerous.
The pace through the crazy and dangerous towns was too brisk for me, you’re a long way from home if you come a cropper….but the pace on the gravel twisting trails was too slow for me! You can’t please everyone.
Peter the “Guide” can be good fun or grumpy depending on his stress levels at the time.
Don’t expect to be mollycoddled, don’t expect much in the way of communication…this isn’t a BMW Motard rider escorted trip, with safety meetings, debriefing, corporate slickness etc….it’s a pretty bare-bones trip.

British Bike Tours (BBT) are on the face of it is cheaper than other tour operators, and in their case, you certainly get what you pay for, or don’t get what you pay for as it would seem. Don’t expect a guide/escort who is mindful, has a can-do attitude, relatively friendly and well has the temperament to want to help and be of assistance given that you are spending money to be on a holiday.

Rather, brace yourself for a rather stand-offish experience, where you generally get the feeling that you are an inconvenience and in the way. My trip wasn’t a complete loss, the other patrons proved to be awesome – though when the topic of general conversation is “well would you do this again”, “this isn’t really a guided trip is it” it doesn’t generally bode well on day two. I embarked on this trip solo and expected to receive, on face value what I paid for, sadly it’s my view that this simply was not the case the majority of the time.

- Ferry dates from the website were changed without clear comms causing many of us to take an extra days leave, forgo a days wages or let a customer down – the alternative was to cancel the entire trip. Most folks did not realise until it was too late.
- Don’t expect BBT to manage the group booking or provide information as to who might be paired up together in the cabins, learn as I did that Peter is “not your mother” and be expected to deal with the ferry company yourself, alongside the other group members you met 30 mins prior.
- Most routes that were provided were not used.
- The husband (ride leader) and wife (tail-gunner) team had no bike to bike communications to help keeping the group together, and the group split up often. There was no effort to maintain any cohesion in the group riding given the disparity of skill or desired speed.
- A hotel was changed without notice/choice whilst on the trip as “parking was too expensive”
- Information regards the route (things to see / not miss) was not made available, made worse by the routes not being followed and briefings lacked up to date knowledge of the roads.
- Very little attempt was made by BBT to facilitate evenings, mealtimes or group activities – the group was left to do this of its own accord. More a case of the husband and wife team were keen to spend time together and leave the group to its own devices 95% of the time.
- On occasion when things when wrong (group split up) Peter (leader) made his displeasure known, shouting and swearing, blaming the group member for not following instructions. A very unpleasant experience to witness and grossly unprofessional.
- When asked about the guided aspect of the tour, Peter made it clear that it was escorted through Spain and guided in Morocco. To note, this means that in Morocco there will be a single 4x4 following some distance behind, where if you are so inclined you can leave your luggage making for a lighter bike. There is no guiding taking place.
- The medical support was great with Imodium and antibiotics readily available, though if I was to do it again (solo or with another group) I’d visit a GP prior and arrange for similar.
- Whilst breakfasts might be included, be prepared for a fight with hotel staff. Breakfasts are not included with the room, rather paid for by BBT which means every time you have to explain that you’re part of a group booking etc
- Following an evening in Marrakesh we were advised by BBT that they had spent their evening at the restaurant next door to the hotel…. As it was one of the best in Morocco – this would have been nice to know.
- Hotel quality was hit and miss, with some 1-2 star hotels being thrown into the mix. We were advised that on the final day we’d be able to spend the day shopping in Santander and have a final evening meal together. This wasn’t to be given the lacklustre and out of the way hotel accommodation, and again no effort was expended to make the final evening anymore special than any of the others.
- BBT were not too familiar with the Morocco process/paperwork, this was evident in the rising stress levels and the general short-temperedness in verbal exchanges.
- The miles/day is very inconsistent and could have been better planned to remove the stresses on some of the bigger days

Ask a lot questions if you decide to book with BBT, though don’t expect speedy replies and don’t take it personally if they are ignored. I learnt that this is commonplace and to be expected.

I would encourage you to be prepared to be on your own, without a route, know your daily destinations, have off-line maps, paper maps, spare fuel and water, just in case you find yourself abandoned at a petrol station with the sun setting and needing to find a kasbah, in middle of the desert. It happens. I know.

As you might have gathered, there is absolutely no chance of me rebooking with BBT and would have appreciated reading an honest review ahead of my trip.

Having just come back from Morocco with this company. I feel it’s important to highlight that if you’re looking for a guided tour. Then look elsewhere!! To start with dates were changed on the trip but with no one was informed or given the option to cancel. Some hotels were changed on route without details being provided. What you’re being sold on his literature is not what you get. Costal roads around Malaga and Gibraltar it states. The only way you will see this is with Google maps or do your own trip!!! Many only realised the changes of dates a couple of weeks before travel. There were 14 on our trip and the group was awesome, everyone got on despite variations on ability. Peter and his wife were our guides, but be under no allusion they are not guides. GPX files supplied for route were not the route we rode. Pointless providing these. Details on the itinerary and places to see were not visited. We lost people every day on the trip with many riding on there own. Pete made excuses by blaming the drop off process not working yet his wife was at back with no headset and was also lost on many occasions. The route across morroco was awesome but across Spain he likes sticking to motorways as claims it can’t be done on time line. This suit some but I was on a bike tour and was wanting to see Spain!! As per itinerary!!! Myself and my pal rode on our own on way back and never touched a motorway. Hotels were ok but you have to recognise that when compared to more professional outfits, what you pay for is what you get. If you pay for single room make sure you get one as a few on ferry had to share. Was told this was extra, nothing on any of his literature from booking stated that. Be warned. Also breakfast is included everyday, but it’s a battle as hotels not booked to include breakfast so every morning you will find yourself arguing with hotel staff. For me the people I met will remain friends with and the roads were awesome. Personally I will never book with these again as more professional companies out there. This is an honest review, great trip but it’s escorted not guided, be prepared to do your own thing. Don’t be worried about crossing into Africa, very straight forward, I crossed over on my own as I had a breakdown but had no issues despite being told by our guide that I wouldn’t be able to re-join group… When I did break down and was left I had no calls from the guide or messages asking how things were going etc….On the return journey our Guide Peter had no idea what to expect at the ferry, no paper work ready as didn’t know what was needed. Just shouted at his customers in a very stressful manner. Stay away my advice unless you are chilled and prepared to waste money. Most positive thing from this trip is I’ve made friends for life but that was nothing to do with how the trip was run. Such a shame a little attention to detail and better communication could of gained him a 5 star rating. One last thing do your research on destinations as there are no planned meals or places to go. Once you park bike your own your on your own!!!