Italian Lakes & Swiss Alps Tour 10 – 21 September 2016

The Group on the top of the Petit St Bernard Pass – only the second time we have run this tour and it was as good if not better than the first with predominantly good weather. With lakes, mountains, hairpins, synchronised swimming, cable cars, chair lifts, toboggans, more hairpins, glaciers, fab roads and of course a kidnapped marmot we hope there was something for everyone to enjoy!
“Hi John and Jen, in the moment I thought the tour was excellent, but on reflection and aided by the photos that everyone has shared, I think you provided an outstanding holiday to us all! The effort you guys have put in to researching the roads, hotels, breaks and events made all the difference and I will look back on a fantastic mix of memories which include phenomenal roads, beautiful scenery, laughs with new friends (mobile-chicanes) and the odd maladjusted marmot. Thank you for a first class holiday!” | |
Dave Nicholas, 6th trip, Kawasaki H2 |
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“Hi John & Jen, thanks again for another brilliant biking adventure on tour with Bike Normandy. We both had a brilliant time and lots of fun & laughs with a great group of people. Once again we stayed at some lovely hotels with beautiful views in ideal locations. Can’t get much better than overlooking a glacier, or Italian and Swiss lakes and mountains. It all seems so mundane now we are home. The biking roads were fantastic with so many hairpins in the mountains but also some good sweeping fast roads too. Scenery was stunning. We are so pleased we did the optional ride out to the Stelvio Pass despite starting off in rain. We thought we must be mad but it got drier as we got nearer and we all had a sense of achievement on reaching the top. We have the tee-shirts to prove it!
Special thanks also to Martin & Denise our back markers on tour who did an excellent job of keeping the flock together and rounding up any lost sheep along the way. All in all a brilliant tour and such fun. Thanks again. Best wishes.” |
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Alan & Julie Grieves, 3rd tour, Ducati Multistrada |
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“Thank you Jen and John for another fabulous trip! From start to finish great roads, scenery and hotels which we thoroughly enjoyed with some old and some new biker friends. As usual your research and attention to detail meant a trouble free couple of weeks and great riding. Hairpins? Bring them on! We are looking forward to seeing you next year, and the next.” | |
Wendy and Steve Henrys, 5th trips, Triumph Bonneville & Kawasaki Z1000SX | |
“Hi John & Jen, thanks again for another superb tour. From the 30° heat in the Italian Lakes to 3° on the ski slopes of the Alps you managed to find us some great roads and superb hotels, Morteratsch being my favorite ! See you at the NEC.” | |
Rob Palmer, 4th tour, Triumph Tiger 1050 | |
Even though this was our highest mileage day (270 miles) we arrive at our hotel at 17.45 hrs with plenty of time for a swim & drinks before dinner |
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“Hi John and Jen, very many thanks to you both for another super tour: Well researched, great roads, challenging and superbly led. Excellent hotels, all shared with a great bunch of riders. Most enjoyable…Again many thanks and very best wishes to you both.” | |
Keith Bowen, 5th trip, Honda NC 750S |
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“Hi Jen and John, Rod and myself really enjoyed the Tour and have great memories from it. Everyone had a part to play in making it a success and along with both your great research, knowledge etc it was fantastic. We will keep in touch and hope to see you next year.” | |
Rod Kemp & Anita Bartholomew, 1st Tour, BMW K1600GT (to be replaced by BMW S1000 XR!) | |
“Having visited 5 of Bike Normandy’s weekend experiences we booked for the Italian Lakes and Swiss Alps tour. As with the weekend trips everything was organised for you, even the backup van carrying your luggage, spare fuel and tools. The hotels selected by John and Jen were above and beyond what we would have expected from a biking holiday, many with secure parking and swimming pools. Well organised, well researched, comes highly recommended, thanks John and Jen for a great unforgettable tour. (I hope we didn’t blip or annoy too many people!!!)” |
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Paul Tinkler, 6th trip, Suzuki GSXR 1000 | |
“Hi John & Jen, can I just add to the other comments and say what a great time I had. Can’t fault the choice of hotels or the detailed planning of the itinerary. Like many others I was amazed by the stunning scenery and hairpin passes. Apologies for the troublesome BMW not starting. A special thanks to you both for being patient and in particular to John who emptied the van of luggage to ferry my bike to the nearby BMW dealership who fitted a new switchgear in minutes, John really pulled out the stops and went that extra mile to assist me without any hesitation. Perhaps you could add ‘European Breakdown Service’ to the list of services that you already offer !!” [No way – we’d be too busy with all the BMW’s that break down!! J&J] | |
Mike Bishop, 2nd trip, BMW K1300S | |
“John, Jen, many thanks to you both for a great tour. Thoroughly enjoyed it.” | |
“Inflatable” Jon & Pillion, 3rd trip, BMW R1200GS | |
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Our longest trip hence the amount of photos !! A great tour with a great bunch of people, we hope to see many of you again in the future. Ride safe, John & Jen…