The “guinea pigs” stop for a photo opportunity. A really great group – all keen to get away – braved our hastily compiled tour to Spain. We found some brilliant roads, lovely scenery, top hotels, fabulous cities and great weather – masks did not deter us!!

We’re off & John’s touting for business already!

A socially distancing briefing!

A rare photo of us!

“The Masked Guinea Pig Spanish Tour”

I’ve been on a few tours over the years and met some lovely people but amazingly a special one comes along unexpectedly at a time when we’re advised to stay at home and not to travel unnecessarily in the midst of a world pandemic virus never experienced before. 

Sue and I would like to thank John & Jen for all their effort in making the tour happen, re-planning a great route through Spain due to the Portuguese border being closed, where we saw so many interesting cities and sites over the 10 days, albeit sometimes through steamed up spectacles due to wearing the obligatory mask. 

I’d also like to say it was a real pleasure meeting, riding with, and enjoying the company of a friendly, very considerate and extremely competent bunch of experienced riders on the tour. This was a back markers dream tour!

Long may you continue J&J and perhaps let me come again (with Sue of course)?? “

Ken (21 trips!) & Sue (17 trips) Wright, Suzuki V-Strom 1000, Kent

Jen’s in the lead & we’re off

Straight into the Picos Mountains

“5* Facebook review – I have been with BN European Tours 9 times now (with a 10th booked already) and I keep going back for the wonderful adventures they take us on. The most recent was a tour of Spain and they came up trumps again with some spectacular places and most awesome roads. Well done John and Jen”

Paul Butler, 9th trip, KTM Superduke GT, Bedfordshire

Lunch stop

Pretty scenery

Cheers!

All in the same cafe!

John with Wayne & Carole

“Hi John & Jen,

Well what a wonderful tour that was! It had everything – 4* hotels, swimming pools and fantastic roads! We enjoyed the days off the bike and the places chosen to stay were superb. Salamanca was the highlight for us and the Picos of course.

All credit to you both for putting some of the holiday together at the last minute due to Portugal  restrictions – not an easy task. You’re both always cheerful, never get in a flap and are thoroughly professional.

Hope to see you again soon.”

Wayne & Carole Williams, 6th tour, BMW K1600GT, RCT

Drinks before dinner

Us again!

A great group

And a great bar

“Hi John and Jen, once again a fantastic trip – as always I enjoyed it from start to finish! Fantastic roads, great hotels and awesome company! How you managed to pull together such a fantastic trip under the pressures and restrictions of the current Covid crisis is a testament to the level of research and detail you put into each and every trip, I for one will be back again to experience your excellent work again…oh yes – of course – I’ll see you again soon to experience Monte Carlo! 😁 Can’t wait, look forward to the stunning roads you both seem able to find. Thanks a lot again to all who participated in this tour, both my dad (Stoner) and myself had a fantastic time! 😁👍

Adrian Stone, 2nd tour, KTM 990 Adventure, Cornwall

Dinner is included in a local restaurant

Cider poured the traditional way

Keep your distance!

Oviedo by night

Masks are not a problem!

“Hi John and Jen,

Thanks for a fantastic trip. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole guinea pig experience, even the masked bits!

All your hard work putting the alternative tour together paid off: the roads, hotels and scenery were faultless and it was great to ride with such a great group of like-minded people as well!

Great to finally be on the leader board too, even if it’s right at the bottom…

Cheers!”

Neil & Ann Henderson, 3rd tour, BMW R1150 RT, Bedfordshire

Socially distancing breakfast

Our first 4* hotel

Morning coffee stop

The “Stoners”

Monument to the Immigrants

We ride the “Camino de Santiago”

“Trip number 8 for me and they just keep getting better! Great roads, great riding, fabulous places to visit & stay in, superb hotels, great company with like-minded bikers doing what we love. All this organised supremely & put together perfectly by John & Jen with all of their 17 years experience of organising tours and making peoples’ lives richer in the process. Thanks again John & Jen, see you on another tour soon!”

John Young, 8th trip. Suzuki V-Strom 1000, Norfolk

Great roads

We stop for photos

“Backmarkers” Sue & Ken

Ann & Neil

AMAZING roads!

He’s heading our way…

We’ll keep our distance!

Horses & their foals

Jen’s leading again

Wayne & Carole – BMWK1600GT

John Y – Suzuki V-Strom 1000

Ken & Sue – Suzuki V-Strom 1000

We regroup on the dam

Wayne & Carole again

Lunch stop

UNESCO town walls

Our next 4* hotel

View from our hotel

A free night in Santiago de Compostella

The stunning Cathedral

Hardly any tourists!

Tapas in the evening sun

Our hotel

What a breakfast room!

Lovely coffee stop

More fab roads

Great views

A great group too

Lunch stop

Gravel anyone?

Afternoon coffee stop

Our next 4* hotel

Adrian & “Stoner”

Paul’s on his 9th trip

Carole & Wayne

Sue & Ken

Ann & Neil

John Y went to the pool

Dinner is included tonight

It’s Paul’s birthday

Drinks after dinner

Undercover parking

Morning coffee stop

We stopped just in time…

As a cycle race passes by

First sighting of storks

The bridge where John met a lorry!

Lunch stop

We cross an iron bridge

Then an amazing dam

Stop to admire the view

At coffee stop – more storks

Our next fab 4* hotel

Two nights here in Salamanca

View of the Cathedral from our rooms

Opposite our hotel

More storks

Lovely buildings

The Cathedral

Churches everywhere

The amazing Plaza

Cocktails with Ken & Sue

The Plaza lit up by night

Local entertainment

Stunning!

Another beautiful morning

“Five go for a Ride-Out”

Paul on his KTM Superduke GT

The three KTM’s

Fab scenery in the mountains

Paul again

“Stoner” on his KTM 790 Adventure

“Stoner” again

We stop for drinks

High up in the mountains

“Stoner”

Jen’s view riding pillion

Adrian on his KTM 990 Adventure

Stop to admire the view…

on the “mini” Stelvio

Adrian

His Dad “Stoner”

Paul

Great roads

Here comes Adrian…

and there goes Adrian!

Adrian stops to take photos

The prettiest lunch stop in the mountains

Cute souvenirs

So many ham joints

So quaint

Ready to roll…

Black cows – white calves

Back in Salamanca

Time for some sightseeing

Visit the Cathedral

Absolutely stunning inside

Just a few cracks!

Climb the bell tower for great views of the city

and another stork!

Not very tall in olden days!

Only 200+ windy stairs!

Sangria in Salamanca

Cheers!

A Covid-19 wedding!!

Morning coffee stop

Carole & Wayne with Stoner

More castles

Don’t mess with me!

Our 3* hotel in Toledo for 2 nights

The terrace

With great views of the city

and a fabulous swimming pool!

The Covid guinea pigs!

The city lights up

Dinner is included tonight

A lovely sunset

Breakfast on the terrace

With a day off to explore the city

Gateways in the city walls

Great architecture

Chains on the walls…?

The Cathedral

A witchcraft store!

Buskars

Another city gateway

A very different city to Salamanca

This is the hospital

The bullring

Some original paving slabs

Another lovely sunset

Always a morning briefing

And another castle

At lunch stop…

A HUGE Monastery

Lots of cafes

Covid ice-creams!!

Our next hotel is CLOSED !!!

Jen practices her Spanish!

We’re moved to a 4* hotel next to the Aqueduct

Wow!

Where does it end?

“Stoner” grabs 40 winks…

Before joining the lads for a beer

We all enjoy drinks before dinner

Dinner is included in a local restaurant

This is a starter!!

The jokes start…

But it’s lost in translation!

Lovely suckling pig

Morning coffee stop

We ride through fields of sunflowers

Two-storey nests!

At lunch stop the next day

After an unmarked policeman…

showed us the way to the old town!

Clever idea for a drink

The setting for our final hotel

The heavens open!!!

Characters strike the bells

Fine now to sit outside

Dinner is included tonight

“Stoner” thanks Ken & Sue

Another of John’s bad jokes!

John Y had been practicing his

Artwork in the town

Gaudi Palace

Murals for those who didn’t find them!!

A “Bento-box” breakfast

We head back into the Picos Mountains

Stopping for a photo shoot

They’re at it again!!!

Thanks to Ken & Sue

Most of us (thanks Paul)

Great scenery

& great roads

Stop for photos

Ken & Sue!

John leading (thanks Paul)

John Y

Wayne & Carole

Neil & Ann

It’s “Stoner”!!

There goes John Y

Then Paul goes past the van

Final lunch stop

All back to the ferry – but it’s not all over…

The t-shirt shop is open!

Thank you everyone

Nice arse Adrian !!!!!

And we sail into the sunset

And that’s all folks! Thanks so much to the ten guinea pigs who had faith in us to put together this tour when we couldn’t travel to Portugal. We had a great time, we know you all did too & we look forward to seeing you all again – some even later this year! Ride safe, keep well, John & Jen.

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