Great Escape, Great Days, Great Rides
Every now and again, almost everybody who works in a high pressure environment just has to take a complete break from their day to day responsibilities and, well, just do something different!
And that’s exactly the appeal that Great Rides offered to Peter Hewer, a Partner with Tulchan Communications, one of Europe’s leading financial communications companies based in Fleet Street, right in the heart of the City of London.
Peter says “I just wanted a total break - even for 3 or 4 days. I’ve been a motorcyclist for a good while, and in London use a Street Triple on an almost daily basis. It’s a great urban bike, but I thought it would be a real change to get out into some real countryside on a big tourer. The Yorkshire Dales has long appealed. And one other thing - I wanted to bring my father along too!”
From there, Peter found the Great Rides website, and gave us a call. And we answered all his questions with an emphatic ‘Yes’.
“What I initially liked about Great Rides was their website”, says Peter, “it just looks professional. First impressions usually tell you a great deal about the quality of a company. And Great Rides’ choice of the latest BMW bikes is just perfect. After contacting the owner Alan direct, everything just fell into place. I chose a 1200 GS for myself, and a lighter 650 GS for my father. The two bikes met our needs precisely, and were delivered to our hotel without fuss exactly as we requested.”
And the sun shone. Really shone, even in Yorkshire.
“Everything worked out wonderfully” says Peter’s father Paul. “The roads in North Yorkshire are everything you could ask for, with huge views and rolling hills in virtually every direction. The towns and villages have real character too, especially places like Hawes and Settle. And we couldn’t have chosen a better time of year either, being late spring / early summer, just a few weeks before the main holiday months.”
In similar fashion, the Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey provided an absolutely ideal base for Peter and Paul’s daily excursions. “The whole idea of hiring a bike and doing daily ride-outs from a really nice hotel is hugely attractive” says Peter. “We had fantastic weather, which only made those cool evening beers on the terrace even more special. I’d also have to be totally honest here and say that as a pair of confirmed Londoners, Dad and I really learnt something about how exciting and how much fun motorcycling in Northern England really can be.”
Obviously, the bikes too played their part. Peter in particular loved the big GS, noting that above 40mph it was truly in its element as a horizon chasing super-tourer - “a bike so effortless, so solid, so confidence-inspiring.”
On the smaller 650, Paul thought the bike ‘a bit lively’ (but then he is comparing it to the trusty Honda Pan he has at home)! That said, the 650 GS proved to be an ideal machine for the Dales’ B-roads and narrow country lanes.
“It was a great few days, truly special” father and son confirm. “Playing their part too, the whole service from Great Rides was spot-on. High specification, top quality bikes in perfect condition, delivered and collected to make everything really easy. OK, all this costs a bit more, but when renting motorcycles how can compromising or cutting corners ever be an option?”
