Can I join a car tour by myself?
Can I join a car tour by myself?
Yes, provided you are happy to navigate without a co-driver ! If this is a problem you can always follow the Tour Director or some of the other tour participants.As far as costs are concerned, most hotels in Europe charge by the room whether occupied by one or two people and as our
prices are based on two people occupying a room, sole occupancy of a hotel room will invariably increase the cost per person.Car ferries, too, normally charge per car so, as a single person, extra costs will be incurred. However, we always endeavour to keep any premiums for sole occupancy to a minimum.
Contact us for details.
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Can we book single rooms?
Yes, but the same sole occupancy surcharges as above may apply.
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Can we join a car tour part way through the route?
Yes, we for instance we have several European clients for whom it is far more practical to meet us part way through a tour and we will adjust the price accordingly.
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Can we use an alternative ferry crossing?
Yes,however most tours start immediately on disembarking the ferry,
so in cases where some participants take a different ferry crossing they can join the
route at a later point in the day if it is not convenient to meet the main tour off the ferry. Return crossings at different times to the published tour route are
usually no problem but there may be a price adjustment for a change in the advertised
crossing especially where tickets are purchased on a 5 day return or 10 day return basis and these periods are extended.
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Do you provide mechanical back-up?
No. In the early years of our history we did supply a back up vehicle but we soon discovered that there was a limit to what they could repair and of course back up vehicles are an extra cost that we had to build into the tour fees so we stopped using them !We now insist that everyone takes out their own continental recovery/breakdown insurance with a hire car clause in the event that your car cannot be repaired immediately.This way you can continue on the tour in a hire car so your holiday is not wasted.
We do accompany all tours and in the case of any major breakdowns we can give
assistance with arranging help and provide transport to the next hotel. We issue
hotel telephone numbers and organisers mobile numbers at the start of each tour.
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Where do we start/join the car tour?
All our tours start with a ferry crossing.All our French tours start with a Portsmouth-St Malo overnight crossing , our Italian ,Alps and Swiss tours use a Dover- Dunkerque daytime crossing.You are always free however to arrange an alternative ferry crossing, ( see above).In the case of most French tours we actually meet you off the ferry when you arrive in St Malo, for the other tours using a Dover crossing we meet you at the Dover ferry terminal..If you decide to arrange your own channel crossing you can join the tour at some stage in the day, ( see above alternative ferry crossing).
Location and start
times will be issued in pre-event bulletins and once on route, you may start each
day at the time that suits you - you do not have to wait for everyone to be
ready.
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Do we need previous experience/is the navigation difficult? Do you provide road books and maps and do we need a sat nav system ?
We make it as easy as possible to navigate along the daily routes and provide you with a comprehensive road book which includes daily timed itineraries and detailed route notes with interim and cumulative mileages and all the towns and villages that we are passing through highlighted.In addition, we supply you with maps with the route highlighted so depending on whether you prefer to navigate via route notes or maps ,you have a choice.In summary we make it as easy as possible for you to enjoy your driving. !A sat nav is always useful however especially if you can programme it with way points to follow our route exactly.Sat navs also help enormously if you get lost !You are always free, however, to make your own way each day to arrive at the hotel destination but, as we go to great lengths to
design the most scenic routes on the best driving roads possible, do think twice before driving your own route !.
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Do we have to travel in convoy?
No. You may travel with friends or individually at your own pace. If you are new to car tours and don't
feel confident about navigating along the the route by yourself you can follow the
Tour Director's car.
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What kind of hotels do we stay in and is dinner included ?
We select the hotels personally and choose them for a combination of their position/location,character and style,charm and ambiance, personal service and, of course, their food.Many of the hotels we use are in stunning locations either on a lake or river or set in attractive countryside or a pretty village and often with scenic views.We tend to avoid corporate chain hotels as they all too often lack character and ambiance, as a consequence not all the bed rooms we use will be identical.Most of the hotels we use are 4* family owned establishments where personal service is automatic and sincere and accompanied by a genuine smile.A 3 course or 4 course dinner is included each evening and this is normally enjoyed in the hotel although occasionally, as a change, we eat dinner in local restaurants.
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Do we need to join a club/organisation or have any form
of special qualifications/licence?
No. Our tours have no element of competition so no special qualifications are
needed. Normal car insurances will cover you for this type of event.
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What is your dress code on the car tours?
During the day you can dress, or undress as you like ! In the evenings when we all meet for dinner we request you wear 'smart casual' . We do not have formal 'black tie' dinners and unless you feel lost dining without a jacket and tie then leave them at home !
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What is your definition of a classic car or the age limit
of cars?
We have no strict criteria
for car eligibility on our tours. Modern sports cars are accepted as well as classic cars.Depending on the tour some older cars, pre 1950, for instance may have difficulty with some of the daily mileages however.Some tours, too, involve climbing many mountain passes so just bear this in mind !Just check with us first if you are not sure.
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What is the normal daily mileage on the car tours?
This depends on the individual tour also on occasions from and day to day too. We normally try to keep daily mileages
to less than 200 miles, but occasionally have to do more, simply to limit the
number of days on route and get from A - B. However when we do exceed this sort
of mileage it will usually be predominantly on major roads
although in general we try to avoid motorways.
When we have had more than one day of long mileages we then always try to build
in a short day or a total rest day. Most tours usually average 100-150 miles
in a day.
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What time can we expect to get to the hotel each evening?
We try to reach the hotels between approx 5.00-6.00pm, but of course this will
depend on several factors; what time you start off each day, how many times you stop on route, for how long and your average speed!Our road books include daily itineraries with recommended timings and mileages and if you follow these you should arrive at the evening hotel at the time indicated in the road book in plenty of time to relax and unwind before dinner which is normally served at 8.00pm.!
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Do the hotels have secure parking?
All the hotels we use have private off road parking, sometimes with a secure garage.
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What is the general format of the car tours and do we have plenty of time to stop each day along the route?
All our tours are intended to be relaxing and enjoyable holidays, however they
are car tours so you will naturally have to spend a large proportion
of the time driving, sometimes on challenging, but interesting, and always scenic
roads. The evenings are totally relaxed and friendly social occasions where
we all enjoy dinner together and chat about the day's adventures.
Morning and afternoon coffee stops and lunch stops are built into each day's route and these give
a good opportunity for a break and a chat with fellow participants.Often the stops are in a pretty village or at places of interest where there is time to relax and
stretch your legs.Our itineraries include the option to visit pretty villages, beautiful gardens, museums, historic villas and chateaux so we try to ensure that there is something of interest for everyone, especially the ladies.There should be no need to feel under any pressure - these are driving holidays and can be adapted to suit your preferences.
We have customers from all walks of life and all age groups - the common bond
is the love of cars and driving. Our tours offer the chance to put enjoyment
back into driving, on quiet roads away from Britain's grid locked motorways in
a time when it is regarded by many to be 'politically incorrect' to actually
enjoy driving!
How is my money protected?
The business was established in 2001 and as a "tour operator" we are governed by "The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations"
1992 (SI 1992 No 3288). As a consequence we are required by law to protect clients' pre-payments.
We do this by ensuring that all monies paid to us by a client are held in
a separate clients' deposit trust account from which they are only withdrawn on completion
of the contract, defined as the end of a Tour. The client trust account is held
at our bank.
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