Wild One Tours

An old favourite.

Adrets de l'Esterel Great road in the south of France between Cannes and AntibesShot with a GoPro HD v1 1080pon a Triumph Street Triple 675 (Arrow Low Boy exhaust)following a Ho...

Breakdown warning beacons Spain:
Will by legal requirement completely replace warning triangles by January 2026.
I'm not going to repeat the content of the article, other than point out that like warning triangles, motorcycles are exempt from the requirement to carry them. And also that from January 2026 the V16 flashing beacons must also be fitted with a GPS locator that sends a signal so that the road assistance authorities know where you are and can send help. On motorways they also activate road signs to signal that a vehicle is stopped at a particular distance ahead. So if you've got room for one even on a motorcycle you may want to carry one anyway.

New DGT safety light: Which vehicles must carry it and when from The V16 beacon should ideally be placed on the roof without exiting the vehicle, minimising the risk of accidents. The V16 beacon should ideally be placed on the roof without exiting the vehicle, minimising the risk of accidents.

ACCOMMODATION:
This is another element of motorcycle touring of which all too often a lot of tourists don't get best value out of.
For Wild One Tours and friends, all of the 1980s through to the mid 90s our primary accommodation was a tent.
In France tour camping with your own tent was virtually a national pastime.
There was no internet and I couldn't find a campsite guide book, so finding decent campsites was very hit and miss.
Not having a clue where they were we had to rely on roadside signs to direct us to them and what you got was a mixed bag. From the outset most city break stopovers were at hotels and I personally got to enjoying the relative comfort of city centre hotels.
These were generally cheap hotels in run down inner city areas, but close to popular tourist attractions. Some were so cheap that they didn't cost much more than pitches on some campsites.
There were many advantages to the hotels, but the main one was getting about an hour extra touring per day
A saving on account of not having to make or break camp.
As the 80s became the 90s finding acceptable campsites with available touring pitches became more difficult on account of pitches being given up to companies with pitches containing pre erected tents or hard shell accommodations. They provided maps and directions to these campsites and they were often of a higher standard with on site bars, restaurants and swimming pools. Gradually we used these sites more and more and left our tent and camp kitchen at home.
But then in 1995 coming back from the South of France on back roads, but rather quickly we happened across and stopped off at a hotel Formule 1. Bed and all you can eat breakfast at under £30 and secure gated parking. Very modern and interesting new concept hotels.
Inside we picked up a free booklet with a map and directions in English of how to get to every F1 hotel in Europe. We were impressed and checked into one the following night on the outskirts of Calais
A night in a F1 hotel cost less than a pre erected tent on a campsite. They were usually sited at retail parks on the outskirts of towns. They were easy to find and close to decent bars and restaurants.
On both nights we noticed that we luckily got the last available rooms and as we checked in no vacancies signs went to. So for future reference we always made a point of making reservations which from then we could do online.
In particularly hot places such as Spain the F1 hotels we stayed at even had air-conditioned bedrooms. If a place didn't have an F1 hotel there was often a similar themed alternative, or a slightly upmarket same Accor hotel group alternative Etap hotel which had private bathrooms.
The first Wild One Tours made exclusive use of F1 and Etap hotels. Which was great for me operating up to 6 group tours a year, because it kept my costs down and made it affordable.
But when repeat customers started to complain about the deteriorating condition of F1 hotels and say they'd rather pay more on their holiday I was forced to listen and gradually upgraded to Etap hotel standard as my basic level for group tours.
The advent of booking sites for multiple brand and individual hotels introduced new competition and a lowering of prices for the standard of hotel we were now seeking and other incentives such as early booking discounts which can be more than 50% less than the rates you pay if you book late or try your luck getting a room on the night.
The booking sites also opened up the range of affordable and character of locations and online listing's often give an indication of facilities such as the availability and suitability of parking on site.
No matter what other people's opinion of Wild One Tours recommended accommodation, the only way I have been able to afford touring so often and stop off at such amazing locations is by seeking out best value, advance booking and taking advantage of other incentives such as collecting loyalty points.
Etap hotels are now rebranded as Ibis Budget hotels. I recommended early booking of an Ibis Budget hotel for our June 2025 tour. On the offer a night bed and breakfast was obtainable for about £40. An air-conditioned room with double bed, private bathroom and linked to the adjoining Ibis hotel use of the bar, restaurant and swimming pool. Easy to get to and from with high mileage days on both sides of the overnight stop
The pictured hotel on the banks of the river Rhine in Germany has an enclosed yard and garage for safely parking motorcycles off the road.