As told by Steve Skaar

Searching for something to do while in between jobs, I recently resolved to use the time to tour England and to get to know the country I’ve called home for the last nine years. When I first arrived from New York in 2001, I was a keen traveller, but it always involved the train, a new city, walking around that city, perhaps spending the night or the weekend, and then taking the return train home.

I hadn’t really gone out and explored the countryside and I was busy working through assignments, I didn’t really have time to plan. With time slipping away and a week off approaching rapidly, I started to do my research. I started to think about the trip. Would I really enjoy a week on the bike….alone? What would I do in the evenings? Alright, I’m tough, I’m independent, I can do it. Now, where am I going to go?

I was fortunate enough to run across information on Harley-Davidson’s authorized tours. I happened to notice that one of the tours, themed Friends, Romans and Countrymen, coincided with the time I had off. I called and the responsive team of Dot and John Johnson, of Hadrian V-Twin Tours, confirmed availability to me within minutes.

The tour really was the perfect solution. We met on a Sunday afternoon and checked in at the historic Lumley Castle – just outside of Newcastle – which served as our base for the next several days. A short ride on Sunday evening and dinner with the group was a great introduction.

We then proceeded to ride about 250 miles a day on winding English roads along Hadrian’s Wall to the Lake District – a beautiful ride! Then it was back to the hotel for beers at the bar and a lively dinner to cap off the evening. For a day of leisure and recreation, four-star accommodation and a day on a Harley, this tour can’t be beat.

The next day we rode down the east coast, had lunch in Whitby and enjoyed the ingenuity of Victorian engineers and their water-weighted tram car. Lunch reservations at the best place in town, the Magpie Café, demonstrated just how well planned was this day’s adventure.

When Wednesday rolled around, I wasn’t quite ready to go home. I had made friends and was ready to keep riding, so I kept going… I rode to Scotland, stayed with a friend and then traveled back down through the Yorkshire Dales and spent the night in the Peak District. I returned home to London a week later.

Seven days on the bike and about 1500 miles later, I was still ready to continue riding. Before I left, I had apprehensions that the idea of me and my bike and the open road was a better fantasy than reality. I found out otherwise!

For more information about Harley-Davidson Authorised Tours in 2010, please contact Rider Services on 00800 11112223.