STAHLKOFFER (MOTORCYCLE TOURS) Ltd

Conducted tours from the UK to Italy during summer 2010:

TOUR OF THE DOLOMITES ITALY

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Enjoy fantastic scenery & ride some of the most beautiful roads in Europe . Within easy reach of the hotel are many famous mountain passes, e.g. Furkelpass, Jaufenpass, Karerpass, Penserjoch, Stilfersjoch & Timmelsjoch to name but a few.

Stay at the totally biker – friendly 3* HOTEL RAUTH. The hotel is situated in the Eggen Valley in the heart of the South Tyrol and is a positive bikers’ paradise. Here we will enjoy gourmet-style meals and the company of the Proprietor Franz Pichler himself a keen biker.

 

During our stay we will be able to benefit from Franz’s vast experience of this region as he will act as our Tour Guide on all organised Ride-Outs.

Come Ride with Us OR why not join one of the Escorted Bike Tours to Hotel Rauth organised by STAHLKOFFER Motorcycle Tours

TRIP TO THE DOLOMITES JULY 2010

Itinerary.

DAY 1: (Saturday): Meet mid-morning at Dover . Catch ferry to Calais . Ride through Belgium , into Germany & book in to our hotel in Cologne . A shower followed by an evening meal.

DAY 2: (Sunday): Breakfast then depart for a progressive ride down through Central Germany to Munich . Book in to the Etap Hotel (or equivalent). A refreshing shower followed maybe by a visit to the famous Hofbräuhaus.

DAY 3: (Monday): Breakfast then the third leg of our journey through Austria and Northern Italy , arriving late afternoon at our hotel. Check-in, shower followed by aperitifs and gourmet evening meal.

DAY 4: (Tuesday): Breakfast followed by comprehensive briefing from our Tour Guide Franz then off on our first Tour of the Mountains. Returning back to our hotel late afternoon/early evening for another gourmet meal.

DAY 5: (Wednesday): Breakfast followed by another of Franz’s escorted tours. Maybe down to Lake Garda? Returning late afternoon/early evening and yes yet another of those gourmet meals.

DAY 6: (Thursday): Breakfast followed by yet another exciting escorted trip over the passes in the Dolomites.

DAY 7: (Friday): Breakfast and it’s decision time. Another trip out or a leisurely day wandering around the scenic town of Bolzano ?

DAY 8: (Saturday): Breakfast then it’s time to say goodbye to Franz at Hotel Rauth & head off back through Austria & Germany to our hotel in Stuttgart . Check-in, shower then off to a local restaurant for an evening meal.

DAY 9: (Sunday): After breakfast we continue or journey up through Germany to our hotel in the picturesque medieval town of Aachen on the Belgium border

DAY 10: (Monday): Breakfast then a leisurely ride through Belgium to the port of Calais . A 90 minute ferry journey & we are back in the UK ( Dover ). The ferry docks at 15:00 hrs giving us time to have lunch on the boat then bid farewell to our fellow riders before making our way home.

STAHLKOFFER (MOTORCYCLE TOURS) Ltd

The Tour Price includes:

Return ferry tickets Dover - Calais

Full support of native-speaking tour guide with you throughout your journey (UK–Italy & back) to help should any emergency arise.

9 nights hotel accommodation (half board once at Hotel Rauth). Double/twin bedded rooms available. Also 3-bed studio apartments & limited single rooms available (supplement payable)

5 five course gourmet evening meals

Up to 4 Organised Ride-Outs led by Franz Pichler (hotelier & biker)

FREE unlimited use of sauna.

TOUR COST:

PRICES PER PERSON:
Rider Only: £849.99
Rider and Pillion: £775.00 (each)

** PLEASE NOTE The number of single rooms available on this tour is very limited. If, however, you are willing to share, then tour costs can be reduced considerably.

For further details contact Bernie Brinkmann on
01384 376085 (Monday – Friday 9:00 – 17:00) or:

www.stahlkoffer.com or:
brinkmannb@tiscali.co.uk
STAHLKOFFER (MOTORCYCLE TOURS) Ltd

TRIP TO THE DOLOMITES SEPTEMBER 2010

General Information.

Welcome to the Stahlkoffer Bike Tour to the Italian Dolomites. Please read this information pack carefully as it contains all the details you need.

As advertised in the “flier” this is an escorted tour & Stahlkoffer supply all the relevant information you will need to reach your destination. The proposed route, as defined by the Garmin/Tomtom sat navs, is not compulsory so please feel free to choose your own route if you do not wish to travel with the group.Once at the location you can do as much or as little as you wish, after all this is meant to be a biking holiday.

There are two escorts on this tour (Bernie Brinkmann & Ian Barnard). Ian will lead the group & Bernie will “bring up the rear” checking no-one falls into difficulty. Bernie also speaks several foreign languages so he will be on hand if you have any translation problems.

As with most ferry companies P&O no longer take responsibility to secure your bike – leaving you to do it yourself. They do, however, supply a piece of rope, so you may wish to take your own ratchet strap. We recommend you put the bike on the side-stand, in 1st gear & then pass the ratchet strap over the seat making sure the ratchet is at the side-stand side.

Do not forget to put your watch forward one hour to European time.

Once clear of Calais we head east for Brussells, before turning south east into Germany & our first hotel in the City of Köln. Next day we continue on to Munich via Bonn , Koblenz, Mainz, Mannheim, Heilbronn, Ludwigsburg & Stuttgart. The journey is for the most part motorway. This is not particularly inspiring but the advantage is we will be able to maintain a good average speed & we will get there in good time. There will, however, be regular stops (about every hour) to re-fuel, visit the toilet or drink a coffee. We will aim to be riding to the country’s national speed limits.

Germany has a very good road system including an extensive motorway network which is toll-free. There are plenty of service areas but these are not as frequent as say in France . Unleaded fuel (Bleifrei) is available in three forms from 91 to 98 octane. Toilets in the services are usually immaculate & have either attendants or an automatic barrier – cost is usually 50 cents. If you take the ticket that is issued you can use this against any purchases.

German autobahns can be very fast & speed limits here tend to be very much disregarded. So if you are travelling in the outside lane it is not unusual to suddenly find a Mercedes sports car right up your exhaust pipe! The general rule-ofthumb is make a brisk overtaking monoeuvre & return to your lane asap leaving the outside (left) lane free. Frequent use of your mirrors is particularly important to ensure you are aware of the rapidly-changing picture. Once off the motorways the roads are usually well-surfaced & provide for some great biking.

Road signs generally follow the European format but as in most countries, there are exceptions. Beware that when turning right at traffic lights you have to give way to pedestrians & cyclists even though the traffic light is showing green.

Remember dipped headlights & crash helmets are compulsory in Germany & strictly speaking filtering is illegal.

Please note that you need to buy a vignette as we will be travelling on the Austrian motorways. They are available at petrol stations near the German/Austrian border & cost €7.00 & are valid for 10 days. If you are caught by the
Austrian police on the motorway without a vignette stuck on your windscreen the fine is approx £150.00.

Motorways in Italy are classed as toll roads but charges for motor-cycles are not excessive. It is also possible to pay by credit card. A local biker will act as our tour guide whilst we are in the Dolomites but ride-outs are optional& will depend how people are feeling & naturally the weather. But all this can be discussed when we are there.

DAY 1 Saturday 24th July / Saturday 12th September 2010

Make your way to the P&O ferry terminal at Dover where we will board the ferry to Calais , Belgium . Boarding commences from 11:00 hrs onwards, closing at 11:30 hrs. Bernie from Stahlkoffer will be on the dockside around 10:30. Just quote the reservation number (found in the Touring List on page 4) to receive your tickets. The ferry does not sail until 12:00 hrs, so once on board you can relax & enjoy all the restaurant facilities & have maybe a spot of lunch.

Saturday 24th July / Saturday 12th September 2010 Calais – Cologne

Once ashore, we will briefly re-group around the corner after the passport control, to ensure everyone is present. Then we follow the signs N-A40 Brussells/Aachen (German Border). As already mentioned stops will be quite frequent & we aim to be at the hotel in Cologne by late afternoon.

The hotel address is:
Etap Hotel Cologne, Siemensstrasse28,
70468 Cologne
Tel: 0049(0)711 88 20 07 20

On arrival we will check-in (rooms are already reserved). There is also an underground secure car-park round the corner from the hotel entrance. Provided we park two/three bikes in each space the hotel will waive the normal charge of €5,00. After a shower & change we can all meet down in the lobby. There are several eating possibilities close by: Or perhaps you might like to take the tram into the City-Center& visit the “Altstadt” All rooms have air-conditioning as well as TV, shower & WC. Breakfast is not included in the price but for an additional €6,00 you can eat as much as you want from the breakfast buffet.

DAY 2: Sunday 24th July / Sunday 14th September 2010 Cologne - Munich

09:00 hrs. After breakfast we will move on again to our next destination the Etap Hotel in the Bavarian State capital of Munich . Our journey will take us via Koblenz , Frankfurt & Stuttgart.

The hotel address is:

Etap Hotel Munich,
Siemensstrasse28,
70468 Cologne
Tel: 0049(0)711 88 20 07 20

DAY 3: (Monday): Breakfast then the third leg of our journey through Southern Germany, Austria and Northern Italy , arriving mid afternoon at our hotel. Check-in, shower followed by aperitifs and gourmet evening meal.

The hotel address is:

Familie Pichler Franz
I-39050 Rauth – Südtirol – Italy
Tel.: +39 0471 615723
Fax: +39 0471 615867

The rest of the week is very much “do as you please”. A bike trip with a local tour guide has been arranged for each of the four free days but this will naturally depend on the weather & how people are feeling. Possibilities Could include:

DAY 4: (Tuesday): Breakfast followed by comprehensive briefing from our Tour Guide Franz then off on our first Tour of the Mountains. Returning back to our hotel late afternoon/early evening for another gourmet meal.

DAY 5: (Wednesday): Breakfast followed by another of Franz’s escorted tours. Maybe down to Lake Garda ? Returning late afternoon/early evening and yes yet another of those gourmet meals.

DAY 6: (Thursday): Breakfast followed by yet another exciting escorted trip over the passes in the Dolomites.

DAY 7: (Friday): Breakfast and another ride-out or perhaps a leisurely wander around the picturesque town of Bolzano ?

DAY 8: (Saturday): Breakfast and it’s time to say goodbye to Franz at Hotel Rauth & head off back to Germany and our hotel north of Stuttgart. As already mentioned stops will be quite frequent & we aim to be at the hotel in Stuttgart Feuerbach by mid afternoon.

The hotel address is:

Etap Hotel
Stuttgart City,
Siemensstrasse28,
70468 Stuttgart
Tel: 0049(0)711 88 20 07 20

On arrival we will check-in (rooms are already reserved). There is also an underground secure car-park round the corner from the hotel entrance. Provided we park two/three bikes in each space the hotel will waive the normal charge of €5,00. After a shower & change we can all meet down in the lobby. There are three eating possibilities close by: an Italian Pizzeria, a restaurant (recommended by the hotel proprietor) & a German pub serving typical German food. All rooms have air-conditioning as well as TV, shower & WC. Breakfast is not included in the price but for an additional €6,00 you can eat as much as you want from the breakfast buffet.

DAY 9: (Sunday): Breakfast then off again through Germany to our next hotel on the Belgian/German border Aachen. The hotel address is: Etap Hotel Aachen, Siemensstrasse28, 70468 Aachen Tel: 0049(0)711 88 20 07 20

DAY 10: (Monday): Breakfast then off again through Belgium to the port of Calais . Journey time about three hours. Arrive at Calais (about 12:00) book-in & board ferry. The ferry docks at 14:00 giving us time to have lunch on the boat then bid farewell to our fellow riders before making our way home.

Stahlkoffer would like to thank you for booking your tour with them & hope it will be an enjoyable experience. We are always looking for ways to improve things, so if you have any comments please do not hesitate to let us know.

Regards,
Bernie.

Booking Form

Please print this page and send your completed booking form & cheque (£99.00) made payable to Stahlkoffer Ltd to the following address:

Stahlkoffer (Motorcycle Tours) Limited
19A Baylie Street
Stourbridge
West Midlands
DY8 1AZ

Riders Details: Passenger Details:

Mr/Mrs/Ms ……………………………… Mr/Mrs/Ms …………………………….

First Name: ……………………………... First Name: ……………………………

Date of Birth: …………………………… Date of Birth: …………………………..

Address: ………………………………… Address: ………………………………..

………………………………………………. ………………………………………………

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Postcode: ……………………………….. Postcode: ……………………………….

Tel No: ………………………………….. Tel No: …………………………………..

e-mail: ………………………………….. e-mail: ……………………………………

Any specific dietary requirements:

…………………………………………….. ……………………………………………….

 

I/We wish to take part in the following tour: TOUR OF THE DOLOMITES, ITALY 2010

Departure date:

Saturday 24th July 2010
Saturday 11th September 2010

I am touring solo but willing to share accommodation if necessary: Yes / No (please circle)

I/We have read, understood & accept the conditions of booking as laid down & enclose a deposit of £99.00 made payable to Stahlkoffer Limited.

I understand it is my/our responsibility to take out adequate breakdown/personal medical insurance for the duration of the tour.

 

 

 

Signature: …………………………………………. Date: …………………………………..
STAHLKOFFER (MOTORCYCLE TOURS) Ltd
(Come Ride with Us)

 

Terms & Conditions

A deposit of £99.00 per bike is required at the time of booking. Cheques should be made payable to Stahlkoffer Limited.

All final payments MUST be received 60 days prior to departure. Failure to comply could result in the booking being cancelled. The due date will be noted on your invoice.

Cancellations.

All cancellations must be received in writing to 19A Baylie Street, Stourbidge, West Midlands DY8 1AZ.

In the event of a cancellation the following terms will apply:
Up to 60 days before departure, a full refund less £30.00 per person will be paid.

Passports & Visas.

A valid passport is required for all tours. A valid passport is a passport with a minimum of six months duration prior to
expiry as at the date of your return.

If Stahlkoffer (Motorcycle Tours) Limited cancels any tour then a full refund will be paid to all customers. Stahlkoffer
(Motorcycle Tours ) Limited cannot, however, be held responsible in the event of war, strikes, civil unrest, blockades or the failure of such as hoteliers & ferry operators or other agents employed. In such circumstances, however, Stahlkoffer (Motorcycle Tours) Limited will make every effort to provide suitable alternative arrangements.

Stahlkoffer (Motorcycle Tours) Limited reserve the right to alter routes & accommodation at short notice. In this unlikely event tour members will be notified as soon as possible & will be offered accommodation of the same or better standard or a reasonable adjustment in cost.