“Tits Up Tours. “
That’s the name given to any adventure organised by me, as something usually goes Tits Up….
The reason for the late reporting is it was a busy trip and the hotel Wi-Fi wasn’t great…!
For background, this is an annual trip for a few mates. We’ve been doing this for around 37 years, on and off, missing only a handful of years due to Covid and date clashes with family events.
Same hotel every year.
We’ve seen the hotel owners children grow up, from 2 year olds to now running the hotel. Unfortunately the owner, Rudi, died last November. (We managed to “attend” his funeral via a live web link,)
So the whole Dutch trip has become an annual pilgrimage.
This year was always going to be an emotional one as Dineke, Rudis now widow, is a lovely lady that we’ve got to know well over the last years. We genuinely are like part of their extended family.
So the trip participants this year were 7.
Me and best mate Dave, my brother and two of his sons and another couple of returning mates, Mark and Geoff.
Due to a dodgy knee, my brother took his car with the two nephews riding shotgun with him.
Me , Dave and Mark rode up together and Geoff arrived on a different ferry a day after us.
Thursday 22 June.
Ride up to Harwich to catch the overnight ferry to The Hoek van Holland.
Arranged to meet Dave in a lay-by on the A41 at16.00 hours. As we are travelling on a Tits Up Tour, you have to leave a bit of wiggle room…
It’s about 120 miles to Harwich from where we are.
Ferry sailed at 23.00 hours. So we had plenty of safety net….
Mark was meeting up halfway to Harwich in Whitham. A little restaurant
/ bar, as lives an hours ride from us.
So cleaned and fettled the bike all afternoon, strapped on the Kriega bags and off we go.
So off we go, it’s 30 degrees and a beautiful sunny afternoon. A quick blast down the A41 and out onto the M25 car park. Much filtering, hot and sticky.
Get onto the A12 and it rains.
Not much but just enough to render my bike cleaning a waste of time… ho hum. It actually cooled us down, so the cloud and silver lining saying does occasionally turn out to be true.
Arrived at the Restaurant, parked up its was time for a quick burger and beer. Mark turned up 15 minutes later having also had to filter for miles…
Mark rides a Honda 750 Forza super scoot. A left field choice as he has had all sorts of bikes but he loves it.
A quick pit stop and off to the ferry we go.
Overnight ferry to Hoek van Hollland.
Bike duly strapped down.
Met up with my brother and nephews and we hit the bar for a few beers. We have seen on previous trips that the Dutch police have been known to breathalyser test bikers getting off the ferry, so we are always more than cautious on this ferry . Although once you get started on a few, it’s tricky to say no to another….!
Wake up to a misty Holland…
My trusty “Tank Nav” has been taped to the petrol tank…!
Plan to ride up to Arnhem and then on up to the hotel near Groningen…
Friday 23.06.23.
The three of us get off the ferry in good time, having arranged to meet my brother and nephews at Arnhem museum. An ideal break and an emotional stop due to the World War Two graves and museum. The museum is In Oosterbeek and if you are passing, it’s well worth a stop.
My tank nav got us there pretty well, although they have changed the roads around the ferry port significantly over the last few years. I knew we had to go East so headed for the rising sun for a few miles. It’s quite hard operating the clutch with fingers crossed but for once, I got lucky…! Mark and Dave had no idea that I was winging it for the first 10 miles until we picked up one of the roads on my tank nav.
My brother turned up 25 minutes after we got to Oosterbeek. Input error on his BMW sat Nav apparently…!
Friday 23.06.23.
From Arnhem we had about another 120 miles to go, so cracked on after lunch. Beautiful riding in lovely weather with two good mates. Perfect….
We turned off the motorways at Meppel on the N371 and rode canal side for 15 miles or so. Just wonderful riding. Stopped for a cool drink, a coffee and a bit of apple cake just short of the hotel. All like happy school kids on an a school outing. No rush, no speeding. Just enjoying the ride…
Saturday 24.06.23.
Woke up to a very hot and sunny morning. Temperature was promised to be around 28-30 degrees. Too hot for leathers and crash helmets…
So a team decision was taken for 3 of us to go by local bus into the circuit for the qualifying and Sprint race.
Easy Peasy going in but as we would discover later , getting home was a different kettle of clogs…
We got in and stood near to the entry to the first corner for a while. It was jaw dropping to see Quartararo standing his bike on its nose as he braked from 160 moh to around 60 to get around the right handler. He literally had the rear wheel a foot off the ground at well over 120 mph. Amazing…
A great sprint race followed and we started to make our way home.
The shuttle bus from the circuit had a huge scrum to get on it so we decided to walk into town to get the village bus home. It didn’t look far on the map.
But in true Tits Up Tours fashion it took forever… and in 30 degrees of heat.
Just as we got to the stop, the bus left. Oh well it’s only another hour to the next one….!
Sounds like not too much drama, even with what has occurred till now. I’m looking forward to the final reports.
I know what you mean about cleaning your bike and it being pristine before setting off on tour, only to get rained on before you get very far. Happens to me every time.
Sunday 25.06.23. Race day…
Following a relatively early night I awoke early to another beautiful day. Forecast said 30 degrees and full sun all day. Not typical Dutch TT weather…
After last nights bus debacle and The Tits Up hiking experience, the bus was ruled out. Bikes were back in favour but we didn’t fancy having leathers and helmets with us all day. So a rare decision was made to ride to the circuit in shorts and tee shirts…Something I would never, ever do at home. I also had a fairly long security chain which would allow me to secure my helmet to the bike.
One of my nephews liked the sound of this, even though he could have travelled in air conditioned comfort in his dads car, an decided to ride pillion on Marks scooter.
My mate Dave decided that he would go by car, so me, Mark and Matthew got ready to bimble into the circuit. Breakfast on the terrace, pack our bags and off we went.
We were early birds and there was absolutely no traffic on the 16 mile ride through the picturesque little Dutch villages on minor roads. We never got over 35 miles an hour and just toddled along enjoying the experience. Strangely your senses are heightened by your vulnerability and it’s not something we would ever do in normal circumstances but 30 degrees of heat in Holland is far from normal…
Assen circuit.
We’ve been coming to Holland so long that we can remember the previous circuit layout before the last round of modernisation. We weren’t here for the original road circuit days that gives the race the TT tag but we’ve been coming here for a long time. Each year they make subtle improvements to the traffic management or the circuit facilities. The bike parks are no exception. A few years ago they decided to set up a solar farm in the bike parks to offset some of the races carbon footprint. Using typical logical Dutch thinking, they designed the solar panels on legs that allowed bikes to park beneath them. They then added concrete strips to park your side or centre stands on. Perfect., no bum burning saddles when we came back out….
Bikes parked, helmets secured and in we walked. Tickets were purchased back in January and turned out to be the best we’ve ever had, in the Winterdijk stand just along from the last chicane.
As part of the circuit modifications the old grass banks have been replaced with huge pre-cast concrete stands which vastly improved the race day comfort and allowed for more spectators. Thankfully the stands were designed with a shady area beneath them and after each race we were glad to get out of the sun.
Bums on seats and a brilliant race day began. Made even better by the exuberant, lovely Italian family in front of us. A fun bunch of people that loved their MotoGP almost as much as we do,
The Italian / British entente cordial was no doubt helped by the fact that English man Jake Dixon won one race ( his first) and Italian riders dominated the main race. Predictably the Italian contingent were dressed in Ducati red or High vis Rossi clothing.
As race day came to a close we had to get back out of the circuit. Hot sweaty and much cursing ensued but with a leisurely ride once out of the traffic, we were back at the hotel.
My brother Ken had kindly organised some tour t shirts and these paid respect to our recently departed hotel owner. So following a much enjoyed shower, it was dinner time. Dineke, the owner’s widow and Bart her son, were in tears as she thanked us for remembering Rudi. We had a brilliant evening remembering him over a superb meal.
He will be much missed but fondly remembered.
My brother Ken and my nephews were off early in the car to head for the 14.00 hours ferry. Four of us were left, as we now take the Tuesday boat rather than the packed Monday ferry.
So this left us a day of leisure.
This was filled by hiring e-bikes and cycling into Groningen. The cycle paths the Dutch have established are just superb. We had a brilliant day, with beers and food and great company.
Tuesday 27.06.23.
Checked out, bills paid and goodbyes said, me Dave and Mark set out for home at 08.45 …
A long day in prospect with around 260 miles total, to cover and an 8 hours long ferry from Hoek of Holland back into Harwich. The return ferry is a day time crossing rather than the overnight one we had going out.
The route home took us down the coast rather than going down the A28. Thus we take the motorway across the Zuiderzee . Quite an experience.
The weather was perfect as we set off but a bit of a headwind tested my neck muscles for the first 60 or so miles before we changed course a bit towards Amsterdam.
A couple of fuel stops highlighted that my Speed Triple was doing about 55 to the gallon, Marks 750 scooter was doing 70 mpg but Dave Aprilia was only doing about 38. ( He is a fat heavy fecka though…)
We made the ferry in good time. Not so many bikes on this day which would ensure a quick escape we hoped when the ferry docked.
7/8 hours later we were off the ferry and heading back down the A12.
A steady trip home as the sun disappeared.
2 miles from home and in darkness it started raining… But by this time there was little traffic about and I reached home around 10.30pm.
What a trip.
Great weather, great fun and great friends along for the ride.
And just for a change, no calamities…!
Occasionally Tits Up Tours exceeds expectations…!
Great trip report mate. Your riding in shorts and tee shirt takes me back to my teenage years in the late 60’s when during the summer we used to ride in shorts etc and without a helmet. How things have changed.
I can vouch for BMW satnavs having a mind of their own. Meticulous planning has gone down the pan on several occasions this trip, apparently satnav knows better.
(My old faithful Zumo660 is much better behaved)
You obviously had a great trip, thanks for posting.
I’ll forgive the JD spoiler (I’d already stumbled on the news). I’ve got a shed load of Motogp/WSBK recordings to binge watch when we get home.
This year was a really brilliant trip.
Over the years we’ve had bikes stolen, pushbikes lost/ stolen, missed ferries and a hilarious evening with 5 Gilder Hilda.
But the last one is a completely different story ….!
(I’d already stumbled on the news). I’ve got a shed load of Motogp/WSBK recordings to binge watch when we get home. 
