Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Tours
in Great Britain and Europe
A Bridge Too Far 2025
Thursday 18 September to Sunday 21 September 2025
4-Day, Fully Guided tour to:
France, Belgium The Netherlands
Highlights: Battlefield Tour brought to life - entry to museums included. Following the route of Operation MARKET GARDEN, made famous by the film "A Bridge Too Far"
Tour Leader: Toby Barnes-Taylor
Distance: 535 miles
Ride Difficulty: 3/10
Countries: France, Belgium, The Netherlands
Tour Start Point: Folkstone, UK
Tour End Point: Folkstone, UK
Summary: A fully guided, round-trip tour following the route of Operation MARKET GARDEN in Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Arnhem, 1944
Taking the Eurotunnel From Folkstone to Calais, we have chosen a flowing route to get to the start point for the land element of Operation MARKET GARDEN. From here we follow the road taken by XXX Corps to Eindhoven, Nijmegen to Arnhem in their attempt to link up with the Airborne Forces holding each critical river crossing.
The Tour starts and finishes in Folkstone in the UK.
On all 3 nights away we will be staying in 3&4 Star boutique hotels.
Our group sizes range from 10 to 14 motorcycles.
Due to the popularity of this tour, the places remaining on this trip are likely to sell out very quickly.
Description
The tour starts early in Folkstone on Thursday in the UK where we meet up as a group a short distance away from the Eurotunnel entrance. We take the train together as a group to Calais, from where we disembark to start our ride.
We set off, keeping to national highway roads wherever possible, as we head through France to Belgium and JOE's Bridge in Belgium, just before the border to The Netherlands which marked the Start Point to the operation. Friday and Saturday are focussed on Operation MARKET GARDEN, brought to life in the film "A Bridge Too Far" where we look at the 2-lane road the entirety of XXX Corps tried to fit and the landing zones for the paratroopers to then seize and hold the bridges at Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Arnhem. Sunday we make our way back to Calais and the UK.
We aim to be back in the UK by 6 pm on Sunday, where the tour concludes as we disembark the Eurotunnel train at Folkstone.
Itinerary
DAY ONE (Thursday, 18 September)
We catch an early Eurotunnel train on Thursday morning from Folkstone to Calais. The aim is to get to Lommel, just inside the Belgium border with the Netherlands.
This evening we all dine together, the meal being paid by HD-Tours.
DAY TWO (Friday, 19 September)
We start the day crossing JOE's Bridge, the historic start of the land offensive element of Operation MARKET GARDEN. We retrace the 'mad dash' recce route from Joe's Bridge to Valkenwaard to confirm that the bridge over the River Dommel could hold tanks before continuing through Eindhoven where we'll stop for a coffee .
Continuing on the 'Highway to Hell' we head to Nijmegen in time for lunch where we'll stop for the day. We spend the afternoon in Nijmegen looking at the Bridge crossing the River Waal.
Dinner this evening is entirely up to each rider, although we will have a reservation at a restaurant looking over the Nijmegen Bridge.
DAY THREE (Saturday, 20 September)
We drive from Nijmegen to Arnhem, going first to the Airborne landing zones and then following the route fought to get to the infamous John Frost Bridge crossing the River Rhine. Resting here for for lunch, the afternoon we'll visit the Arnhem museums before visiting the Arnhem Airborne War Cemetery to pay our respects before setting returning to our hotel.
There are a couple of options and recommendations for dinner this evening, as each rider may prefer.
There is very little riding today as Nijmegen to Arnhem is only 10 miles. We might take a more scenic route back to the hotel!
DAY FOUR (Sunday, 21 September)
Today we head back to Calais and our return home.
The route home will be a mix of National Roads and Autoroutes as we hustle back to the Eurotunnel. The total distance ridden today will be approximately 215 miles.
We take the return Eurotunnel train from Calais/ Coquelles, France to Folkstone, where the tour ends.
Map
What's included
- Outbound and return channel tunnel crossing
- Three and four star accommodation in terrific locations
- Breakfast every day
- 1 evening meal on our journey
- Entry to all museums
- Well researched routes to provide you with fantastic roads to ride
- Experienced tour guide to lead the tour
- HD-Tours T-Shirt
- Comprehensive tour itinerary
- GPS routes for your sat nav (if you want them)
- Tips for riding in Europe guide
What’s not included….
- Accommodation before the tour starts, or after it ends
- Petrol (gas) you use
- Road tolls where payment is made at the time
- All other meals and drinks
- Motorcycle rental, should you need it.
Information
- Our group sizes normally range from 10 to 14 motorcycles.
- We normally start riding at 8.30am. For this tour, Day One and Day Four are long riding days of approximately 6 hours and 200 miles. Days Two and Three are gentle, approximately 50 miles each day in total.
- We try to avoid motorways wherever possible and only use these when there is no real alternative or where making progress gets us to better roads.
- We take mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks and of course find somewhere for lunch.
- We use good quality hotels –normally 3 and 4-star. On Friday and Saturday nights we are staying at the same hotel.
- We ride at a pace to suit all riders. It may sound 'square' but we stick to speed limits as we are here to enjoy the tour, not replicate the IOM TT. We generally ride in staggered convoy on straighter roads.
- We do ride in all weathers. During any exceptionally inclement weather, we may pull over for short periods. We could experience a range of different types of weather on tour, so bring waterproofs, just in case.
- We like these tours to be about having a real adventure, riding on great roads with like-minded people. For that reason, we do not use a support van.
- Payments – a £400 deposit secures your place on the tour, with the balance to be paid in equal payments before the tour starts. If you prefer, you can pay the balance of the cost of the tour earlier than this.
- *Ride Difficulty Rating. All our tours are rated for skill/difficulty and we have adopted the ski run colour system. This tour is rated BLUE so is moderate. Please see our FAQ for more detailed explanation on our Ride Difficulty Rating.
- If you are at all unsure if your riding ability is good enough for this tour, please contact us by telephone or email to discuss.
Prices
Prices For: 2025 Prices
Two riders sharing a room, price each £980
Single Rider in their own room £1,140
Rider and pillion sharing a room £1,480
Prices include the Eurotunnel train to and from France, all hotel accommodation (3 and 4 Star), all breakfasts, one evening meal, entry to all museums.