0044 7481 479 057
Dear Fellow Motorhomer,
June and the days are long making for great touring opportunities, not least for those travelling in more northern countries. GB Motorhome Tours currently have groups touring in Denmark and on-route further north to the land of the midnight sun, Iceland.
Camping on the Delightful Denmark tour – June 2025
In Denmark midsummers eve (23rd June) is a time celebrated with family and friends, with bonfires being burnt whilst singing songs throughout the evening. In Iceland the celebrations are a day later (24th June), where being so far north there is no darkness as families and friends join together to enjoy the eternal light. Touring in Iceland is a real adventure with so many natural geological wonders to see; waterfalls, volcanos, glaciers, icebergs, turf houses and dramatic coastline are all awaiting. For some photos of these take a look at the Discover Iceland tour itinerary. This year’s tour group are now at the top of Denmark in preparation for setting sail to Iceland on Tuesday.
Camping on route to the start of the Discover Iceland tour – June 2025
If you are interested in touring Iceland the next time this trip is arranged, send us an email advising this and it will be registered. You will then be emailed the next Discover Iceland tour itinerary in advance of it being made generally available, giving you first opportunity of reserving a tour place at that time, if you wish.
As well as groups touring in Scandinavia, GB Motorhome Tours also have tours taking place in Sardinia where the weather is lovely
Camping on the Sardinia tour – June 2025
And in Southern Ireland where the group have been travelling the Wild Atlantic Way.
Camping on the Southern Ireland tour – June 2025
The Southern Ireland tour is available again for next year, click on its name for the full 2026 tour itinerary.
Travelling into continental Europe almost always involves passing through some of France. Going forward, France are moving their paid motorway network from the current ‘take a ticket and pay upon exit’ into ‘free flowing tolls’. This is similar to the arrangement for the Dartford crossing, working on number plate recognition payment is either via an electronic account or online following use. It is expected all French motorways will be changed by 2027, with the first section being the Normandy to Paris route of the A13 and A14 which is now functioning. See www.sanef.com/index-en.html for further information and how to make a payment. A similar system is used in Portugal, but there they have considered foreign tourist vehicles and made things very easy. As you enter Portugal there are large pull in areas where you register a credit card and any tolls are automatically charged to this. Albeit, in Portugal, most tolls have now been removed from their motorway network, with our Tour Directors reporting on their recent research for this years Portugal and Spain Discovery tour, they were charged less than €5 in tolls throughout the time travelling there. The Portugal and Spain Discovery tour is an all new trip for this year, taking place throughout October and November it offers touring over a longer period (52 nights) in warm autumn weather by travelling south. Starting in northern Spain the tour explores the Costa Verde (Green Coast), to then travel the length of Portugal north to south to finish with exploring Spain’s Andalucía region. The full tour itinerary is available by clicking on the tour name, and if 52 nights is too long for you, contact us as it is possible to join for a part of the tour.
Back in the UK, during the summer months GB Motorhome Tours have stands at two of the large outdoor motorhome shows; where a number of our Tour Directors will be on hand to chat and answer any questions you have. If you are at either of these shows, do come along and see us.
During summer with less continental touring taking place, it is a good time to check your passport remains valid and renew if needed. Following the UK’s exit from the EU, the Schengen zone countries (which encompass most of the EU countries) have tightened their rules for UK citizens to enter. For many years, the UK Government issued passports upon renewal, for the normal 10 year life period plus any remaining months left on the old passport. Some passports were issued with an expiry date up to 10 years & 9 months after issue. The Schengen zone countries will not recognise any passport that is over 10 years old at the time of travel. So it is possible to have a valid UK passport but find that it is not accepted for entry in to many countries. Make a check of your own passport. GB Motorhome Tours advice is to renew any passport that is going to be over 10 years old before the time of return to the UK from any trip. It is also necessary to have 3 months validity remaining on the passport at the date of entry to the Schengen zone. Going forward the situation will be simpler, with the UK government no longer issuing passport’s for longer than 10 years from the date of issue. When renewing your passport allow good time for its return. Current advice from the UK passport office is to allow as much time as possible, which can be up to 8 weeks at the busiest times.
Enjoy your touring and we look forward to travelling with you soon. Feel free to contact us if there is anything you wish to ask about a tour.
Kindest regards,
Tel. 0044 7481 479 057
Info@gbmotorhometours.com
www.GBMotorhomeTours.com