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I started cycle touring at the age of maybe 14 when a group of us did Duke of Edinburgh around Cornwall. At 17, a friend and I took off round Europe for a month, just us, no mobiles, just a tent and a map of Europe. 2 years later we did it again, this time through Eastern Europe, before the Berlin Wall came down. Since then, I've just carried on and had led over 80 tours for CTC Holidays and now Bikexplore and have organised 5 National Rallies for the Tandem Club.
In between, I qualified as a veterinary surgeon, married Sarah and have two grown up children, James and Louise.
I still organise holidays as frankly, I love doing it. Getting to meet so many cyclists is a privalege and many are now friends, it's been a wonderful thing. It's a hobby that keeps me very busy.
Below are the tours I am doing in the next few years and a few tours I have done in the past. I carry a big camera and write a bit as well, so if you are interested, all the tours are at http://advectus.co.uk/ (Advectus is 'I have travelled' in Latin)
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Where am I going in 2025?


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Albania - June 2025

4 places remaining 6th November 2025

https://www.bikexplore.co.uk/Abroad/NW251-Albania-Southern

My experience and style

What to expect


Who am I?

Married with two children, I have organised trips and tours for the Tandem Club, CTC Tours and friends for over 30 years.
My daytime job is a Veterinary Surgeon, but it is really the organising of these holidays and trips that gives me the greatest pleasure.

My tour leading style

My approach is best described as 'relaxed and organised'. I cut my teeth with the Tandem Club, starting with Youth Hostel gatherings for 50 people rising to seven National events attended by over 400 people. For me your holiday is exactly that, a holiday, an experience. If you wish to ride at the front or spend your time idling through the countryside taking in the sites then that's your choice. What I do is provide the tools and support to allow this.

The roads I take

I do a tremendous amount of research into the rides that we follow. I aim to use quiet roads wherever possible, linking places of interest along the way.

The places we stay

A holiday is an immersive experience and a chance to experience the country you are in and the accommodation is a big part of that - after all, over half of your trip will be spent here. I source local accommodation, trying to avoid middle range hotels that are so common on most commercial trips. I have organised 15 tours from chateaus, stayed in yurts in Mongolia and book bed and breakfast and cabins in America, it adds to the experience.

Where do I go ?

I have an incredibly diverse portfolio with regard to the types and locations of tours I've led. My speciality was family tours whilst our family were growing up. Today I go anywhere where the cycling and views are unmissable, be this Sri Lanka, Chile or Mongolia. To pigeon hole me slightly, I have and will lead tours to the United States, a country I understand and with extraordinary areas to see such as Yellowstone National Park. Added to this I visit South East Asia on a regular basis and in 2020 visited Central America for the first time. Closer to home, Norway is a wonderful place and the UK is pretty special as well.

Where have I been?

I have led over 70 tours all over the world for CTC Holidays and Tours, a number of private tours and over 20 centre based trips in the UK for the Tandem Club. Below is just a selection of my previous trips. Take a look at my previous holidays.

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Jordan 2020
Quite an extraordinary place as we cycled from North to South taking in the Roman city of Jerash, Wadi Rum and of course Petra

  For pictures and blog see: Jordan

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Family holiday to Germany in 2017
Having done these for 14 years, many families featured here are now firm friends.

 For pictures and a blog see:  Germany 

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Sri Lanka
 
The children on this island are certainly a curious and gregarious bunch. I've visited twice and will do again in 2022For pictures and blog see:


imageIn 1996 Sarah and I cycled to Australia on a Tandem along with our little mascot who continues to travel with us. We popped into the headquarters of Adventure Cycling in Montana, the continuation of a fondness for cycling in the USA where I have led 7 tours so far, and yes I'm a life member of this organisation promoting cycling in the USA.        Adventure Cycling 

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Norway

 

Where it all began in 2005, as 12 of us explored the fjords and mountains in Western Norway

 For pictures and blog see:  Norway

Neil's contact details

neil@tandem-club.org.uk
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