Last Updated on: March 14, 2025

Our next goal was Hinckley UK. The plan was just to ride up from Folkstone, spend one night, and then back down, then Eurotunnel over to France. 

We booked Le Shuttle tickets at breakfast. I was surprised by how much more expensive it has become, compared to my last crossing in 2019. They did have a one night deal though. Since we weren’t planning on a UK tour, that saved us quite a bit of money.

On the Eurotunnel over to Folkstone

Alternatives to/from England

Le Shuttle, or Eurotunnel, is a very effective way of crossing over to England. The downside, especially for Scandinavians, is to have to ride all the way down to Calais. Back in 2019 I tried the ferry between Hook of Holland and Harwich. It took around six and a half hours.

That’s the day sailing. Nightly crossing means another two hours or so. Then comes additional charges, for a room etc. But of course, you save one night at a lodge, hotel or B&B. So it might be a good alternative still.

The route I took in 2019. Ferry to England, Eurotunnel back.

Price-wise Eurotunnel might be best option. But not by much. it also depends on when you travel. And it’s another three and a half hours further south from Hook of Holland. Plus, of course, if you are planning to go north in England, I reckon you can add around two hours worth of riding to be as far north. And past London, with all the traffic.

I prefer to stay in motion. Even if it means some extra miles or kilometers on the road. However, as you can see from the above screenshot, in 2019 I did have a plan. Enter England further north, leaving further south. That year the plan was to through France, down to the Alps. A heatwave thwarted that plan. Ended up going east, to the Harz mountains. And get myself fried there instead.

But that is, as one says, another story. A story that begins here.

Hinckley, and Hilltop Motorcycles

Over in England we took the M25 around London and north. Fortunately the traffic wasn’t too bad. But if you want to do this, start early, so that you avoid as much of the rush traffic as possible. Maybe late morning or around lunch is the optimal time.

North of Watford (closer to Bricket Wood actually) onto the M1 and up to Nuneaton, where we had booked our accommodation. Nice and affordable place. and a friendly, helpful owner! We had a spectacular dinner and Agra Palace, recommended by the hotel owner.

St. Mary’s Abbey and the ruins in Nuneaton

The next morning we rode over to Hinckley for our appointment with Geoff at Hilltop Motorcycles. Our mission was to have improvements done to our motorcycles. Improvements in the form of software updates. You could call it magic sprinkling. I knew what to expect since I’d been here before. Truls-Erik however, was in for a surprise.

Like the first time it was a pleasure to meet and converse with Geoff. He’s a well of knowledge and good fun!

Hilltop Motorcycles, Hinckley, England

Background & details

2019 I had my 2016 BMW 1200GS Adventure done. Rolling out for a test ride after update I was immediately blown away. Complete transformation of engine characteristics. More torque, in the the right places, and more bhp (as if you need more on a 1250GS). However, that’s not all, It’s the methodology that sets Geoff’s approach apart from most others.

But don’t take my word for it. Have a look at this video. Or this one. You can find others too. Yes there are, as always controversies. Even downright lies. Which is why I was offered money back and software removal for free, if I wasn’t happy. You can’t be more fair than that. I did in excess of 45.000 kilometers on the GSA with Hilltop software. So I know very well how this works.

Below the Dyno for the 2016 1200GSA, to give you an idea of the differences. No need for it this time around. The transformation on the 1250GS was as expected. And I hereby dub it “1250GS Plus (and GS stands for Geoff’s Special).

Dyno test before / after update on the 1200GSA.

Another thing worth mentioning is that the update reduces fuel consumption. I would say considerably. Primarily due to more torque and a more linear performance curve. Which results in less gearing, especially if you ride normally. My 1250GS consistently now uses between 4-4.2L/100km.

It was afternoon by the time it was all done. We rode back down to Folkstone and Eurotunnel. Over in France decided not to push it any further, and stayed one more night at the same hotel in Calais. The next day we would begin the ride through France, in direction of Switzerland and the Alps.