Andy Stewart
Lifelong rider. Route obsessive. The Road Ahead was built for riders who want the freedom of touring without spending weeks stitching together roads, hotels, stops and GPX files.
40+
Years Riding
4
Continents Toured
50+
Tours Vetted
I'm Andy Stewart — a lifelong rider, traveller, and route obsessive.
My first experience of motorcycles was back in the late 70s, when a cousin of my uncle turned up at the farm with a BSA Starlite 250cc. Ten minutes later, a "shot" around the farm courtyard was on the table. Aged 9, I was never going to get into top gear, so first gear it was — with my cousin and dad running alongside me.
Needless to say, I was hooked. That first gear loop around a Scottish farm courtyard was the beginning of something that's never really stopped.
After 35 years in IT — and more than a few Sunday mornings spent studying maps instead of spreadsheets — I retired. But anyone who knows me knows I was never going to sit still for long. The bike had always been there in the background. The question was what to do with everything I'd learned about touring.
I've ridden tours across four continents — from the switchbacks of the Stelvio Pass to the red dust of the American Southwest, from the single-track roads of the Scottish Highlands to the coastal highways of the Mediterranean. I've been on tours that were worth every penny. And tours that were a complete waste of money.
After 15 years of serious touring, I can tell the difference within the first hour. The operators who know every back road versus the ones who couldn't find the hotel. The routes that deliver and the ones that just cover ground.
That's why The Road Ahead exists.
Why I Built This
Planning a great motorcycle tour used to take weeks. Research scattered across forums, Facebook groups, outdated guidebooks, and operator websites that haven't been updated since 2015. Hours spent stitching together a route, finding fuel stops, sorting accommodation, loading GPX files that may or may not be accurate.
The Road Ahead is the resource I wished existed when I started touring seriously. A single place where every route has been ridden, every operator has been vetted, every pack has been built with the actual ride in mind — not just the booking.
It's an affiliate site. I earn a commission when you book through my links. But here's the thing — that commission is the same whether I recommend the best tour or the worst one. So I recommend the best ones. That's the whole model.
"I want riders to get on a bike, point it somewhere interesting, and come back with the kind of story that makes people want to do the same thing. That's the goal."
— Andy Stewart
40 Years on Two Wheels
ALPS
The first multi-day motorcycle tour through the Alps.
PICOS DE EUROPA
A motorcycle tour through the Picos de Europa in northern Spain.
NORTH COAST 500
The first proper Scottish loop, ridden properly. The route that became the platform’s first tour pack.
FIRST EUROPEAN TOUR
The Vosges and the Black Forest. Where route-planning stopped being a chore and became the point.
SOUTHWESTERN TOUR
A motorcycle tour through the American Southwest.
YOSEMITE TO SAN DIEGO
A motorcycle tour from Yosemite through California to San Diego.
THE ROAD AHEAD BEGINS
Started documenting routes, gear and rider lessons for other touring riders.
ZION NATIONAL PARK
A motorcycle tour through Zion National Park and the surrounding canyon country.
ROUTE 66 — CHICAGO TO SANTA MONICA
14 days, 2,400 miles, eight states. Ridden with a group; documented mile by mile, stop by stop, lesson by lesson.
MAMMOTH LAKES
A motorcycle tour through California’s Eastern Sierra and Mammoth Lakes.
COLORADO
A motorcycle tour through Colorado and the Rocky Mountains.
THE TOOLKIT
Started developing the Route 66 Rider Toolkit — planners, calculators and guides created to support the journey.
Andy's Five Favourite Roads
Bealach na Bà
"Steepest road ascent in the UK. Quiet before 9am — extraordinary at any time."
Stelvio Pass
"48 hairpins. The most photographed motorcycle road in the world for good reason."
Million Dollar Highway
"Ouray to Silverton. No barriers. No guardrails. Maximum drama."
Atlantic Coast Route
"Wild Atlantic Way. The light, the roads, and the craic in equal measure."
Picos de Europa
"Spain's best-kept secret. Half the cost of France, twice the roads."
Touring Philosophy
The best touring isn't about covering maximum miles. It's about finding the roads where the riding and the landscape and the moment all line up — and staying long enough to actually experience it.
I plan every route to minimise motorways and maximise scenery. I build in time for the unexpected stop, the wrong turn that becomes the best decision, the view that holds you for twenty minutes when you planned to give it five.
I've done fast tours and slow tours. The slow ones are always better.
The gear matters. The fuel planning matters. The accommodation matters — especially after 280 miles and a day of weather. These aren't afterthoughts. They're part of the ride.
That's what every tour pack, every GPX file, and every recommendation on this site is built around. Not just the route — the whole experience.
What "Andy's Picks" Means
When I put my name on a tour, it means I'd book it myself. Not "it's pretty good for the price" or "it's fine if you don't mind the basics." It means this tour delivers something exceptional — a route that surprises you, an operator who knows the land, and an experience that stays with you long after you've parked the bike.
If a tour loses its edge, it loses the badge. Simple as that.
Ready to find your next ride?
Start with a free route download, browse the tour packs, or let the quiz point you in the right direction.
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