Roaring success for trike tours
What links the Tower of London, Tate Modern in Liverpool and Yorkshire Trike Tours? The answer is that all three so impressed judges from Visit England that they were awarded Gold Accolades in 2014 by the country’s leading tourism organisation.
That’s an impressive achievement by a business that only started carrying its first passengers the year before. The following year, it was one of only four finalists in Welcome to Yorkshire’s Best Small Business Awards.
It all started after Jason Richards, a motorbike fanatic in his youth, sold his shares in his IT company when he reached 50 and decided to invest part of the proceeds in a Boom Mustang trike handbuilt in Germany which cost £25,000. Jason invested a further £5,000 in an onboard communications system which enables him to give a running commentary to passengers while he chauffeurs them around the Yorkshire Dales. Passengers on the three-seater not only hear Jason’s stories about the dales and their landmarks in an ear piece fitted in their helmets, they can also communicate with him by a microphone to ask questions.
James Herriot safari
The tours, which are organised by Jason and his wife, Judith, range from a one- hour taster through to half day, full day and two day trips. For the first time in 2016, a three-day safari based on the James Herriot novels will be offered.
“All our tours are within the boundary of the National Park where there is so much to see and to talk about,” says Jason. “We aim that all our passengers should arrive excited and leave delighted and that is what happens.”
Passengers have included people with serious illnesses such as a man in the advanced stages of motor neurone disease. “He went on a two-day safari with us in summer 2015 and described it as a life-changing experience,” said Jason.
Going green
Other passengers prefer a package where they get off the trike for a time and undertake an activity. These include walks through meadowland in Littondale which Jason has planned in conjunction with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.
There are other green angles to Yorkshire Trike Tours as well. Working with the Forestry Commission, Jason has provided funds to plant enough trees in Lambert’s Wood, near Aysgarth Falls, to cover the trike’s carbon footprint for the next ten years.
If you see the trike at one of its starting points, which include Bolton Abbey, Middleham , Bainbridge and Buckden, or when it has stopped during its travels, feel free to have a chat with Jason. “The trike always draws a crowd and I am always happy to talk to people,” added Jason.
For further information, call Jason Richards on 0113 2585055 or visit www.yorkshiretriketours.co.uk
