Chris Andrew
Tour Guide
Brought up in the North of England, my biking life began in my early teens when I bought an old Puch moped from a friend and used it for riding off-road. I remember falling off it quite a lot, although once I’d learnt that using the front brake when going round corners in the mud was a bad idea, things improved a lot!
When I was 17, I got hold of a Honda 125 and rode that for a few years before biking took a back seat as career and mortgage took over – although I did manage to squeeze in my bike test.
Fast forward to 2002, when I moved down to Sussex and came across a Harley-Davidson dealership nearby that rekindled my interest. I was soon the proud owner of a 1200 Sportster. Having been away from bikes for a few years – and keen to reassure my wife about the risks of biking – I signed up with the IAM to do my advanced test, and subsequently bought a Triumph Sprint 955i, as it needed less cleaning and had better touring capabilities.
Although I’ve loved bikes all my life, my wife was never a fan. However, over a bottle of wine one evening, I managed to convince her to come on a bike trip to France, which she really enjoyed – and it’s something we’ve done many times since on our Road King. The camaraderie of a biking tour can’t be beaten, and I’ve always enjoyed meeting new people whilst out on the road.
An accountant by profession, I spent the majority of my career working for a multinational electronics company, during which time I travelled extensively and enjoyed working with a variety of people from many different countries and cultures. I always found that whenever I came across another biking colleague, any business challenges we had to deal with would easily be overcome through the common bond of biking and a bit of humour.
Since retiring from the corporate world and having the time to undertake longer tours, I came across Magellan and signed up to do the Scotland Tour – as it’s one of my favourite places. The tour was brilliant from start to finish, and aside from the camaraderie, I also found myself enjoying helping my fellow riders whenever they had problems on the road. That made me think about becoming a tour guide. Having spent my career working for a company that prided itself on ‘doing the right thing’, Magellan ticked all the right boxes, and I’m proud to be a member of the guiding team.
One of my other passions is golf, which I get to play 2–3 times a week – although these days the scoring is much less important than the exercise and banter. My family and friends say that not much fazes me, and I’m always up for a challenge – although they sometimes wonder how my brain’s wired when it comes to humour. Some say they can even see the cogs working!
Check out Chris's three favourite trips