Paul Northall
Tour Guide
Born in a village near Wrexham in North Wales, surrounded by hills, mountains and woodland, what else could two teenage brothers with a Honda TL125 do? We’d push it half a mile to the foothills and take turns blasting around in the mud, the perfect apprenticeship for a life on two wheels.At 16,
I started work as an apprentice fabricator and welder and bought my first road bike: a Yamaha DT175MX. I used it for work, trail riding, and exploring the fantastic roads around Snowdonia. Three years later, a motorist pulled out on me, sending me flying and writing off the bike. Luckily, I walked away without a scratch. Where there’s no sense, there’s no feeling!
Fast forward to 2008: second wife, four kids, and a fresh start on a Kawasaki KLE500. It didn’t take long to realise it was underpowered for my first tour of France, so I traded it for a BMW F800GS, yellow and black, like a giant wasp, and that was the beginning of my love affair with motorcycle travel.
Since then I’ve covered most of Western Europe and toured the British Isles more times than I can count. In 2022, to mark my 60th birthday, I signed up for the Magellan Norway and Scandinavia tour on my KTM 1290 Super Adventure. It was an extraordinary trip, and it planted the seed for what came next.
A few years on, I’m now proud to be part of the Magellan guide team. I came away from that first tour with memories I’ll cherish forever, and I’m looking forward to helping you do the same.
Check out Paul's three favourite trips