We offer classic car tours ‘for those who appreciate the difference’. We appreciate that you are bringing your pride and joy out on a driving tour therefore we want to ensure that the arrangements meet exacting standards; handpicked luxury hotels for their car parking, locality and character. Great driving roads coupled with detailed roadbooks. Interesting visits and attractions along the way plus a friendly and professional tour manager to escort the tour.

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Backwater Tours was born out of true passion and a particular skill in devising meticulously planned driving tours. In 2010 Paul and Linda Trill started the company when their passion project was recognised by Philip & Julie Porter at the Jaguar
E-Type and XK Club. What ensued was a long running relationship of operating the clubs official tours, which is ongoing to this day. Something we are very proud of.

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In 2022, Backwater Tours gained further recognition when respected Tour Operator ,The Albatross Group acquired it, integrating the company under the Albatross Motoring umbrella alongside Scenic Car Tours. Since then, Backwater Tours has benefited from the vast expertise found within the motoring team and systems used to enhance the customer experience and ensure your tour is a truly unforgettable one.

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The original ethos of Backwater Tours has remained unchanged, to offer a personal and friendly service from the moment the booking is made through to the point where the tour finishes. Our dedicated team work hard to ensure this. In addition, all our tours are escorted by experienced tour managers, to ensure you have the best experience possible and that all arrangements run smoothly…and in the (unlikely) event that you have any issues with your car, we are on hand to help.

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How our tours work

Our tours are fun, relaxed and non-competitive.

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All of our tours are fully hosted, unless stated on the tour inclusions, ensuring you are booking with the comfort knowing that one of our tour hosts will be on hand at your hotel throughout your stay.

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Our hotels are handpicked for their car parking, locality and, in most cases (unless more convenient to use a modern hotel), their character.

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To book a tour, a 20% non-refundable deposit is payable. (10% at the time of booking, and a further 10% 6 months prior), with a balance payment not required until 10 weeks prior, and we can hold you a place without a deposit for up to 2 weeks, subject to availability. Once a deposit is paid, all bookings are subject to our terms & booking conditions.

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For UK tours we provide Tulip route books with turn-by-turn instructions. For non-UK destinations we will provide pre-loaded routes into Satellite Navigation Systems and/or provide you a link to load the routes into your own Sat Navs or smart phones. If you haven’t worked with Tulip’s before; fear-not, they aren’t as scary as they look, and our hosts are happy to talk you through them in your pre-tour briefing, once you have checked in at your tour hotel.

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We don’t have a dress code – smart casual attire for the evenings is perfectly acceptable – if we have a need for special dress for a specific occasion, we will ensure we notify you in advance.

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To summarise; if you want to share some incredible driving routes with the comfort of travelling with a group of like-minded enthusiasts, and in the knowledge that you have onsite tour hosts throughout your stay, then give us a call or book online.

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If you’ve been with us before, we hope you’ll join us again – as many of you kindly do. If you haven’t experienced any of our Backwater Classic Car Tours yet, then we’d love you to join us on one… it’s always much more than just a drive.​​