Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions? We've got answers.
Find everything you need to know about our courses, adventures and what to expect from your Off Road Skills experience in our FAQs below.
Got questions? We've got answers.
Find everything you need to know about our courses, adventures and what to expect from your Off Road Skills experience in our FAQs below.
You can see all planned course dates for the current season here.
To check real-time course availability for a specific Level or course, take a look at our online course booking pages here. Use the drop-down calendar on each page to see available course options highlighted in green, it should look something like this...
Our courses are extremely popular and do book up 6-8 months in advance, so you may need to click further ahead to find available dates.
If your preferred date isn't showing in green on our drop-down calendar as explained above, it is now fully booked, sorry about that!
Please join our waiting list here to be notified of any cancellations.
Dates for our Level courses and other UK events for the next season are released once the current riding season is closed each autumn. For example, courses in 2024 will be available to book online from late autumn 2023.
Register here to be notified of new-season course date releases.
To check real-time course availability, take a look at our online course booking pages here. Use the drop-down calendar on each page to see available course options highlighted in green.
Once you have added your chosen course date to your cart, you'll be able to select your preferred BMW model and any hire equipment on the next screen. Simply complete the required information and follow the cart process, which will guide you to our secure online payment portal.
You will recieve a confirmation & receipt by email on successful completion of your booking.
For our Adventure Maintenance, 2-day Level courses and Brecon Beacons Adventures, we require payment in full when booking to secure your space.
For our longer Adventure trips, such as Portuguese Paradise and 5-day Welsh Adventure, your place is secured with a deposit when booking with the balance due at a fixed date prior to the trip departure - full details unique to your particular trip & departure date chosen will be supplied in your confirmation email when booking.
We're sorry to hear that you won't be able to make the course, but we do understand that things come up!
If you need to cancel at any time from the date booked, up to 29 days before your course starts, we'll be happy to arrange a cancellation or transfer to a future course date, subject to availability and a fee.(Cancellations incur a 20% fee, transfers incur a 10% fee)
There is no need to call us, as we need to receive your cancellation request in writing for your records. This can be sent by post, but email is often quickest, so please contact us at BMW@WorldofBMW.com with your name, booking reference, and details of your request. Our team will be in touch to confirm receipt of your request as soon as possible, but within 5 days at most.
Inside the final 28 day period leading up to your start date, unfortunately we're unable to provide a refund or transfer. If you become unable to attend during this time but do have a friend or family member who would like to take up your space, we are happy to change the name on the booking at no extra cost. You can see the full breakdown of our cancellation terms here.
All riders must hold a full Motorcycle licence, valid for riding in the UK on the BMW model chosen when booking. If you still hold a UK 'paper'-style licence without a photocard, please bring additional photo ID when arriving.
We can accommodate participants holding a UK 'A2' restricted licence, using our BMW F 800 GS (restricted) models.
International riders are most welcome, however please ensure your licence is valid for use in the UK and displays your name, photograph and motorcycle riding entitlement clearly to prevent any delays when signing in. If your licence is in non-roman characters (i.e. Cyrillic, Arabic, Korean), please bring a supplementary IDP to ensure that our team is able to verify your entitlement quickly and easily.
You are still able to take part, as long as you're able to bring some additional documentation with you.
Please ensure you have a copy of your licence, front and back, with you on the day (pictures on your phone are acceptable as long as we can clearly see your photo and entitlement), as well as another form of official photo ID, and a DVLA licence check code PDF.
If you’ve not generated one of these before, it’s the ‘new’ way to share your licence details that has replaced the old counterpart ‘paper’ licence - you can find out more and generate one on the GOV.UK website here. There’s no need to send these to us in advance, as part of the check is that the person arriving on the day is really you, so simply have them to hand when you arrive.
Most 'on-road' textile protective motorcycle kit is more than sufficient for our courses, it does not have to be off-road specific, and we understand most riders are more comfortable in their own kit!
For your comfort, we are looking for a flexible fit (not too stiff or tight) with a good range of motion available as the course is physical, as well as some degree of waterproofing. Gloves should fit well, and we’d recommend thinner MX or summer-styles to allow for maximum dexterity.
Riders MUST supply their own helmet, however there is no need for this to be an enduro or off-road style. Any helmet meeting the UK road-standard (EC22.05 or the newer .06) provides sufficient protection for our training.
Fully-protective, off-road motocross boots are mandatory, and we cannot let participants ride without suitable footwear. Your safety while training with us is of paramount importance, which is why we require a higher standard of protection than that offered by road, adventure or trials style boots.
Unsuitable models include styles such as Sidi Adventure 2, BMW VentureGrip, or TCX Terrain, as well as ALL standard road boots. If you are unsure, please contact our team at BMW@WorldofBMW.com with the make and model of your boots and they will be able to advise if they meet the protective standards required.
If you have already booked your course, but need to add hire kit, simply complete our online form linked below and the team will be in touch to confirm. You'll need your sizes, and your booking reference from your confirmation email to hand.
Hire Equipment Request Form
Each of our Level Courses includes two days of group instruction, motorcycle hire, third party insurance, fuel, two lunches and one evening meal, refreshments and a certificate of completion. It does not include personal accident insurance, your accommodation and evening drinks, or any additional meals or drinks for your guests.
Each of our Level Courses starts at 9:00am on day one. You'll be provided the full details specific to your course and date chosen in your confirmation email upon booking.
Please aim to arrive promptly in order to sign on and collect any hire equipment. We kindly ask, please don't arrive too early as our team will still be setting up for the course, and may not be able to welcome you in straight away.
At the end of the course, we aim to have returned to the ORS Workshop and finished fully around 4:00pm on day two, to allow most riders to begin their journeys home.
You can find a list of local recommendations here.
Our training group sizes are kept relatively small to ensure all students receive great tailored tuition. After our introductory assessment, you can usually expect to be paired with one of our expert instructors and 5-6 other riders of a similar experience or ability level.
You can purchase a gift certificate for any of our courses or events here. As these are digital certificates, delivered by email, we would recommend putting your own email address in the recipient box if you’re planning to buy it in advance. This way it will be sent direct to you, ready to print and wrap for gift giving without spoiling the surprise.
Simply let us know once the gift has been given, and we can update the contact details on the voucher to the recipients, so that all updates regarding their attendance go straight to them.
We kindly ask, please don't make a date-specific course booking as a gift on behalf of a loved one, unless you're absolutely certain that they can commit to the date chosen. Unfortunately, fees do apply if they wanted to change this at a later date, so it's best to opt for a Gift Certificate if you are not attending yourself.
Our Brecon Beacons Adventure is open to riders who have already completed our Level One course.
Our Brecon Beacons Adventure includes 1 night of accommodation on a single room basis, at the end of day one in a independently-owned local hotel for some traditional Welsh hospitality!
We'll set out from the BMW Off Road Skills HQ at 9:00am on day one, and we'll return around 4:00pm on day two.
If you are not local to us, we would recommend booking accommodation nearby for the night before the trip to ensure you're well-rested. You can find a list of local recommendations here.
With more intense riding and more challenging terrain covered, our 5-day Welsh Adventure is only open to those who have confidently completed our Level Two course.
Our Welsh Adventure includes 5 nights' accommodation in traditional Welsh hotels and historic inns.
Our Welsh Adventure includes accommodation for the night before the start date booked, where we'll enjoy a welcome meal and briefing as a group, before riding out in the morning. Full details for your specific departure date can be found in your confirmation email when booking.
At the end of the trip, we'll return to our HQ around 4:00pm so most riders can begin their journeys home.
If you can't find the answers you're looking for, our dedicated team will be happy to help. You can reach out quickly and easily using the message box here, or you can send us an email to BMW@WorldofBMW.com.
You can call our team on 08000 131282 (+44(0)1622 776686 outside the UK). Our telephone lines are open from 9:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.
Our telephone lines do get extremely busy at peak times during the riding season, when courses and events are in full swing. If our lines are busy, we kindly ask you to consider sending a message via the link above, as we may be able to provide answers to your queries much sooner. We appreciate your understanding!