First Tour...

Hi @DanielB touring is great fun and you should do it. IMO planning and preparation is the best approach for your trip. Here are a few things for you to consider:

1. Decide on dates and how many days you want your trip to be. There are loads of good riding north of Oxford. Here are some examples for you to consider:
https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesoci...what-are-the-best-motorcycle-routes-in-the-uk
https://www.bestbikingroads.com/motorcycle-roads/country/united-kingdom
2. Decide on how many miles you want to do in a day.
3. Plot your route out on some map software or use a map.
4. Once you have your stop over locations (and daily miles agreed) you can look for B&B's or hotels.

For a short trip using B&B's/hotels you will not need a lot of kit. Just your normal wash kit, and smalls and a couple of tee shirts and jeans. I have panniers, but you can easily do a short trip with a back pack. You should make sure your bike is in top condition and all your normal checks completed. I normally carry a little bottle of chain oil and a small brush to lube the chain.

 

I did the Wild Atlantic Way a couple of years back, 2000 miles door to door. I used a Givi tank-loc tank bag and one of those aero back packs. I used B&B's and simply booked each one while relaxing in the one before on Booking.com, really easy.
Think about your tyres too. I left home with a pair of low mileage tyres, can't remember what they were, and by the time I got back home you could see the banding in places!!

 

It's basically the coastal route all the way up the West coast of Ireland. I't's absolutely stunning, some of the most beautiful countryside you will find anywhere in the world. Only problem is that the area can be VERY wet and it's pretty much luck what you get. It rained just about every day I was there which made it hard work at times but I was wearing leathers and a rain suit, full touring kit would have been much better. If I did it again I would take longer and spend a few days in some areas rather than riding through. If you Google Wild Atlantic Way there's loads of information. Scotland has it's own North Coast 500, I might do that next.

 

I'm in Dover, Kent and took the ferry from Pembroke to Rosslaire so a good part of the mileage was getting to the ferry and back! This is the sort of scenery you can expect - Co Donegal:


It wasn't raining at this point !!
Sorry, missed the last bit. I rode my own bike- never missed a beat. Also, the Irish seem very accommodating to bikers.

 

If you are thinking about Ireland both north and south are great places to tour.

I did southern Ireland in 2017 taking the ferry from Hollyhead to Dublin, then rode to Waterford, Kinsale, Killarney, Galway, Donegal and back to Dublin for the ferry home. Basically riding south and around the bottom of Ireland and then up the west coast and across to east coast.

And then Northern Ireland in 2019. This time I rode up to Newcastle to pickup my brother-in-law and then rode over to Cairnryan and got the ferry to Larne (just north of Belfast). Then rode Letterkenny, Enniskellen, Dundalk and back to Belfast and ferry home. Basically rode up the east coast, across the north coast and looped around the top end of the wild Atlantic coast before riding east through the lakes and the east coast for the ferry.

Stayed in hotels or B&B's for both trips....