MOUNTAIN BIKE TOURS
tastes and trails of Scotland
Scotland’s mountain bike holiday experts
tastes and trails of Scotland
If you’re looking for a mountain bike tour that’s a little bit special and combines the most beautiful landscapes of the Scottish Highlands with excellent local food, drink and hospitality, our new ‘Tastes and Trails of Scotland’ mountain bike tour is for you. You’ll experience some of the more remote, and off-the-beaten-track corners of the west coast - not just by bike - but by steam train, boat, car and on foot, ensuring that you get to soak up as much of the culture and natural beauty of Scotland as possible.
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TASTES AND TRAILS OF SCOTLAND
tastes and trails diary by Euan Wilson, head guide Life is good! The weather is fantastic and I’m standing outside Inverness airport with a coffee in hand waiting for our guests to arrive for another amazing trip around the west coast of Scotland. Both flights arrive on time and we’re off! Within two hours we’re at Laggan Wolftrax, the north of Scotland’s best trail centre and café, organising bikes and picking up last-minute kit for the week ahead. With bikes suitably ‘lubed’ we head off onto the trails, graded from green to double diamond black, to check that bikes are set up correctly, and to settle the nerves. We also practice some of the key mountain bike skills that will help everyone enjoy the tour to the full. From Laggan we head west to Fort William to take in the breath-taking views of the northern slopes of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK. After some lunch in the local seafood restaurant we board the Jacobite Express, the train best known for taking Harry Potter and friends to Hogwarts. We sit back and enjoy, what’s generally agreed to be, one of the best train rides in the world, passing some of the most iconic Scottish landscapes made famous in movies and travel publications. When we reach our stop at Mallaig we have a short transfer to our accommodation for the night in Arisaig, perched right on the west coast. We spend a relaxed evening with a couple of beers and stories of everyone’s favourite adventures.
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We spend our first full day on the west coast riding along the dazzling coastline to a secluded hilltop bothy (mountain hut). This bothy has an uninterrupted view over a hidden beach, and out across the Atlantic. We have lunch on the beach and spend time capturing the setting on camera. We then return to Arisaig for a change of clothing and a walk before settling in for some wine and dinner made from the best local produce. First thing the next morning the ferry takes us from Mallaig to the Isle of Skye, where awe-inspiring scenery and wildlife await! On arrival we enjoy the fabulous nature walk at Armadale, where we watch seals bathing in the sunlight, before moving up the coast to our Michelin-starred lunch at Kinloch Lodge.
TASTES AND TRAILS OF SCOTLAND
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The most enjoyable holiday I’ve ever had! Our guide had excellent local knowledge about the history, geography and wildlife of the area, as well as giving many useful biking tips. J. Clift, England
After our two-hour lunch – one of the best I’ve ever had we ride a stunning coastal trail in the south of the island where we pass through abandoned villages, and stop on a beach to hunt for fossils. We then return to the vehicle for our transfer to Portree, the island’s capital. Day two on Skye sees us walking in the far north of the island, around some of the most impressive cliffs in the country. The path snakes through a setting not unlike Lord of the Rings; the atmosphere is loaded with mystery and other-worldliness. Following another superb lunch we make the short transfer to the Talisker distillery, situated in the heart of the island, at Carbost. After a great tour and well-deserved tasting session, we make our way to the mainland harbour village of Plockton where we spend the next two nights.
Sadly, this is the penultimate night of the trip and in the morning we start making our way back to Inverness. En-route we stop off at the impressive Eilean Donan Castle and spend the night on the banks of Loch Ness for our last supper together. The last leg of our trip to the airport is a quiet one, with everyone reliving the past week and not wanting to say goodbye. But that time comes, and we share the final jokes and say our goodbyes. As I said at the beginning, ‘life is good!’
The next morning is spent mountain biking around the peninsula, before lunch on the Plockton harbour wall, and a nice ice-cold pint of local beer! Once lunch has had time to settle, we board a small boat for some wildlife spotting - and we’re in luck! The seals and dolphins put on a fantastic show for us, so we all return to dry land with sore cheeks from smiling for two hours.
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TASTES AND TRAILS OF SCOTLAND
itinerary Day 1 | Arrival day and bike preparation
After lunch we can take our bikes out for an easy afternoon ride to get a panoramic view of the red and black Cuillin mountains. Then we’ll transfer to our accommodation in Portree.
Arrive in Inverness, where your guide will welcome you. On to Laggan Wolftrax to size up bikes, have lunch and stretch our legs with an afternoon ride. Tonight we will stay in a luxurious B&B in the local area, where they will prepare a wonderful three course dinner of locallysourced produce.
Day 5 | Walking and whisky tasting
Day 2 | Seafood and steam power
First thing this morning we will transfer to Fort William for a look around the Ben Nevis information centre, before settling down to lunch in a seafood restaurant. After lunch we catch Harry Potter’s train, the Jacobite Express, to Mallaig, voted one of the best train rides in the world by National Geographic magazine. Our guide will pick you up in Mallaig and transfer you to Arisaig for dinner and our accommodation.
Day 3 | Sands of Morar and Arisaig
Today we will mountain bike along the coast to a hilltop bothy (mountain hut) that is located 100m above a stunning secluded bay looking out to the Isle of Skye. Once we have finished exploring we’ll walk around the beach, have a picnic lunch and cycle back out to our accommodation. On return we’ll freshen up, then go for a coastal walk or relax on the white sandy beaches of Morar, then back for dinner in Arisaig.
Day 4 | Sea to Skye
After a hearty breakfast, we make our way to the Skye ferry. This is a 30-minute boat journey that crosses between Knoydart (the last true wilderness in Scotland) and the islands of Eigg and Rum. When we arrive at the village of Armadale we go for a woodland wildlife walk, before straying further along the coastline to the world famous Kinloch Lodge, and our Michelin-starred lunch.
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This morning we’ll head north for a walk up and around the Old Man of Storr, and its ‘Lord of the Rings’ landscape. On returning to Portree we’ll have lunch at a local café, before going to the Talisker distillery in the heart of the island for a tour and tasting. We’ll then transfer to the mainland fishing village of Plockton.
Day 6 | Applecross peninsula
After a relaxed breakfast watching the village coming to life we’ll pedal across the peninsula and back around the coast again on a lovely morning ride that will have you ready for your lunch on the shores of Loch Carron. Once lunch has settled we’ll embark on a fantastic seal and dolphin watching cruise around to Applecross, before returning to Plockton for another night.
Day 7 | Loch Ness
We leave Plockton behind in favour of heading inland to the banks of Loch Ness. En-route we will stop off at Eilean Donan Castle for a tour and some refreshments, then continue through Glen Sheil and onto our accommodation for the night at Glen Garry. From our hotel we can bike along the Great Glen Way to Fort Augustus for our chance to see Loch Ness and the canal locks at Fort Augustus.
Day 8 | Departure day
Transfer back to Inverness and our goodbyes.
TASTES AND TRAILS OF SCOTLAND
the details Holiday price
Further information on Scotland
£955 per person
Scotland is a relatively small, English-speaking country in the northern-most part of the United Kingdom, which is situated on the west edge of Europe. Below are a few things you should know before you travel:
This includes: • All breakfasts • Accommodation during holiday • All transportation costs during the tour • T he services of a qualified and experienced mountain
bike guide for the duration of the trip • T ransportation from the meeting point in Inverness around the Highlands and Islands of Scotland during the week, and then back again to Inverness at the end of the trip • Whisky distillery tour and tasting • All group safety equipment
Meal costs • T he average daily lunch and dinner costs are £25
per person, not including drinks (except Kinloch Lodge) • T ipping is not compulsory, but if you were to tip, 10% of the cost of your meal would be acceptable
Currency • T he currency in Scotland is GBP (£), and this is the
only currency that will be accepted, without exception • W here we will be travelling there are few banks, so
The price does not include:
you will need to have enough cash to see you through 3-4 days of travelling
• Transport to and from the meeting point in Inverness • Travel and activity insurance • Personal safety and cycling equipment • Bike hire • Alcoholic drinks • Entry fees to tourist attractions such as Eilean
Tipping It is not compulsory to tip your guides or drivers in
Scotland, but if you feel that you have had a good service or experience, you can tip at your discretion.
Donan Castle
Visas
• Any other items not mentioned as included
Visitors from certain countries require a visa to holiday in the UK. Please check www.ukvisas.gov.uk before booking to see if you will need a visa for your mountain bike holiday in Scotland.
Bike hire We can arrange bike hire for you for the duration of the trip. The cost of mountain bike hire is as follows: • G ood quality hard-tail mountain bike with disc brakes – £150 per week • G ood quality full-suspension bike with disc brakes – £240 per week
Health and safety • N o vaccinations are required for visiting Scotland • Y ou can drink the water from the rivers on our tours,
During the online booking process you will be able to book your bike hire, but remember to enter your correct height.
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following the instructions of your guide. Purification tablets will be available should you require them • G uides are fully trained first aiders
TASTES AND TRAILS OF SCOTLAND
Meeting point and how to get there Most of our holidays begin at Inverness railway station, and in the exceptional cases where we meet elsewhere we will contact you with details of the meeting point. As part of our responsible tourism strategy we ask our customers to use public transport to the meeting point as far as possible.
Inverness by rail Three hours from Glasgow and Edinburgh, and eight hours or overnight from London. For up-to-date timetables and booking information visit: www.firstscotrail.com or www.thetrainline.com.
Inverness by coach Coach services run from London and other UK cities to Inverness. Regular coaches run from Glasgow (three hours), Edinburgh (three hours) and Aberdeen (two hours) to Inverness. For up-to-date coach timetables and booking information visit: www.gobycoach.com or www.citylink.co.uk.
Accommodation and food
Inverness by air
The things that sets our tours apart from other mountain bike tours in Scotland is the excellent accommodation we use. We understand that when you’ve had a big day in the saddle on the Highlands trails, you want a warm welcome, hot shower and a comfortable place to relax and unwind – because that’s exactly what we’re looking for too. This is why we only work with accommodation providers across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland whose standards of service match our own high expectations.
Inverness is becoming increasingly well-served by major and budget airlines from all over the UK and Ireland. For up-to-date timetables and booking information visit: www.ba.com, www.easyjet.com, www.ryanair.com www.easternairways.com or www.hial.co.uk.
• Gloves (appropriate to the time of year)
Our mountain bike guides are qualified to the very highest level in the UK, through the Scottish Mountain Bike Leader Award. They are qualified in first-aid and for this type of trip they also hold an expedition leader award, which means that they have the knowledge and experience to lead a group safely in these very remote, wild and unpredictable parts of Scotland. In addition to formal qualifications, our guides have years of experience in the saddle on the Highland trails and will be able to enhance your holiday with facts and fables on local history, flora and fauna. The team is made up of local riders who are experts in their fields, superb local guides and genuinely nice people. Their passion for mountain biking and for the Highlands and Islands is truly infectious and they’re completely committed to responsible tourism and making sure that our business is run as sustainably as possible.
HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS ADVENTURES
Kit list • Helmet (essential)
Highlands and Islands Adventures guides
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If your group requires transfer from another Scottish airport, please ask.
• Glasses • Cycle shorts/trousers • Waterproofs • Hat and spare gloves • Bike in good working order • Brake pads to suit your bike • Comfortable shoes for walking • Warm layers for cooler weather • Water system (water bottle or Camel back) • Any medication you require (you must inform
your guide about this prior to the tour) • Suitable day sack to hold all of the above
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TASTES AND TRAILS OF SCOTLAND
Holiday insurance
How this trip makes a difference
You are required as a condition of booking to be insured against medical and personal accident risks. Included in this policy you must include cover for mountain biking and we recommend that you take out a policy which covers cancellation and baggage. We work closely with Travel & General Insurance Services Limited whose policies are specially designed for mountain bike holidays. You can arrange your insurance cover directly with them by following this link and then we ask that you send us your policy details. Please note: if you have arranged your own holiday insurance, you must bring a copy of your policy with you on your mountain bike holiday with us.
Although the Highlands and Islands of Scotland is one of the most stunning parts of the country, it is also one of the least affluent regions. This is because of the remoteness of the rural communities and the low levels of employment. During our Scottish mountain biking holidays we benefit the local communities by bringing tourism to their areas and using local services, guides, drivers, and by doing so we help to support local businesses, create employment and contribute to the overall sustainable development of the region. We have a ‘leave no trace’ policy on our mountain biking tours to ensure that our impact in these beautiful regions will not have a negative effect on this fragile environment. During our trips our guides will pass on their knowledge and explain the reasons behind our environmental policy and the ‘leave no trace’ ethos. We are also on hand to advise you on how you can make a difference as we travel through the remote wilderness of Scotland. Guests in the past have thrown away banana, orange and apple skins, saying ‘it will degrade,’ which is true, but it will take a long time to do so, it is not a natural waste product of Scotland, and if every member of my groups did it every trip, of every year, how would this unspoilt landscape look?
Responsible travel Highlands and Islands Adventures is a company committed to its sustainable tourism policy, and takes seriously its responsibility to operate in a sustainable way. We are working hard to improve our procedures, policies and our impact on the environment that we work in, so for a copy on our ‘responsible tourism policy’ please contact us on info@mtbholidayscotland.com.
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Highlands and Islands Adventures, 80 Grigor Drive, Inverness, IV2 4LS, Scotland | info@mtbholidayscotland.com photography © andymccandlish | website by 2dynamic Ltd | design by Abby Franklin © Highlands and Islands Adventures 2011