MOUNTAIN BIKE TOURScairngorms adventure

Scotland’s mountain bike holiday experts

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The Cairngorms National Park boasts everything you could want from an outdoor adventure in Scotland. Rolling, heather-clad hills; ancient glens; secluded lochs; abundant wildlife; great local food and drink; and fantastic mountain biking trails. This is the UK’s largest National Park and hides a wealth of diverse ecosystems and landscapes, which we’ll share with you during this week-long mountain bike tour in one of the most unspoilt and naturally beautiful areas of the Scottish Highlands.

cairngorms adventure tour

Driving to Inverness airport on a day like this is not too bad at all. The skies are clear and the sun is warm. I’m on my way to pick up a group of adventurers who are joining us for a week of mountain biking and adventure activities around the Cairngorms in the heart of the Highlands.

The group I am waiting for is arriving from the south of France and clearly they’re surprised to arrive in Scotland to blue skies and sunshine, as they arrange an impromptu photo call outside the airport terminal.

Soon, we’re heading to our first stop at Laggan Wolftrax to size bikes, grab some lunch and stretch our legs around the tremendous trails that snake through Strathmashie forest. After a few hours of fun, we make tracks to our large holiday home in the heart of the Cairngorms where we spend the week socialising and enjoying the treasures of the National Park. We get settled in and claim our bedrooms before meeting up again in the lounge to have a chat over the week ahead. Dinner tonight is a barbecue consisting of locally-sourced beef to go along with our nice French wine!

Thanks to the fabulous location of the house, we ride straight from the door most of the week, only needing to pack the van on a couple of occasions.

Most of today is spent diving in and out of the woods, and nipping down hidden trails with the guys all

shouting directions to each other and saying, ‘We would never have found these trails on our own.’ On returning to the house the barbecue is fired up and the wine is open even before their helmets are off!

You would think after two late nights and a full day on the bike I would be waiting around in the morning, but no, they are outside waiting for me!? We set off along the river Spey enjoying the morning air in our faces, in search of our canoes and guide, who will be taking the group down the river on an open canoe expedition. The canoe guide initially goes over safety, plans for the day and fitting buoyancy aids. I wave goodbye to the group as they drift off down the river, and set about packing the bikes for the return journey. On meeting the group

cairngorms adventure diary by Euan Wilson, head guide

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later I’m bombarded with stories of how often each boat nearly capsized, stunning scenery and a great picnic-style lunch stop: sounds like I missed a good trip!

We decide, the next day, to travel to the southern flanks of the Cairngorm mountains and ride the bikes around the Kincraig area. We spend three hours riding on a mixture of forest tracks and singletrack trails that have the entire group grinning from ear-to-ear and wanting more! But we have a date at the local distillery for a tour and tasting session, so we have to make a move to the highest distillery in Scotland, Dalwhinnie.

Day five is an amazing day of wildlife spotting and group humour! Apart from spending time with a hugely knowledgeable wildlife guide watching some of the resident animals within the National Park, we also cycle back to the accommodation through some of the last remaining Caledonian forests in the country. We find sweet singletrack, an awesome descent and a gourmet hillside lunch.

Our second last day is a lazy one spent around the accommodation, only punctuated every-so-often by a coffee, some cake and the occasional burst of laughter coming from the sun patio.

On their last day I’m determined to get the group up to Inverness and Loch Ness for a day of biking and Nessie

spotting on the banks of Loch Ness. We set off from the heart of Inverness and head out towards Loch Ness and onto a high vantage point above the loch where we set about Nessie hunting. I spot Nessie a couple of times, but the group are too slow to react and miss a sighting for themselves - maybe next time! We continue and pick up a nice descent that pops us out at a lovely lochside pub, where we have lunch and start to relive the morning’s cycle. After lunch we take a leisurely ride along the banks of River Ness and back into town for a quick round of gift shopping.

So all that’s left to do is head back to Aviemore and pack before our final supper in a local restaurant. In the morning the van is very quiet with a lot of recovering legs and satisfied smiles.

Our cycling holiday in the Highlands was excellent. Euan is a great guide – very informative and professional. We would recommend Highlands and Islands Adventures to anyone looking for a great mountain biking holiday.T and C Richardson, USA

“”

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The itinerary for the week is very flexible. We will ride, paddle, walk and eat and drink our way around various locations in the Cairngorms and central Highlands, returning to our luxurious accommodation in Aviemore each evening. Each day we will leave our accommodation at around 9am and return at around 6pm, or if you choose to have a day off, no problem! The following itinerary is a guide to what we can achieve during your week in the Highlands.

Laggan Laggan Wolftrax is a fairly recent addition to the Highlands’ network of man-made cycle tracks, based in Strathmashie Forest, Laggan. Wolftrax has nearly 18km of track ranging from the blue grade fun park to the extremely difficult black grade trail, and a great café for re-fuelling.

Loch GartenOn our day in the Loch Garten area we’ll pedal through Glenmore Forest, over the rocky Ryvoan pass and through Abernethy Forest towards Boat of Garten. On the way, we can stop at the Osprey Centre at Loch Garten and see if we can spot any of the resident birds. We then join the Speyside way and head back into Aviemore to some delicious home baking at the Mountain Café!

Pedal and paddleToday we will have a short pedal to the banks of the river Spey where we will meet our open canoe guide who will be leading you down a stunning stretch of the famous salmon fishing river. Your guide will be on hand to talk you through all safety aspects and paddling techniques involved with river canoeing. During your trip along the river Spey you will pull over to the side for a picnic lunch of local food of outstanding quality.

KincraigThis morning we will venture out to Kincraig, in the southern Cairngorms. There is a vast network of amazing natural trails all over this area, with flowy, narrow trails and nice, steady climbs. Lots of reward, for not too much work! Then when we have had enough we will retire for lunch before heading to the Dalwhinnie distillery for an afternoon tour and tasting.

Wildlife walkToday you will be guided around the Caledonian forest at the foot of the Cairngorm massif by a local wildlife expert who will endeavour to spot some of the local wildlife for you. In this area, if you are lucky, you could see deer, pine martin, birds of prey and capercaillie. After your wildlife walk and lunch we will bike back to our accommodation and settle in for the night.

Your day offYou’ll also have a day off the bike to try some of the other activities available in the area or to do a bit of sight-seeing – you decide.

Loch Ness and Inverness Today we will travel 45 minutes north to the Highland capital of Inverness, where we will cycle a four-hour route that will see us high above the banks of Loch Ness, before descending to lunch on the banks of the loch, and a spot of Nessie hunting. We return to Aviemore for our final supper in a local restaurant.

Departure dayWe will spend the morning packing, organising your luggage and transport you back to your departure airport and say our goodbyes.

itinerary

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Holiday price£875 per person

This includes:• All breakfasts • 7 nights’ 3-star (or above) accommodation • The services of a qualified and experienced mountain

bike guide for the duration of the trip• One day guided canoe trip on the River Spey• One day guided wildlife walk• Transportation around the Highlands and Islands

throughout the week• All group safety equipment

The price does not include:• Transport to and from the meeting point in Inverness• Travel insurance – book through our preferred supplier

(see page 8) • Personal safety and cycling equipment • Bike hire• Alcoholic drinks• Any other items not mentioned as included

Bike hireWe can arrange bike hire for you for the duration of the trip. The cost of mountain bike hire is as follows:

• Good quality hard-tail mountain bike with disc brakes, from brands such as, Cove, Rocky Mountain and Kona – £150 per week

• Good quality full-suspension bike with disc brakes, from brands such as, Cove, Rocky Mountain and Turner – £240 per week

During the online booking process you will be able to book your bike hire, but remember to enter your correct height.

Further information on ScotlandScotland 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:

Meal costs• The average daily lunch and dinner costs are £25

per person, not including drinks• Tipping is not compulsory, but if you were to tip,

10% of the cost of your meal would be acceptable

Currency • The currency in Scotland is GBP (£), and this is the

only currency that will be accepted, without exception• Where we will be travelling there are few banks, so

you will need to have enough cash to see you through 3-4 days of travelling

TippingIt 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

VisasVisitors 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.

Health and safety• No vaccinations are required for visiting Scotland• You can drink the water from the rivers on our tours,

following the instructions of your guide. Purification tablets will be available should you require them

• Guides are fully trained first aiders

the details

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Accommodation and foodThe 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.

Highlands and Islands Adventures guidesOur 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.

Meeting point and how to get thereMost 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 railThree 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 coachCoach 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.

Inverness by airInverness 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.comwww.easternairways.com or www.hial.co.uk.

If your group requires transfer from another Scottish airport, please ask.

Kit list

• Helmet (essential)

• Gloves (appropriate to the time of year)

• 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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Holiday insuranceYou are required as a condition of booking to be insured against medical and personal accident risks. 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.

Responsible travelHighlands 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.

How this trip makes a differenceAlthough 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?

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