Full Itinerary
The flow of this Scottish MTB Expedition has been designed to progress throughout the week. From purpose built enduro trails with opportunities for coaching, to more rugged natural trails on the wild west coast. Your guides will talk you through each new challenge so that you make the most of your Highland experience and go home a more technically skilled mountain biker.
PRE-EXPEDITION - GETTING READY TO RIDE SCOTLAND! ↓
Your coaching journey begins right away! Share clips of your riding via the Sportsense Remote Coaching app and receive personalized feedback and tips from Jake.
​This system is purpose-built to help you sharpen up your skillset, remove any doubts and get rid of bad habits, allowing you to get the most out of your rides in Scotland!
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You'll also have private access to our Online Learning Portal stocked with Mental Skills Trainings, Deep-Dive Webinars, and exclusive resources. As well as our #GlobalExpeditions Telegram group chat, where you get to meet the crew, ask questions, and receive important updates in real time.
DAY 0 - ARRIVAL IN INVERNESS ↓
We advise arriving in Inverness the day before the tour start date to make sure any flight or luggage delays don’t spoil your adventure.
Your guide will meet you in Inverness the following morning. Here is a handy guide on how to spend 24 hours in Inverness.
DAY 1 - WELCOME + WARM-UP RIDE IN INVERNESS ↓
Your guide will meet you in the morning in Inverness and transfer you to H+I Adventures HQ for your welcome briefing with coffee and cake. Here we’ll assemble our bikes/ setup rentals, before heading off on our first ride together as a team.
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Pedalling directly from the H+I Adventures HQ, we’ll climb into the local network of enduro trails where we’ll make sure our bikes are dialled and our legs are warmed up for the week ahead. This ride is a chance to come together as a group, set collective goals and work on finding our flow. With a steady progression of trails, we’ll tackle features and build confidence for the days to come with a strong foundation. This lesser-known network of trails has a reputation for being steep and gnarly, although our expert guides will navigate you through and craft a ride that will leave you grinning from ear to ear.
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We’ll then return to H+I HQ for a picnic-style lunch as we load up our van and get ready to depart. A short 45min drive south will take us to Aviemore, the outdoor capital of the Cairngorm Mountains and our home for the first couple of nights. Dinner this evening will be at our favourite traditional pub, where the locals gather to share stories of their adventurous days out in the hills.
DAY 2 - CAIRNGORMS ENDURO ↓
This morning will start with a hearty Highland breakfast as the anticipation builds for a day of riding the local enduro trails. We’ll pedal directly from our guest house accommodation and climb up through the forest that soon reveals ribbons of singletrack in all directions.
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This network of trails boasts some of Scotland’s original enduro trails and is a classic riding destination that’s not to be missed. Accessed via a mixture of forest roads and technical climbing trails, we’ll work hard for our descents, but the rewards are well worth it. With roots, rocks, slab rolls and loamy dirt, these trails highlight what makes the Cairngorms such a special place to ride. This morning will give an opportunity to progress our riding skills as we aim to broaden the tools at our disposal to tackle the challenging days ahead.
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After lunch at a local cafe, and once fuelled up, we’ll keep the wheels rolling. We’ll cover more mileage and adventure into the landscape and Caledonian pine forests that make this place so beautiful.
DAY 3 - LAGGAN ↓
This morning we’ll say goodbye to Aviemore as we begin to travel across Scotland and head west – but the enduro trails don’t end here!
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After breakfast we’ll take a short drive to Laggan where a dedicated team of local trail-builders have been working their magic in the forest. With over 20 miles of purpose-built trails to explore on one side of the valley, this is only the tip of the iceberg. This 3-4hr ride will mix it up between flowing trails with berms and tabletops and technical trails that have been crafted by hand to challenge even the most talented of riders. Laggan’s network of natural trails are steep and at times committing, so now it’s time to start putting your new skills to good use.
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Once we’ve had our fill of these epic trails, we’ll once again fuel up ourselves before driving onwards to the west coast. This 1hr45min drive takes us through the dramatic landscape of Scotland where you’ll notice the mountains begin to towering above and the coastline reveals itself. Home to Scotland’s coastal temperate forests, Lochaber is one of the most stunning and scenic areas to travel through.
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This evening we’ll have time to visit one of Scotland’s most scenic beaches before sampling the local cuisine in our favourite seafood restaurants.
DAY 4 - ISLE OF SKYE AND THE CUILLIN MOUNTAINS ↓
Today marks the start of our adventurous and remote riding. From the handbuilt enduro trails of the Cairngorms, we now journey into the rugged west coast. After breakfast we’ll head over the sea to Skye to ride amongst the formidable Cullin Mountains.
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Our ferry will depart the small coastal fishing town of Mallaig, and takes 40min to cross over to the Isle of Skye where we’ll drive to Sligichan and the starting point of our ride. This out and back route takes us through a glacial valley that gives us spectacular views of the black cullins on one side and the red cullins on the other. These awe inspiring mountains are steeped in mountaineering history and will try to steal your attention as you keep focus on the challenging natural trail ahead of you. With river crossing and the formidable Scottish waterbar to contend with, this ride is all about finding your flow and riding efficiently to reach a ‘hidden gem’ at the far side of the island.
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Upon returning to our starting point, we’ll have time to step into the historic Seumas’ Bar where the wall of whisky towers and a well deserved dram awaits.
DAY 5 - A TASTE OF TORRIDON ↓
We’ll enjoy a slightly later start today as we tuck into a delicious cooked breakfast and soak up the coastal views from our idyllic guest house.
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Once ready to roll, we’ll make the short drive to the Torridon Mountains – the home to Scotland’s most spectacular mountainous riding. This is our chance to sample this type of terrain as we prepare for our epic adventure to come. While these trails are not purpose-built for mountain bikes, they do offer lots of flow and endless fun to those that have the skills to find it. We’ll start this ride off slow as we winch ourselves to the top of a forestry road climb that leads us into the mountains and a quintessential highland landscape.
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As the trail narrows and we head further into the mountains, we’ll face technical climbs with large steps and rocks to navigate. Thoughts of this challenging climb are soon forgotten as you reach the highpoint and the true grandeur of Torridon opens up in front. From here, you’ll be glad to know that all that lays ahead of you is arguably Scotland’s best natural descent! This taste of Torridon will leave you excited and even more thrilled for tomorrow’s big adventure, where we’ll get to retrace the tyre marks we’ve left on this epic descent again.
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This evening we’ll be hosted at the home of two locals that have created a spectacular guest house that will be our home for the next two nights. With a large dining table and private chef, we’ll come together for a group meal like no other. This unique setting offers the comfort and space to relax as we prepare for our circumnavigation of the Torridon Mountains tomorrow.
DAY 6 - TORRIDON BIG MOUNTAIN DAY ↓
Make sure to fuel up this morning as today is a big mountain day!
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As far as mountain biking in Scotland goes, this classic route has it all and will leave you feeling tired and inspired in equal measures. As we ride through this vast landscape, we’ll have most of the trails to ourselves, passing only a few other adventurous souls. We’ll warm up our legs as we ride alongside moody lochs and into the mountains. As we begin to retrace our tracks from yesterday and take on the first singletrack climb, we know the reward of yesterday’s epic descent lies ahead. As the only section of trail you’ll ride twice this week, you can have fun perfecting your line.
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We’ll pace ourselves throughout this all day adventure and carry everything we’ll need with us. A remote bothy provides us the perfect place to stop for a rest and take on some food before our second big climb and hike-a-bike of the day. After riding the final 6.5km descent back down to sea level, we’ll share a celebratory drink and high-fives over what has been a truly epic day in the mountains.
DAY 7 - FINAL HIGHLAND FLING ↓
Today we’ll say goodbye to the rocks and rough singletrack of Torridon and dial things back a little as we set our sights on the flowy trails of Contin.
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This network of forest trails offers maximum fun for as little effort as possible. We’ll take a relaxed pace as we lap the trails, find our flow again and enjoy our last highland fling together. With a steady climb trail and a variety of descents that encourage you to pump and jump your way through the forest, this is the perfect way to squeeze the last out of your legs.
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Once we have enjoyed multiple laps, we’ll load up and transfer back to H+I Adventures HQ. Here we’ll have time to package bikes before heading to our accommodation in Inverness. This evening we’ll enjoy one of our favourite restaurants in town for our final celebratory meal together.
DAY 8 - DEPARTURE ↓
Sadly, this is the end of your mountain biking adventure in Scotland, and we’ll bid farewell after an incredible biking adventure across the Highlands.
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Having spent the night in Inverness, you can depart after your breakfast and make your way to the airport or train station whenever you wish today.
POST EXPEDITON ↓
The in-person component of this expedition may be over, but the good times roll on!
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We send you back to your home trails teaming with wisdom and resources to continue the progression.
Access to Jake as you coach via our Remote Coaching Platform continues, allowing you to squeeze the most value out of your time with us, and leave no question unanswered as you integrate the skills learned into your familiar home terrain.