Ancient Pines and Wild Glens

We want you to have the best experience in the Highlands, so it’s important to be sure that this is the perfect mountain bike adventure, with the right level of challenge, for you.

You ride your mountain bike/ e-mountain bike on trails around once per week, and would be comfortable riding a variety of trails including: rooty singletrack through forests; rocky double track climbs; muddy singletrack descents; and loose, rocky trails.

Read more on our intermediate skill level.

Does this sound like you? Your vacation time is precious and we want to be absolutely sure that you’re making the most of it. Be honest with yourself, if this adventure isn’t right for you, we have other MTB and E-MTB tours that may be a better fit for your mountain biking ability.

Please note: The skill level required reflects an overall rating for the trails on the trip but you should expect to find sections and obstacles that push your ability levels.

Skill level: Intermediate

• You have been mountain biking/ e-mountain biking regularly for at least two years
• You can brake, use gears and corner with confidence
• You have good bike handling skills, and are confident riding rough double track and non-technical singletrack
• You are competent at riding undulating trails with moderate climbs and descents on both double and singletrack, but tend to get off and walk technical singletrack sections
• You mountain bike approximately once a week throughout your biking season

Fitness level: 5/7

• You have a good level of bike fitness, exercising at least three times every week throughout the year, for an hour at a time
• You can ride a mountain bike for up to six hours a day at a moderate pace, with snack and photo stops, for three or more consecutive days
• You can tackle two or three fairly significant climbs a day, up to 600 metres each

Typical trails you’ll be riding

• The trails on our Ancient Pines & Wild Glens mountain bike tour in the Cairngorms are natural ‘rustic’ ancient walking paths of varying trail surface, that will require you to choose your own riding line and decide if it is suitable to ride
• Double track: undulating and sometimes steep jeep tracks made up of a hard-packed and loose dirt surface
• Singletrack: you will encounter up to fist-sized, fixed and loose rocks, as well as fixed bedrock style trails, drainage bars, roots, and ruts (some deep)
• The surface may be dry and loose, or wet and muddy depending on weather conditions
• You will experience a river crossing or two
• You will have wet feet!

Training for your Ancient Pines & Wild Glens MTB/E-MTB  adventure

To get the most out of your mountain bike tour in Scotland you should plan plenty of training in advance of your tour.

The ideal bike for riding in the Cairngorms is a good quality full-suspension mountain bike or e-mountain bike with 29” or 27.5” wheels, a dropper seat post, and 120mm -130mm of travel front and rear. All-mountain / enduro style tyres that have robust sidewall protection and that are set up tubeless are ideal for this adventure.

With excellent grip in loose and muddy conditions, we recommend tyres such as the Schwalbe Super Gravity Magic Mary or Maxxis Minion DHF EXO+ up front, paired with the Schwalbe Super Gravity Big Betty or Maxxis Minion DHR2 EXO+ on the rear.

If you wish to bring your own bike to ride you must ensure that it has been fully serviced before the trip. Here are some handy tips on how best to travel with your own bike.

If you would prefer not to travel with your bike, or you’d like the benefit of battery-assist, we have a fleet of Yeti SB140 29″ mountain bikes and Yeti MTe E-MTBs available to rent in Scotland.

You can add bike rental at time of booking, just remember to add your height so that we can reserve the correct size bike.

We only run small group mountain bike tours to ensure that everyone has the best experience possible, and there will be a maximum of eight people in each group. The minimum number of people we require to run this mountain bike tour in Scotland is four.

Our Ancient Pines & Wild Glens mountain bike/ E-MTB tour in the Cairngorms caters for a wide age range; typically between 30- and 65-years-old. Regardless of age, you must have the appropriate level of physical fitness and mountain biking skills to participate in this adventure. Please refer to clause 14 of our terms and conditions of booking to find more information on rider age.

This mountain bike/ e-mountain bike tour in the Cairngorms Scotland is a guided mountain bike/ E-MTB vacation, ideal for intermediate mountain bikers. You’ll experience riding on a huge diversity of trails throughout the Cairngorms National Park, including man-made trail centres, natural trails, and big mountain days.

The distances we cover each day range from 15km to 56km, in accordance with the technical difficulty of the trails: the easier stages of the route are longer. The technical difficulty of the trails increases each day, so you can practise your technique and increase your confidence as you progress through the tour.

Each evening your guides will chat with you about the following day’s mountain biking and give you an idea of the sorts of trails you can look forward to. If there’s anything you feel anxious about, your guides will be happy to discuss it with you.

No, you only need to carry a 20 litre back pack with you whilst riding. Since you’ll be spending most of the week at a guest house in Aviemore, you don’t need to move luggage each day.

Your guide will be very happy to give you some bike skills training during your trip to help improve your confidence and your enjoyment of your mountain bike tour Cairngorms. If there is a section that you would prefer not to ride, then you can simply hop off your bike and walk.

You won’t be the only one to walk certain sections and it’s not a competition in biking ability; it’s a mountain bike holiday!

Your mountain bike guides are local, qualified, experienced professionals who have a real passion for mountain biking and for the fabulous outdoor playground that is the Highlands of Scotland.

Your safety is their number one priority, closely followed by your enjoyment of the tour. They will always be on-hand to answer any questions or requests you may have throughout your trip. 

On this mountain bike tour Cairngorms you will be staying in a traditional guest house in the heart of Aviemore, and a guest house in Inverness.

We use the best quality accommodation in each area, and favour small, family-run establishments over large chain hotels.

All breakfasts are included in the price of the tour, and you’ll enjoy fantastic breakfasts at your accommodation which will set you up well for each day in the saddle. Lunch and dinner are not included in the trip price. 

Each morning we will pick up our own provisions for lunch, and we’ll carry this with us on the trail. On some days we’ll be able to stop at a local café for lunch. We can cater for most dietary requirements, but please let us know in advance. 

We’ll have dinner in a local pub, café or restaurant, which means that everyone can choose exactly what they want for lunch and dinner and only pay for their own choices. You should allow around £65 per day for lunches and dinners.

Whilst lunches and dinners are not included in the tour price, we will eat as a group every mealtime.

The ideal bikes for riding through the Cairngorms are high quality full-suspension mountain bikes/ e-mountain bikes with 29” or 27.5” wheels, a dropper seat post, and 130mm -150mm of travel front and rear.

We recommend good quality tyres that have robust sidewall protection and that are set up tubeless.

Read the full kit list to find out what you need to pack for your mountain bike tour in the Cairngorms.

There is a self-service laundry facility at your accommodation that you can make use of in the evenings.

Unfortunately not. We are working hard to provide each and every customer who rides with us an unparalleled mountain bike experience in every destination we ride. This takes years of experience, riding and planning to get right, and a drone adds a very real danger to the group’s riding experience and health & safety. 

Inverness is well connected to the rest of the UK by good rail, air, and coach links.

If you are flying with your own bike we advise flying into Inverness via London Heathrow or Amsterdam Schipol. Travelling by train with a bike in Scotland is complicated.

If you plan to travel by train with your mountain bike, please note that you will need to book your bike onto the train in advance as there is very limited space.

It is also worth noting that if you fly into Edinburgh, you have to take a tram from the airport to the train station, and then the train to Inverness which takes approx 3 hours.

Visas

Visitors from certain countries require a visa to holiday in the UK. Please check the UK Government website before booking to see if you will need a visa for your Scotland mountain bike tour.

Arrival and departure details

Your Ancient Pines & Wild Glens mountain bike/ e-mountain bike tour will start and end in Inverness. Your guide will collect you from your pre-trip hotel, or Inverness train station on the morning of day 1. Exact details will be advised two weeks prior to the tour star date.

If you are flying to Scotland we advise that you arrive at least one day before the tour start date and book an overnight stay in Inverness, in order to allow for any delays in flights and/or luggage.

We have created this handy guide to spending 24 hours in Inverness before the start of your Cairngorms Adventure mountain bike tour.

Our mountain bike guides in Scotland are of the highest level.

They are qualified in first-aid and they have the knowledge and experience to lead a group safely in these remote, wild and beautiful parts of the Scottish Highlands.

Our guides have years of experience in the saddle on the trails of Scotland and will be able to enhance your holiday with facts and fables on local history, flora and fauna. They’re also genuinely nice people and will do their best to make sure that everyone in the group has a great time.

One of the things that set 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 Great Outdoors, 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.

Food is a major part of our mountain bike tour Cairngorms, and we’ve worked hard (it’s been very tough!) to find the best local restaurants, cafes and pubs that produce the most delicious home-cooked meals using fresh, locally sourced produce.

Whilst lunches and dinners are not included in the tour price, so that you can choose what you wish from the menu, we will eat together as a group at each mealtime. We’ve worked hard to choose the best local restaurants, cafes and pubs that produce the most delicious home-cooked meals using fresh, locally sourced produce.

You should always consult your own doctor or physician before travelling to new countries to seek their advice on matters concerning your health abroad.

You can drink the water from all taps in Scotland, and also from some of the rivers along your tour, following instructions from your guide.

Also, please let us know if you have any special food requirements, allergies or pre-existing conditions your guides should know about.

Your health and safety on tour is our top priority and when you travel with us you will be covered by Global Rescue emergency medical and evacuation services.

The official currency of Scotland is the Great British Pound (GBP) and is the only currency that will be accepted. ATM machines are available in Inverness and Aviemore.

Tipping

It is not compulsory to tip your guides or drivers in Scotland, but it is much appreciated. If you feel you’ve had a good service or experience on your mountain bike tour in the Highlands, you can tip at your discretion.

It is not compulsory to tip in restaurants, however should you wish to tip your servers, 10% – 15% of your meal cost would be acceptable.

You 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, including your bike.

We work with Global Rescue whose policies are specially designed for adventure travel and you can arrange your insurance cover directly with them.