EWS Travel Scotland

We advise arriving in Edinburgh the day before your tour start date to make sure any flight or luggage delays don’t spoil your trip, and so that we can make an early start on day 1.

We recommend staying at the Hilton at Edinburgh airport, since this is where your guides will collect you the following morning, and it’s within easy access of Edinburgh city centre via the tram. If you are driving, you can also leave your car at the hotel or the airport.

Your local guides will meet you at the Hilton Edinburgh Airport in the morning, and we will transfer you to Innerleithen, approximately 90 minutes’ drive away. We’ll get bikes built and ready to roll, then around midday your guide will go through the pre-trip briefing, then build bikes or set up rental bikes, before hitting the trails in this beautiful part of southern Scotland.

After a short pedal we’ll start climbing into the dense forest of Innerleithen, and hidden in the trees are some lovely flowy trails, the perfect introduction to the riding in the Tweed Valley. As bikes and bodies get fired up we’ll venture onto some of the steeper trails in the area, descending down into the arena area where many a race run has passed through the tape.

The singletrack is smooth and flowy, before getting steeper with berms and the iconic Innerleithen forest corners, with a moderate amount of climbing involved. There are several trails that link together on this ride, so you will have around 2-3 hours of grin-inducing biking before heading back for a Scottish BBQ accompanied by local beers.

Distance cycled: 18km (app. 3 hours)
Accommodation: 4* family-run guest house, Innerleithen
Meals included: Barbecue dinner

After a traditional Scottish breakfast, we’ll meet our mechanic for some pro advice and we’ll be treated to a professional suspension setup. With bikes now at their optimum, a short pedal takes us to the Golfie. Home to some of the most iconic trails in the Tweed Valley, the Golfie has hosted numerous races and is widely regarded as one of the all-time favourite venues of the EWS.

We’ll spend the morning linking the technical singletrack that is tucked away in the dense forest, and climbing up and out of trees we’ll be gifted with views across Innerleithen, before a final effort that takes us across the heather carpeted moorland. Once at the top the reward comes quickly, in a rollercoaster of berms, rocky shoots and tight turns that threads itself from the open moorland and into the trees, all the way back to the valley floor. This is the perfect end to a great morning, before grabbing coffee and a bite to eat in one of Innerleithen’s famous rider’s cafes.

After refuelling it’s time to get pedals turning again, this time heading for one of the Tweed Valley’s lesser known gems. A steady fire road climb gets our legs warmed up again, before a final punchy section that pops out onto of the tops of the rolling hills that make this area so picturesque.
Once above the tree line we are treated to views over the whole of the Tweed Valley and glimpses of everything we have ridden so far.

The quiet moment doesn’t last long, as we drop into another fantastic descent, this time rockier and more open. Suddenly we are back into the now familiar Tweed Valley corners, tyres digging into the perfectly built turns and over rocks and rollers that bring us whooping and smiling back to the river and the end of our first big day of riding.

Distance cycled: 40km (app. 7 hours)
Accommodation: 4* family-run guest house, Innerleithen
Meals included: Breakfast

After another hearty breakfast, we will be fuelled up and ready to cap off our time in the Tweed Valley. We’ve been saving the best for last, and a pedal through Innerleithen sees us passing alongside the River Tweed, as we head out to the home of one of the best trails in the area, and possibly one of the best in Scotland! We’ll let you decide if you agree with us…

We start off climbing a fire road that hangs high above the valley, before heading into a thick blanket of lush green trees and moss, which finally opens up into the high heather moorland. Our climb brings us to the top of Walkerburn, and everything we have ridden in the previous days has set us up for our last descent before heading north.

Steep, perfectly shaped corners, rollers and rocks demand the best from both rider and bike as they reveal themselves plunging through the forest. It’s impossible not to finish with a smile as we reach the bottom of this super fun trail!

After a bite to eat we’ll meet the van and start making our way north, and on to our next accommodation. We’ll have time to freshen up before dinner, which is in a quaint and idyllic pub on the banks of the River Tay.

Distance cycled: 20km (app. 4 hours)
Accommodation: 4* country hotel, Dunkeld
Meals included: Breakfast

Waking up in our Highland lodge, we’ll venture out into historic Dunkeld, famed for its hunting and fishing heritage, an ancient Cathedral and one time historic capital of Scotland. Dunkeld is home to many of the familiar names in Scottish racing and has developed a reputation for amazing riding, having hosted many national events across multiple disciplines. A mixture of secret, natural singletrack and bucket list trails makes this a must ride venue on our journey through the best of Scotland’s riding.

Today we’ll bring down the tempo just enough to allow tired bodies to recover, before heading into the big mountains of the Highlands. We’ll spend the morning piecing together the best trails, hidden in dense natural forest and threading our way between birch and oak trees, bursting out onto open hillside, and kicking up loam all the way, finally finishing at one of our favourite local bakeries.

These trails will have you smiling for the whole van journey up to the Cairngorms National park where we’ll stay tonight, and our day of riding is rewarded with beers from the local Cairngorm Brewery and another hearty Highland meal.

Distance cycled: 30km (app.5 hours)
Accommodation: 4* family-run guest house, Aviemore
Meals included: Breakfast

Waking up in the Highlands means one thing – a proper Highland Breakfast!

It’s just as well, because the flavour of the tour is about to change. The Cairngorms National park is the largest national park in the UK and home to some of the most spectacular landscape in the country. Vast mountains formed by glaciers make up this Arctic landscape – the only one in the UK – which makes it a unique and special place to ride, and today we’ll be getting our first taste of big mountain riding!

Heading out to one of the lesser-travelled glens in the Cairngorms, we’ll start with some of our favourite local singletrack; a fast, flowing trail with plenty of roots to spice things up will show you just one side of the riding in this area. It’s then time to head up and out of the trees.

A technical but rewarding climb starts to reveal itself as it winches us high into the Cairngorms mountain range. We’ll be working hard as we reel in the climb and get closer and closer to the high Arctic plateau that looms above us, eventually a final hike-a-bike gets up onto what first seems like Arctic tundra. Working our way across the top, suddenly a view into the heart of the mountains and the valley 1118 metres below us appears, it’s impossible not to be in awe of this magical place.

What goes up must come down, and all the height we have gained is lost in the most spectacular of ways – an open mountain descent that is as fun as it is physically demanding.

With a Munro under our belts, we’ll load up the van and move on to Torridon, home to the Northern Giants, and some of the most dramatic mountain landscape anyone can hope to put tyres on.

Staying in a traditional Scottish coaching hotel, a cosy bar and a some of the best Highland home-cooked cuisine await us.

Distance cycled: 40km (app. 6 hours)
Accommodation: Historic Highland hotel, Kinlochewe
Meals included: Breakfast

After a good breakfast, today we start from the accommodation, riding into the imposing Glen Torridon. Our trail points steeply up into the mountains, and is a rocky, technical climb that weaves its way up into the peaks. An amphitheatre of rock slowly reveals itself to us, but this humbling and inspiring environment doesn’t give itself up too easily! One last hike-a-bike sees us at the top, a steep saddle nestled between mountains.

From here an 8km descent lays beneath us, from loose rocky turns at the top, the trail evolves into a rollercoaster of rocks, that for many of our guides, is their all time favourite trail in Scotland. All this and we are only halfway through the day!

Climbing back up from the opposite side of the mountains we’ll finally reach another plateau – this time we are high above Torridon Bay, and the reward for this long day of big mountain riding is descent that should be savoured, and if we time it right, we’ll enjoy this breathtaking trail in stunning golden light as it takes us from the high mountain top, all the way down to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

A much deserved cold beer waits at the bottom before we head to a small fishing village for some of the best seafood on the West Coast. We’ll tuck in while overlooking the boats that were out catching our meal that very morning!

Distance cycled: 60km (app. 8 hours)
Accommodation: Historic Highland, Kinlochewe
Meals included: Breakfast

As our bodies may be aching, we’ll have a slightly later start this morning. After a relaxed breakfast and some much needed coffee, we’ll gear up for one last venture into the mountains, finishing our week’s adventure with the most rewarding trail in the area. This descent offers up views for miles high above the trees and is packed full of supreme bedrock, leading us all the way back to the valley floor, as a final train of new found riding friendships makes its way down the mountain.

After meeting the van we’ll transfer south to Inverness, the Capital of the Highlands. We’ll get settled into our guest house and freshen up, ready for our final, celebratory dinner at our favourite restaurant in the city. Who knows, we may even venture into the oldest pub in Inverness after we’ve been fed for some live music!

Distance cycled: 20km (app.4 hours)
Accommodation: Small guest house, Inverness
Meals included: Breakfast

Sadly this is the end of your EWS Travel experience in Scotland. It’s time to pack your bike and head for home. We’ll transfer you back to Edinburgh in time for your return journey, or if you are flying back from Inverness, we will arrange transport for you to the airport.

Meals included: Breakfast