Secluded lochs, high mountain plateaux, majestic stags, ancient pine forests. These classic Highland images are characteristic of the Cairngorms National Park.
What’s less well-known is that these revered landscapes also boast an incredible network of outstanding mountain bike trails. From Aviemore to Royal Deeside our expert local guides will make sure your Ancient Pines & Wild Glens MTB tour is the perfect combination of superb wilderness riding, spectacular views, and the finest local food and drink.
To find out if this intermediate mountain bike tour in Scotland is right for you, read more on the skill and fitness levels required.
The flow of your Cairngorms mountain bike tour has been designed to become progressively more technical throughout the course of the week. Your guides will talk you through each new challenge so that you make the most of your biking experience in Scotland and go home a more confident mountain biker.
£1,895 GBP/ $2,559 USD/ €2,274 EUR per person (ex. flights, based on two sharing a room)
*Single supplement is only applicable if you are travelling solo and do not wish to share a room with another rider of the same sex. If you’re happy to do that, you need not add the supplement.
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 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 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
Fitness level: 5/7
Typical trails you’ll be riding
Training for your Cairngorms 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 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, we can arrange rental of a high quality full suspension mountain bike for the duration of your mountain bike tour in Scotland.
We have a fleet of Yeti SB140 29″ mountain bikes available to rent in Scotland. Please advise of your height if you wish to rent a bike, so that we know we have the right size for you.
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 mountain bike tour in the Cairngorms caters for a wide age range; typically between 30- and 55-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 tour in the Cairngorms Scotland is a guided mountain bike 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 bike for riding through the Cairngorms is a good quality full-suspension mountain bike 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 Cairngorms mountain bike tour will start and end in Inverness, at the train station. He/she will be holding an H+I Adventures sign and should be easy to see since the train station is not particularly large or crowded.
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.
Mark has been riding bikes all his life and even raced in the Scottish downhill series before deciding to follow a career as a mountain bike guide. Based in Fort William, Mark has a degree in Adventure Tourism Management, and when he’s not out guiding our groups he’s working on his croft.
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Thoroughly impressed with H+I and our guide Kirsty. The trails and scenery of the Cairngorms were great. Our fellow travelers were lovely and made the trip fun. What surprised us was how well each day had been planned and the attention to detail. Our bikes were routinely maintained, repaired, transported and stored as necessary. We were given riding tips in advance of daily challenges. We were prepared and then encouraged to ride segments we would normally have thought beyond our means. And we visited many places throughout the region to eat and rest while learning about the culture and the history of those areas. A perfect combination of learning, playing hard, and having fun!
Thank you Kirsty and H+I for a great trip. Loved the riding in Cairngorms-including whiskey in a bothey, the reindeer at the top of a munro, the looks screaming down Air’s Rock, fun single track, great meals and accommodations. We had a wonderful group led by the fabulous Kirsty who did a great job showing us the trails in her home town. Our motto for the week was “it’s all rollable”. We have already booked another trip with H+I.
To make this a private tour for you and your favourite people, complete the form and we’ll work with you to make it happen.
To make this a private tour for you and your favourite people, complete the form and we’ll work with you to make it happen.