Highland Odyssey

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+

• You are generally comfortable riding most types of terrain in different conditions: singletrack, double track, muddy, dry, loose, bedrock…
• You can brake, use gears and corner instinctively
• You’ll have a go on moderate technical features, such as small rock gardens, small drops and steeper sections, but may get off and walk certain technical features
• You mountain bike two or three times a week throughout your biking season
• And the ‘+’ part of ‘Intermediate+’ means that you will be aiming to tackle more of those moderate technical features

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 Highland Odyssey mountain bike tour are natural ‘rustic’ ancient walking paths of varying trail surface, that will increase in technical difficulty as the tour progresses
• Double track: undulating and sometimes steep jeep tracks made up of a hard-packed and loose dirt surface; forest roads.
• Singletrack: you will encounter up to head-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 have to carry your bike (hike-a-bike) on one occasion, for up to 45 minutes, and there are river crossings to contend with.
• You will have wet feet!

Training for your Highland Odyssey 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 Scottish Highlands 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. Enduro style tyres that have robust puncture protection, such as Vitorria Mazza Enduro are ideal for this adventure.

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 coast-to-coast Scotland mountain bike tour 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.

The Highland Odyssey mountain bike tour is a guided mountain bike vacation, ideal for intermediate+ mountain bikers.

You’ll ride our guides’ favourite trails, which are technically challenging, in some of the most remote and dramatic scenery in Scotland.

The distances we cover each day range from 35km to 60km, 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 practice 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. Your luggage will be transferred in the van.

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 Highland Odyssey adventure.

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 Highland Odyssey mountain bike tour you will be staying in 3 and 4-star B&Bs, guest houses and small hotels. We use the best quality accommodation in each area, and favour small, family-run establishments over large chain hotels.

You’ll often be staying in family homes, which gives you the chance to get to know the local people of the Highlands of Scotland.

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.

Most days you will be staying fuelled with snacks and sandwiches on trail, rather than having a proper lunch stop.

Whilst lunches and dinners are not included in the tour price, so that you can choose what you wish from the dinner menu, we will eat together as a group every evening.

You should budget around £65 per day for meals.

The ideal bike for riding through the Highlands of Scotland 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 Highland Odyssey mountain bike tour.

You will have access to laundry facilities the first two nights in the Cairngorms, and after that it will be a case of hand washing and using the drying rooms in the guest houses, so we recommend packing a small amount of laundry detergent.

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 Highland Odyssey mountain bike tour will start and end in Inverness.

If you are flying to Scotland we advise that you arrive the day before 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 Highland Odyssey 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 Highland Odyssey mountain bike tour, and we’ve worked hard to find the best local restaurants, cafes and pubs that produce the most delicious home-cooked meals using fresh, locally sourced produce.

Most days you will be staying fuelled with snacks and sandwiches on trail, rather than having a proper lunch stop.

Whilst lunches and dinners are not included in the tour price, so that you can choose what you wish from the dinner menu, we will eat together as a group every evening.

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.

No vaccinations are required for visiting Scotland.

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.

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

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

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.

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.