Holiday Highlights
- Challenging trails and epic riding through the Highlands
- Relaxing at the end of each day whisky in hand
- Following in the footsteps of Viking settlers
- Riding mountain passes few bikers ever visit
- Ascending the Corrieyairack Pass with views down to the Great Glen
- Arriving tired but truimphant in the historic city of Stirling
How Skedaddle have found some of these trails to put this trip together is beyond me. A great team that ensures everything is taken care of!
Itinerary
With easy access by train or car, the meet-up point for this Skedaddle trip is at Stirling in central Scotland. Our meeting time of 11am provides us with plenty of time to transfer you to our first night’s accommodation at Bettyhill, where we start tomorrow’s riding.
After a quick lunch break at Inverness, we arrive on the north coast of Scotland late in the afternoon leaving plenty of time to get our bikes out and check they are ready for the adventure ahead of us. Tonight’s evening meal provides a chance to chat with the Skedaddle guides in a little more depth about the schedule for the days ahead.

- Meals: Breakfast, lunch
- Ascent: 1050 Metres
A superb riding day to start our journey off in style. Our route initially follows in the path of Viking settlers up Strath Naver away from their coastal raiding bases and off into the hills around the mountain of Ben Kilbreck.
The terrain is fairly gentle riverside trail to start off, moving on to some harder moorland singletrack riding after lunch. It may look and feel like a true wilderness but look around and there is evidence of human habitation dating back to neolithic times and deserted farmsteads from the Highland clearances.
We finish off today at the wonderfully remote Crask Inn, where you can relax with a well earned drink while your guides load up the vehicle ready for a short transfer to your overnight accommodation.

- Meals: Breakfast, lunch
- Ascent: 670 Metres
After our breakfast we cycle off through the forests of Strath Tirry, using sections of singletrack and forestry road we soon find ourselves riding along the shoreline of Loch Shin heading for Lairg.
After Lairg we are off into the forests again passing the Shin Falls and Carbisdale Castle before heading for our overnight stop at Invershin.

- Meals: Breakfast, lunch
- Ascent: 1550 Metres
Leaving Invershin we have a gentle start to the day heading along the Dornoch Firth before we tackle our first big climb of the day to get ourselves up and over the Easter Ross peninsula. Initially following a good hard surfaced track up the valley of Wester Fearn Burn, we have a short moorland section before we meet Strath Rusdale and head downhill to the village of Boath. Eventually we descend all the way back down to sea level at the Cromarty Firth at Evanton.
The afternoon although not as wild as this morning contains plenty of ups and downs as we pedal our way through the woods around Strathpeffer and Loch Ussie before reaching our evening stop at beautiful Beauly.
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch
- Ascent: 1400 Metres
This morning after a hearty breakfast we head away from the east coast and off into the heart of the Highlands. We climb up through Black Wood forest to the area called The Aird where we join the Great Glen Way overlooking Loch Ness.
At Drumnadrochit we have a couple of options depending upon trail and weather conditions: we can join the Great Glen Cycleway for an easy and fast stretch of track leading all the way to Fort Augustus, or we can take in an adventurous detour up to Loch ma Stac deep in the heart of the mountains.
Either way we can celebrate reaching our halfway point at the head of the Caledonian Canal at Fort Augustus.

- Meals: Breakfast, lunch
- Ascent: 1280 Metres
Setting off from Fort Augustus we get a few miles under our wheels before the challenge of the day unfurls in the shape of the awesome Corrieyairack Pass. Situated on General Wade’s old Military Road, at a height of 772 metres this is the highest point on the whole route. The climb up the Corrieairack is a tough and long climb followed by a technical and exhilarating descent and showcases mountain biking in Scotland at its wildest and dramatic best.
Once over the pass our route picks up the River Spey at Melgrave from where we follow the river downhill to Garva bridge and then a country road to Laggan. The final section for the day picks through Laggan Forest.

- Meals: Breakfast, lunch
- Ascent: 1530 Metres
Make sure you have a substantial breakfast to fuel up for one of the longest days of the trip. We start gently with a short section of road before heading off along the banks of Loch Ericht.
Initially we are on good doubletrack forest road but soon that narrows down to some challenging singletrack with numerous little burns to negotiate. From the dam at the foot of Ericht it’s a blast down to shores of Loch Rannoch for lunch at Tay Forest Park.
This afternoon’s exertions start by working through a narrow glen to passing between the Grampian Mountains in the West and the Schiehallion in the east.
You may be thankful for the tarmac on our final climb up to Lochan na Lairinge nestled below mountainous Ben Lawers. From this high point it’s downhill all the way to Killin for a well deserved evening’s rest.

- Meals: Breakfast, lunch
- Ascent: 750 Metres
Compared to yesterday’s challenges it would be easy to underestimate today’s ride, but we still have 40 miles to go on some wonderful tracks, through ancient wooded valleys and along quiet coutry lanes. You’ll have the chance to relax a little and reflect on how far you’ve come over the course of the last 7 days’ riding. From the North Sea coast to the heart of the country, we finish today in Stirling below the monument to Scottish hero William Wallace.
After a quick freshen up we return to Stirling train station to pick up cars or to jump on trains, heading home with a head full of memories and a camera’s worth of pictures to impress your friends with.

Gallery
The Cycling
Terrain
This epic adventure crosses the Scottish Highlands on mixed trails, ranging from tough and gnarly singletrack and stalkers paths, to long winding Land Rover tracks.
On a good day there is no better place to be than the Scottish Highlands! This trip crosses some high mountains and with that comes the inevitable weather changes, and the potential for wet, cold and windy conditions, which all add to the challenge of this trip.
Being the Highlands there are, of course, some serious climbs to tackle and some long, rough descents – so a good level of fitness as well as bike handling skills and off-road mountain biking experience are all required.

Mountain Biking Grade
Aspects of both our grade 4 and 5 holidays
Distances of 25-55 miles / 40-90 kms per day
For experienced mountain bikers who enjoy difficult technical sections and physical challenges
Our grading guidelines have been carefully created based on our many years of cycling experience, as well as customer feedback from our trips. Of course, if you're still struggling to figure out where you fit on the scale, do feel free to give us a quick call and we'll be more than happy to help!
For more information about our grading system click here.
Is this suitable for you?
Holidays that are graded as a 4-5, will have aspects of both our grade 4 and 5 holidays. As well as keeping a good level of fitness you are also an experienced biker and enjoy riding more challenging trails. You usually ride most weekends and can cover between 30 and 50 miles over a full 8-9 hour day (with breaks). The routes you choose include challenging climbs perhaps with sharp switchbacks and sections of large and loose rocks. You are comfortable riding most trails including sections of technical or exposed singletrack with obstacles such as drop offs and rock gardens. Our grade 4-5 trips should suit you.
A fabulous holiday as always! I only go with Skedaddle as I know that I’m getting the best cycling holidays available.
Dates & Prices
Late Availability
We want you to know which holidays are coming up soon, so you don’t miss out! If a trip has this symbol beside it, it means you don’t have long to snap up your place.

Private Departures
Are you keen to only travel with your family or friends? Struggling to find the right date? Well, we can organise a private departure for this tour and tailor aspects to suit your group's specific needs. Contact our friendly team and we'll help you turn your dream into reality.
Whats Included 
A) Shared twin (or double) room in B&B’s or hotels (usually en suite)
B) Full tour service including guides qualified in First Aid, and back up vehicle(s) carrying spares, snacks and extra equipment not needed on your bike
C) Breakfast, full buffet style picnic lunches, en route refreshments including a selection of hot and cold drinks
D) Pick up and drop off at Stirling train station
What's not Included 
A) Personal clothing and equipment.
B) Travel insurance
C) Bar bills, telephone calls, souvenirs, etc.
D) Bike & helmet hire (available if required).
E) Travel or flight costs and charges for travelling with your bike (if applicable).
F) Single room option (may be available if required).
The Essentials
News, Reviews & Stories
Meet our partners and hosts
Hear from a few of the people that help make our Skedaddle tours so special!
Biking the Scottish Highlands
Hear from our experienced guide Steve Woods on biking through the Scottish Highlands…
Reviews
Michael, WakefieldThe guides as always go above and beyond!The reason I keep returning to Skedaddle is that all I have to do each day is ride, eat and sleep. Everything else is taken care of! The guides as always go above and beyond all that is asked of them.
The whole team was excellent and they look after everybody very well. The long day from Glengarry to Killin is probably the best but closely followed by Beauly to Fort Augustus. The variety of riding on both these days is fantastic.
I have been on this holiday before but the riding was as good as ever and also there was a very nice group of people. As always on the Scotland trips the lunches provided by the guides were excellent.
James, BucksSuperb..Really superb. A wonderful ride and the enthusiasm of the guides was perfect. Excellently planned and set up. Steve is a great character and a fantastic leader. Couldn’t ask for more. Can I do the Celtic Crossing again now, please?!
Simon, HerefordBest cycling holidays available!A fabulous holiday as always. It was great to ride with Steve again…. Tony was great fun and a superb guide as usual. Tom stepped in at short notice and did a brilliant job. I only go with Skedaddle as I know that I’m getting the best cycling holidays available.
Bridget, YorkshireWe were looked after very well!As usual we were looked after very well. We only had to think about the biking. At the end of the day our bikes were racked/stored by the guides and in the morning the bikes were ready and lubed! Much appreciated. The journey from Bettyhill to Stirling we consider a huge achievement and both of us (me and Andrew) thoroughly enjoyed it.
Steve did a good job of keeping us going bearing in mind the timescales – Tony led us over some of the more wild and difficult terrain to Crask Inn and Ben Alder and we had complete confidence in him. Always calm, collected and cheerful and very good at instilling belief in the clients. A pleasure to be with. Anne always happy to help with anything and encouraged the last person (usually me) to make it to the end. Such a happy soul and her riding abilities are awesome.
Jim, GlasgowA truly epic trip!I have done a number of Skedaddle point to point trips in Scotland and abroad (including road). This is among the very hardest trips….A truly epic trip with a really wild adventure feel to it (I did not think this was still possible in Scotland having seen so much of it already), very quiet trails with days where we did not see another mountain biker. This should really appeal to people who have done the Scotland Highlands Coast to Coast with Saddle Skedaddle and who are looking for a fresh challenge.
Mike, UKA beautiful place to ride!How Steve and Tony found some of these trails to put this new trip together is beyond me. A great team that ensures everything is taken care of.
Favorite days were…Beauly to Fort Augustus and Laggan to Killin. Both long days but great variety of tracks and surfaces. Some of the scenery is breathtaking – a beautiful place to ride.
There are cheaper companies than Skedaddle but they very rarely match the professional service of Skedaddle. To have a ratio of 1 guide per 3 guests speaks volumes. Nothing is ever too much trouble for the guides. They are a great team. Ann fitted in very well and was very helpful. A good addition to the team.