Bikepacking the Scottish Highlands
4 Sept - 8 Sept 2024
Price: £495
Is Scotland on your bucket list? It should be!
We reckon Scotland is up there with the best places to go bikepacking in the entire world.
Hosted by local guide and adventuring legend, Annie Lloyd Evans, you’ll explore some of the finest (and lesser known) gravel in Scotland. Taking place over four days of bikepacking you’ll wild camp by lochs, enjoy bothy-based snack stops, and immerse yourself in the gorgeous wilderness of the Cairngorms National Park.
Following the success of our Scotland Gravel Camps, we’re thrilled to be joining forces once again with local adventurer Annie Lloyd Evans (@a_girl_outside) to launch our first bikepacking adventure in the gorgeous Cairngorms National Park.
Starting in well-connected Aviemore, we’ll spend an evening getting ready for our trip together ensuring we have everything we need on our bikes for four days of bikepacking. Expect wild camping, loch swims, secret bothies, and secluded lakeshore hostels, as we ride what might just be one of the finest gravel routes in the UK.
With Annie as your route creator and guide of this small group adventure, you’ll have the chance to learn about the wild landscapes and eco-systems we’re passing through.
No prior bikepacking experience is needed - we can loan all the gear you need, and bike hire is available locally. You just need to be up for days of around 60km, have some off-road riding experience under your belt, and a thirst to get out into the wild.
There’s a max of 8 available on this special trip. Don’t miss out.
Price: £495
Book your spot by placing a £200 non-refundable deposit through Ticket Tailor. Remaining balance due 60 days before via bank transfer.
All SITW expeditions have a minimum number to run, that must be reached by 60 days before the trip. The minimum number for this trip is 8. We will confirm when this number has been reached, please do not book travel until we confirm.
What’s included?
Sisters in the Wild hosts and guides
Your host for this trip is Annie Lloyd Evans (@a_girl_outside) an incredibly experienced guide and adventurer who knows the Cairngorms like the back of her hand! There’s no one more qualified or experienced to take you on this trip. Her detailed local knowledge means you will come away with a greater understanding of the landscapes you’ll travel through.
There’ll be a minimum of one leader per 8 riders.
Accommodation
We’ll start our trip with a night in a hostel, with private shared dorms for our group.
Out on our adventure, we’ll spend two nights wild camping, and one night in a secluded hostel (dorm room) only accessible by foot or two wheels.
Please note there’ll be no bathrooms on our wild camping nights, but we’ll be close to water and have plenty of tips to share to make your al fresco bathroom experience a liberating one!
Food
Breakfast: Breakfast included everyday (2 at hostel, 2 camp meals)
Dinners: Four dinners included (1 at hostel, 3 camp meals)
Lunch/snacks: Not included. We’ll make sure you know where you can pick up food on the ride.
Access to our gear library
If you don’t have all the gear, don’t worry! We have a gear library available for you to rent stuff for a nominal fee:
Camping gear loan if you need it (tents, camping mats, sleeping bags, stove)
Ortlieb bikepacking bag loan if you need it
Hammerhead navigation device loan if you need it
Ride Routes
The will share our specially curated route via Komoot, and provide you with a free Komoot map bundle to enable you to download and view the routes and notes offline. This is a small group guided adventure, and there will be a leader riding with the group, at the group pace. We ask that all attendees bring (or borrow) a navigation device, to enable to them to die independently if needed. Riders are welcome to ride with the group or at their own pace and regroup at designated spots.
Key things not included:
A bike, helmet, and your own basic spares for your bike (e.g. spare tube, brake pads - we’ll share a list!)
Lunches and snacks
Travel & public liability insurance (mandatory)
Transport to/from Aviemore
Itinerary
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Distance/Elevation: 15km/200m
Sleep: Aviemore Bothy House
Breakfast/Dinner: Not included/Included
We’ll meet in Aviemore around 3pm, and get folks set up with any gear they’re borrowing. We’ll talk about packing for the week, and get loaded up for a local test ride!
We’ll head back to our lovely hostel for dinner, getting to know each other and talk more about the plan for the week, before getting an early night ready for our ride tomorrow!
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Distance/Elevation: 60km/800m
Sleep: Wild Camp
Breakfast/Dinner: Included (hostel)/Included (camp dinner)
We’ll roll out of Aviemore after a hearty breakfast, and it won’t be long until we’re riding gorgeous off-road trails. We head into the beautiful Glen Feshie estate, following the feshie river through the wide valley, before beginning our climb of the day. Many of us will be walking a little, but the views and downhill rewards are worth it!
It’s an afternoon of loch hopping, as we ride new gravel roads with mountains all around.
After around 60km, we’ll scout our wild camping spot for the night. We’ve got some great options up our sleeve. Once tents are pitched, it’ll be time to cook up dinner and share stories of the day before hitting our sleeping bags ready for the morning!
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Distance/Elevation: 60km/800m)
Loch Ossian Hostel
Breakfast/Dinner: Included (camp breakfast/Included (hostel)
After a camp breakfast, we’ll pack up our tents and hit the trails again. Today we head to the incredible Loch Ossian, and the Scottish Hostelling Association hostel, nestled on it’s shore and only reachable to foot or two wheels.
We continue loch hopping towards the southern boundary of the national park, and towards a little glimpse of civilisation at Loch Ranch. We have a chance to grab supplies in the village, or hit the pub, before we head back into the wild.
The climb over the pass towards our hostel, and are rewarded with incredible views before we zoom down to the lake shore and home for the night.
For those with extra energy, there’s a change to ride out to isolated Corrour Station, the highest in the UK, with its own characterful bar. Or enjoy the solitude of the lake with a swim, stroll, or relax on the lake shore.
Dinner will be cooked at the hostel tonight, and weather permitting, we’ll eat on the shore.
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Distance/Elevation: 60km/800m
Sleep: Wild Camp
Breakfast/Dinner: Included (hostel)/Included (camp meal)
After a leisurely breakfast at the hostel, and maybe a pre-breakfast dip, we’ll load up and begin our ride around Loch Ossian, and over towards Loch Laggan. We have miles of dreamy gravel along the lakeshore, with perfect picnic spots, before we ready ourselves for another taste of civilisation (and CAKE!) at Caoldair Cafe.
We can load up on treats for the evening before we head back into the wild, towards out final wild camp spot for the night.
We’ll enjoy our al fresco dinner together and share our tales and stories of the week in the long dusk
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Distance/Elevation: 100km/950m
Sleep: N/A
Breakfast/Dinner: Included/not included
We’ll savour our last morning waking up in the wild, before loading up for one last time to head back to Aviemore. But there’s still plenty of great riding ahead!
We’ll explore the local trails that connect the Speyside villages we’ll be passing through, with a final chance for a celebratory dip at Loch Insch before we roll back to our starting point in Aviemore.
It’s time to unpack, and toast to our trip at the lovely Old Bridge Inn. We’ll aim to arrive for folks to grab lunch and be ready for homeward travel by 3pm. Shortcuts on the route are available if you need to get back sooner.
FAQ
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You can secure your spot by paying a non-refundable £200 deposit via Ticket Tailor. Will will confirm once the minimum trip number has been reached. Please do not book your travel until this point.
We’ll then ask for the remaining balance to be paid 60 days before the trip by bank transfer. If you cancel between 60 days and 28 days, you’ll get 50% back. Cancellation within 28 days is non-refundable, but you can transfer your booking to another person should you find one. View the full booking terms and conditions here.
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We will meet at our hostel in Aviemore at 3pm. If you need to arrive later, that’s not a problem, please just let us know.
We aim to be back, unpacked in time for lunch on our final day, and would suggest booking onward travel from 3pm.
If you need to return earlier than this, it’s possible to take a train or short cut back to Aviemore on our final day, and be back around midday. You would need to do this ride independently, and ensure you are able to leave ay gear that you borrowed.
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There are good train connections to Aviemore, including an overnight train from London.
Our starting hostel is a 5 minute cycle/15 min walk from the train station. Please ensure you book a spot for your bike on the train - these are limited and should be checked before booking a ticket (or consider bike hire instead!).
The closest airports are Inverness or Glasgow/Edingburgh (more flights but further away). Train connections to Aviemore are then be available from the cities main train station.
If driving, there are some long term car parks available within walking distance of the starting hostel, and some on street parking available too.
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The route is majority (70-80%) off road. Most of the tracks will be fairly smooth and fast rolling, with short sections of linking singletrack that might be a wee bit challenging in places.
There will be some climbing, though expect less than you might find in an average day in hilly parts of England. There will be some steeper sections where we may be taking our bikes for a short walk! You can expect between 600 - 900m of elevation per day.
Our daily rides will be around 60km for the first three days of our bikapckipng trip, and 30km for the final day. These are approximate, and the guide will make judgements make on the group pace and camping options.
We can expect a bit of bog and mud thrown in for good measure!
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No bikepacking experience is required, but to get the most enjoyment out of the trip we would recommend that you are comfortable riding 35+ miles (60km) in a day in moderately hilly terrain.
You should have a bit of experience riding on mixed gravel/off-road terrain at the time of the trip.
There is one riding option per day, and we will ride between our sleep spots each day, but we expect a range of abilities in the group. Walking bits that feel out of your comfort zone is totally fine!
Feel free to drop us an email if you have any questions on the riding and level of experience we’d recommend.
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We recommend a hardtail MTB, or a gravel bike with minimum tyre width of 42mm tyres. A good gearing ratio will help you with the climbs, especially as you’ll be carrying your bikepacking bags!
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Yes. There are several hire places in Aviemore where you can hire a bike that will work well for the weekend. Our pals at https://backcountry.scot/ can offer delivery and collection to basecamp if needed. Get in touch with them directly to sort out.
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This is a small group guided adventure, and there will be a leader riding with the group, at the group pace.
There is no support vehicle on this trip, but your guide is first aid and mechanically trained, and can help triage issues and highlight shortcuts if needed.
We ask that all attendees bring (or borrow) a navigation device, to enable to them to die independently if needed. Riders are welcome to ride with the group or at their own pace and regroup at designated spots. We will share our specially curated route via Komoot, and provide you with a free Komoot map bundle to enable you to download and view the routes and notes offline.
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You’ll need to carry everything you need for the week on your bike. We’ll encourage you to pack light! We’ll send a full kit list out a couple of months before, and help you to get ruthless with your packing on the trip on our meeting day in Aviemore.
The the key things are:
Bikepacking bags (available to loan - add when booking)
Navigation device (available to loan - add when booking)
Tent, sleeping mat, sleeping bag (available to lion)
Stove/pan (available to loan)
Something to eat and drink with
Waterproof jacket
Clothes to cycle in
Clothes for evening
Swimming stuff
Lightweight towel
Bike
Helmet
Spares and tools for your bike
Bike lights
Bug spray and midge net
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Our camp meals will be simple, filling expedition the meals that are quick and easy to cook, and filling! At our hostel nights, we will share a simple filling meal together.
Lunch and snacks are up to you - we will make sure you know where we’ll be able to pick up food on the ride.
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We will capture dietary requirements at booking, and try our best to accommodate. If you have serious, or unusual requirements or allergies, please email us on hello@sistersinthewild.com before booking.
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You must also have 3rd party liability cycling insurance in place for this trip. We recommend getting this as part of Cycling UK’s membership.
We also recommend getting adequate travel insurance that would cover your trip and travel in case of cancellation or illness.
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We won’t be able to leave luggage at the hostel, but between the group there will be plenty of vehicles to leave stuff in whilst we are out on our bikepacking adventure.