Scotland Bikepacking
Bikepacking Scotland: Remote Trails Through Cairngorms National Park
This wild bikepacking adventure explores the stunning Cairngorms National Park over four unforgettable days. Building on the success of our Scotland Gravel Camps, this trip takes riders deeper into the Scottish Highlands for an authentic backcountry experience.
Starting in well-connected Aviemore, the group spends an evening preparing together, ensuring bikes are loaded with everything needed for the days ahead. Led by a SITW guide with in-depth local knowledge, riders experience wild camping, loch swims, secret bothies, and secluded lakeshore hostels while tackling what might just be one of the finest gravel routes in the UK.
No prior bikepacking experience is necessary—all camping and bikepacking gear can be loaned, and bike hire is available locally. Riders just need to be ready for daily distances of around 60km of fully loaded off-road riding, have solid off-road cycling experience, and a genuine thirst for wild adventure in remote landscapes.
Highlights
✔ Some of the best gravel riding the UK has to offer
✔ Wild swimming in Scottish lochs
✔ True wild camping in the Cairngorms
✔ Eat at the famous Corrour Station House.
✔ Stay in a remote lakeside hostel only accessible by bike and foot
✔ A true bikepacking adventure - carrying everythiong on our bikes
View Dates & Book
| Date | Days | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Aug to 30 Aug '26 | 5 | £555 | Book |
| Start Date | End Date | Days | Price | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 August 2026 | 30 August 2026 | 5 | £555 | Book Now |
Questions about the trip or want to be kept in the loop on future dates?
Booking Info
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Click on your preferred trip date to be directed to our secure booking partner WeTravel who will process and manage your booking.
£200 deposit to secure your spot
Full balance due 60 days before the trip
💡 Tip: We recommend paying with bank details to avoid card processing fees.
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Bikepacking Bags: £20
Hammerhead Karoo Navigation Devices: £10
Tent: £25
Sleeping Pad: £10
All add-ons can be selected at booking or added later.
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⚠️ Important: This trip requires a minimum of 5 participants to run.
Please do not book your travel until we've confirmed the trip is running.
Your deposit is fully refundable until we confirm this number has been met.
You will see a guaranteed badge next to those dates we have already guaranteed to run.
Reviews
Itinerary
Meeting Point: Aviemore
End Point: Aviemore
Carrying everything needed for the days ahead on loaded bikes, we set out to explore a beautiful corner of the Scottish Highlands. The group meets in Aviemore on the afternoon of Day 1 for gear fitting and packing support—getting ruthless with what's essential while ensuring everyone is prepared for the journey ahead. After a quick shakedown ride, the evening brings a shared dinner and final preparations for the adventure.
The next 3.5 days unfold in the wilds with civilization encountered rarely as the route explores the Cairngorms. Led by a local guide, daily distances average around 60km, seeking out perfect wild camp spots and loch swims along the way. Nights alternate between wild camping under the stars and warm hostel beds, striking the ideal balance of wilderness immersion and comfort. Meals are shared at campsites, with a special treat on Night 3—dinner and breakfast at the famous Corrour Station House. The route rolls back into Aviemore on the morning of Day 5, with riders full of stories and bikepacking credentials firmly earned.
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Sleep: Aviemore YHA
Meals: N/A
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 shakedown 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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Sleep: Wild Camp
Meals: B (hostel), D (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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Sleep: Loch Ossian Hostel
Meals: B (camp breakfast), D (Corrour Station House)
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.
We’re in for a treat tonight as we ride to isolated Corrour Station, the highest in the UK, with its own characterful restaurant serving incredible food. Dinner is on us!
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Sleep: Wild Camp
Meals: B, D
We’ll roll back to Corrour Station for a proper coffee and breakfast, maybe after a pre-breakfast dip in the loch. Fuelled up, we’ll 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, timing permitting!
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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Sleep: N/A
Meals: B
We 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 explore the local trails that connect the Speyside villages we pass 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.
What’s Included?
Included ✓
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Our trip will be hosted by a British Cycling and First Aid qualified Sisters in the Wild guides who between them have a tonne of experience of riding in this area.
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Meals listed in the itinerary are included.
Breakfast=B, Dinner=D
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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!
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Camping gear, bikepacking bags and navigation devices can be added to you booking, and we’ll have them ready for you on Day 1.
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Each participant will be provided with a specially curated collection of routes and route briefings via Komoot, and a free map bundle to access/navigate them.
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Flights, transfers and all travel to our start point in Aviemore is not included. We’ll share info to help you book your travel plans.
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Lunch and snacks are not included. We’ll make sure you know where you can pick up food on the ride.
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Riders can bring their own bike, or hire locally in Aviemore.
Riders should carry simple tools/spare for their bike in case of bike issues. Our guide team can help you use them! We’ll send a full packing list in the Trip Guide. Note: If you are hiring a bike, they will provide you with the basic spares.
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Travel Insurance that allows multi day cycling as an activity and covers medical emergency, repatriation, cancellation and public liability is mandatory for all SITW trips and is not included.
If you require a visa for Scotland this is not included.
Not Included ✗
About The Riding
Challenge Level
We’ve rated this trip an overall 3/5 for challenge. This is a mixed terrain route that overall is about 70% off-road. The main challenge comes from carrying all of our camping gear and belongings with us on the bike, and the route does not have lot’s of shortcut options.
Terrain
The route is majority (70-80%) off road. Most of the tracks will be fairly smooth, with short sections of linking singletrack and rougher terrain that might be a wee bit challenging in places. We can expect a bit of bog and mud thrown in for good measure!
Climbing
There is a decent amount of climbing, usually with one big climb a day and undulating in between. With our bikes loaded up, 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.
Daily Distances
Our daily rides will be around 60km for the first three days of our trip, and 30km for the final day. These are approximate, and the guide will make judgements make on the group pace and camping options. 60km on gravel and with a fully loaded bike can feel like a lot! If you are used to riding on road and unloaded, as a helpful gauge, we reckon a loaded gravel mile equates to about 1.5 hilly road miles.
Remoteness & Weather
Scottish weather can be notoriously unpredictable, and thats all part of the fun! Whilst we’ve been blessed with some great weather on our Scotland trips, spirit to embrace whatever comes is needed for this trip, as parts of the route are relatively remote and without shelter. Our guides will of course make adjustments to the route if needed to keep everyone safe.
Support Style
On this bikepacking trip we aim to create a small group vibe.
Our SITW guide will ride with the group moving back and forth amongst riders and identifying regroup points. Depending on the weather, the guide may set further apart regroup parts but in poor weather, people will stay closer together. Each participant will be provided with a specially curated collection of routes and route briefings via Komoot, to enable self-navigation between regroup points if needed.
Due to the nature of the route, it is not possible for support vehicle on this trip. Our guides are qualified first aiders and experienced mechanics and can help troubleshoot issues on the trail. This may involve making route adjustments and making use of public transport and shortcuts where needed.
Bikes & Bike Hire
Bike hire is not included as standard in this trip, and riders are welcome to bring their own bike or hire locally.
Recommended Bike
A gravel bike with minimum 42mm tyres, and a good amount of grip, or a rigid or hardtail MTB are both good choices for this trip. If you are newer to off-road riding, a hardtail can be good for building confidence on the off-road sections, though may feel slower on the tarmac sections.
Bike Hire
Aviemore Bikes is a great local bike shop and can arrange both gravel and MTB hire for the trip. Contact them directly to book.
Note: If you are hiring a bike, they will provide you with basic spares. Confirm when booking what spares will be included.
Read our Complete Guide To Bikes On Sisters in the Wild Adventures for tips on travelling with your bike, recommended spares, and more.
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There are good train connections to Aviemore, including an overnight train from London. Our hostel is a 10 minute walk from Aviemore train station.
The closest airports are Inverness or Glasgow/Edinburgh (more flights but further away). Train connections would then be available from the cities main train station.
We’ll set up a WhatsApp group in advance of the trip to help with organising lift shares.
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We’ll have a max group size of 8 minimum of 5 to run.
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We will try our best to accommodate dietary restrictions for meals that we prepare. If you have serious allergies, please email us before booking on hello@sistersinthewild.com.
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If off-road bikepacking is new for you, that’s great! A bit of preparation and practice can help you get the most out of the trip. We’d recommend working towards some longer rides on hilly off-road terrain (around 80km) in advance of the trip, with some additional weight on the bike if possible. Doing this for a couple of consecutive days will help get your body ready for a multi-day adventure! Plotting some rides with around 1000m elevation gain is a great target. If it’s hard for you to get to off-road terrain, add a little extra mileage and elevation to a road ride.
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It’s OK if you need to arrive a little later than 3pm on day 1, but please arrive with enough time for packing and testing out your bike before bed.
We aim to return to Aviemore by lunchtime on the final day, but this will depend on group size. If you need to return earlier, or guarantee you are back in time, you may need to ride the last day’s 30km solo. Any borrowed gear can be left for us at the hostel.
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Scottish weather can be notoriously unpredictable, and thats all part of the fun! Whilst we’ve been blessed with some great weather on our Scotland trips, rain and cooler temperatures can come any time of year. It’s best to be prepared for all eventualities. Pack your shorts and your woolies!
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We’’ll share a detailed packing list as part of the Trip Joining Info.
This is a bikepacking trip, which means you'll need to carry all your stuff or the week - so packing light is a good shout! Though you'll need to balance this with making sure you're equipped for changeable weather and supporting yourself out on the rides.
Camping stuff
We can lend you most of this stuff:
Tent (available to hire)
Sleeping mat (available to hire)
Lightweight stove/pan (or we can loan)
Sleeping Bag
1 small 100ml gas canister
Lighter/matches
A bowl, cup and spork
Headtorch
Bike Stuff
The basics
Off-road bike
Helmet that adheres to current British safety standards
Navigation device (available to loan from us)
Bike lights (just in case!)
A lock for securing your bike at the hostel
A simple lock for the ride (optional)
Capacity to carry at least 1.5 litres of water.
Bikepacking bags
Small rucksack to supplement if needed.
Bike tools/spares to carry
General:
Spare tube (x 2) and patches
Small pump
Tubeless plugs/spare sealant if running tubeless tyres
Mutitool with what you need for your bike e.g. allen keys, chainbreaker
Small amount of chain oil
Specific stuff to your bike.
We don’t expect you to be able to fit these yourself (though kudos if you can!). But carrying these parts will mean that our guide, or a local bike shop can is more likely to be able to get you moving again.
Chain quick link (these are specific for your bike’s chain)
Spare derailleur hanger (specific to your bike.). This website can help you find the one you need for your bike.
Cycling clothes
Comfy shorts and quick dry t-shirts or cycling top. We recommend 2 sets that you can wash/swap through the trip, plus a warm layer set.
Shoes: We recommend only using clip in shoes/pedals if you’re already confident in off-road riding.
Light rain jacket
Gloves
Extra layers in case of poor weather, especially on
downhills e.g. leggings, mid layer, windbreaker
Glasses (optional but recommended – downhill bugs and
gravel dust)
Socks (1 for riding and 1 for evening?)
Cycling cap/hat to keep the sun off your face
Off the bike clothes:
We'd recommend packing just one lightweight outfit for ourcamp nights, that can double as your sleeping clothes! Long
clothing that protects against midges is a good idea :)
Midge heat net
Long leggings/trousers
A long t-shirt
Lightweight jacket e.g puffy jacket
Buff or hat depending on weather
Light weight sandals for evening (optional)
Underwear
Something to swim in!
Personal stuff:
ID for check in at our hostels
Any personal medication needed
Water purification method – e.g. around 20 tablets, or a filter
Mini toiletteries (travel toothpaste, toothbrush etc)
Battery pack/cables to keep phone and nav device charged
Cash/card
Earplugs....just in case!
V small Lightweight towel for swims.
Sun cream/SPF lipbarm
Electrolytes if it’s gonna be warm!
Midge repellent spray
Spare set of brake pads for your bike
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Don’t worry! You can hire bikepacking bags, navigation devices, tent and sleeping pad from us for a nominal fee.
Read more about our add-ons here. -
Any stuff you don’t need for the trip can be left in our guides vehicle during the trip (left at your own risk).
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Midges are the infamous tiny flying biting bug that can be an annoying feature of the outdoors in Scotland.
We’ve never had too much of an issue with them, but long loose layers for the evening, midge spray, and an emergency head net can make life nicer if we have a still evening at camp.
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Absolutely! We find the majority of people come to our events solo (and usually leave with a gang of new riding buddies!).
FAQs