At the beginning of September, I was lucky enough to travel to Inverness, Scotland to tackle a coast to coast mountain biking trip. The trip was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever attempted on a bike and the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life.

The week was full of amazing riding with riders from around the world, gorgeous views of the wild Highlands, and even facing a few demons along the way.

The following will be just a taste of the experience. If you want to know what it was truly like, there is no other way than to book a trip with H+I Adventures and find out for yourself.

The Highlights

• Two experienced guides coaching us along the way, helping us become stronger, and more confident riders
• Seeing the remote parts of the highlands
• By far the best descents I’ve ever experienced
• Delicious food and drink to look forward to at the end of each day

The Views

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The Trip

Day One – 2 hours

Bike setup and warm up ride

The first day started with us being picked up from Inverness and shuttled out to H+I headquarters. There, we met the rest of the crew we’d be riding with and nibbled on a delicious spread of meats and cheeses while the guides briefed us on everything we would need to know.

Then came the most exciting part so far, getting our bikes ready for the adventure. To save headaches, I had decided to hire a bike from H+I. This was possibly the best decision I made. The full carbon Yeti SB 4.5 was definitely much more suited for the Scottish gnar than my ride back home.

After we were all set up on our bikes, we rolled out for a nice test ride. I quickly learned that Scotland truly is more hilly than southern Ontario. Somehow huffed and puffed my way up the hill. As we started the descent I got the lucky title of being the first one to crash off my bike. The nerves had me quaking, but the guides did an amazing job of encouraging all the riders and ensuring we were handling the bikes properly.

Day Two – 6 hours

Bonar Bridge to Ullapool

After a short shuttle ride, we were off on our adventure. Starting on the east coast at Bonar Bridge, over the course of the day we wound our way through back roads, double track, and single track on the way to Ullapool. The trail slowly got a little more difficult through the day giving each of us new challenges to try.

The one thing that stood out to me, was riding through puddles. It sounds like such a small thing, but back home we close the trails if there is even a hint of rain. So pointing my bike straight at a big puddle and pedalling through it took a while to feel natural. This trip definitely gave me plenty of chances to try it though, and I’m pleased to say that after a week my shoes were finally dry.

The day ended with a fun little descent down into Ullapool. It gave us a taste of what was to come and left us hungry for more. It was then off to the B&B to shower and get ready for dinner.

Day Three – 10.5 hours

Ullapool to Poolewe

We had been warned from the beginning that this would be one of the hardest days, but even that couldn’t prepare me for what was to come.

We started early with a fast ride on a RIB out from Loch Broom, out to the ocean, and then back into Little Loch Broom. Along the way, we got to see seals basking on the rocks, and even a few small porpoises swimming near the boat.

The riding started with what Chris called the “Good Morning Hill.” A short steep road climb that reminded you of how many miles you rode the day before. From there it was another short road ride to the start of our route. A long loose rocky climb greeted us as we turned off the road. As we pushed further and further up the climb the weather got worse. By the time we reached the top of the first pass we were being pelted by wind and ice-cold rain. A quick stop to regroup and add some layers before we picked our way across the top and down into Shenavall.

As we descended down into the valley, the views were stunning, almost like something out of Lord of the Rings or Jurrasic Park. We had the entire valley to ourselves and picked our way along some techy single track until we found ourselves at the edge of a flooded bog that Chris referred to as “The Minefield.” 

We soon found out why it was named that as tires got grabbed by holes in the bog, throwing riders all over the place. I was lucky enough to take a flying leap over my handlebars thanks to what looked like a smooth river bed. Luckily, I only bruised my pride. A little while, and one knee-deep river, later we arrived at the first hike-a-bike of the trip.

Our guides showed us how to properly shoulder our bikes, and off we trekked, zig-zagging our way up the side of the mountain. It was amazing to look back and see how far we had come. It was less amazing to look forward and see how far we still had to go to reach the top.

We were then treated to one of the most amazing views I have ever seen as we descended down into Fisherfield. I faced a hell of a lot of demons to get there, but that view made everything worth it.

I don’t remember much of the rest of the ride into Poolewe, other than taking another OTB crash into a puddle of bog water. Which was nice and entertaining for everyone else, and gave me a true taste of the highlands.

Needless to say, after 10.5 hours on the bike the food and beer that night tasted better than ever before.

Day Four – 5 hours

Poolewe to Kinlochewe

This was the shortest ride of the trip, but some of the slipperiest, techiest riding we would do all week. Chris described riding this trail as “trying to ride a trout through a field of eels.” While I didn’t quite understand what he meant when he said it, I very quickly understood it as soon as I rolled into the first descent.

The trail was more of a river with loose rocks and boulders strewn across it. The more you tried to calculate a line through it, the harder it got. Once I turned my brain off and rode as naturally as I could things got slightly easier.

We stopped at the base of the trail for a truly Scottish picnic of Irn-Bru and tea cakes before finishing up with a short ride to one of the best cafe’s I’ve been to.

Day Five – 7 hours

Kinlochewe to Shieldag

Another long day, but totally worth it as this day had two of the best descents in the whole of the UK. To be honest, the whole day was a bit of a blur for me. After a short ride along the side of Loch Clair and through some farmland we arrived at Teahut Bothy (and were told the eerie stories of the lady who haunts it). From there it was a long rocky climb up through more subarctic moraine to the top of Achnashellach.

 

What waited on the other side of the pass was definitely the scariest trail of the trip for me. The trail wound its way down the mountainside through some of the burliest rock features I’ve ever seen. I’m not ashamed to admit that I walked most of that descent. For that section you could not hesitate, it was either a 100% yes or a no.

Safely at the bottom, we regrouped and pushed on along a road to the next section of trail that worked its way up and into the boggiest section of the week. The next little while was spent pushing our way through the deep mud going slightly crazy trying to swat the midges off of ourselves.

A quick wash of our bikes in the nearby loch and it was time for another hike-a-bike up the side of the next pass. The descent on the other side was my favourite of the whole week. The big smooth slabs of rock mixed with technical moves in between brought a smile to everyone’s face as we picked our way down the trail.

Day Six – 0 hours

Rest day in Shieldag

Normally there is an option to go out for a ride in the local area, but between the weather, and how much riding we had already done, everyone decided to just hang out in Shieldag’s only cafe. There’s not much else to report from this day, other than the fact that the cafe makes a damn good potato leek soup.

Day Seven – 6 hours

Shieldag to Applecross

The final day consisted of a punishing rolling road ride along the coast out of Shieldag ending with “Big Friggin Hill.” At the top of it, we dropped into some soaked single track and worked our way slowly through the hills stopping for some amazing views.

We were all a little sad when we pulled on our pads for the final descent of the trip. It felt like a lifetime ago that we had first gotten on our bikes back in Inverness for the warm-up ride. The loose rock made sure we didn’t get too nostalgic as we worked our way down along a river and into a field full of highland cows.

From there it was an easy ride out to the beach in Applecross for a final group photo and some well-earned fish and chips from the world famous Applecross Inn.

Originally I had said that I could never put myself through that exact trip again, knowing how hard it was. But now, a month later as the memories are flooding back, I’m craving it again. Anyone want to go to Scotland next summer?