Outer Hebrides Mountain biking tour
Description of Outer Hebrides Mountain biking tour
Embark on one of Scotland’s great mountain biking adventures with this tour of the Hebridean Trail, a 280km odyssey spanning seven islands in seven days, and led by an experienced guide.
Taking in ancient paths and byways, near traffic-free roads and some seriously wild terrain, the route is designed to show off some of the Outer Hebrides’ most soul-stirring scenery as well as to introduce you to life and traditions in these remote Scottish islands.
You’ll ride through peaceful fishing communities where Gaelic is spoken as a first language as a matter of pride, staying in a series of comfortable and welcoming locally run accommodations. Overtourism is a real problem in parts of the Outer Hebrides, and effort is taken to use out-of-the-way hotels, country inns and guest houses that really benefit from hosting small groups (single rooms, where available, are at a supplement).
Daily distances average around 60km and offer a good amount of challenge. As is the nature of small group trips, you can expect a very sociable atmosphere with everyone quickly getting to know each other well, as you dine together in the evenings, along with your guide for most of the week. That of course makes it very easy to keep motivated too as you ride classic sections such as the Reinigeadal Loop on Harris.
But this Outer Hebrides mountain biking tour is definitely no slog. While you’ll be getting fantastic exercise amid untamed island scenery, there will be many opportunities to pause, drink in the views, and enjoy some Hebridean culture. Golden eagles and red deer can often be seen as you settle down for a wilderness picnic in a meadow, on a white sand beach or a dramatic clifftop perch. And whether it’s touring an island whisky distillery, meandering the jetty in a fishing village in the evening or visiting a historic site such as the Standing Stones of Callanish, you’ll definitely come away with a deeper understanding of Hebridean culture. As well as many good stories to tell when you get back home.
Price information
Check dates, prices & availability
Travel guides
Responsible Travel
Planet
We are firmly committed to responsible tourism and all of our tours reflect that commitment. Our holidays are purposefully designed to provide a visitor experience that maximises the positive benefits of tourism while minimising any negative impacts.Leave No Trace & Our Guides
We are staunch advocates of the Leave No Trace principles, in which our guides are fully trained. On all of our activities, our guides will ensure that the impact on the environment, wildlife and local community is minimised. Along the way, our guides will teach you how to do this so that the knowledge is spread on your travels in Scotland and further afield. Our guides are ambassadors for Scotland's wild places and are passionate about sharing their knowledge. Your guide will not only lead your activities but tell you all about Scotland's flora, fauna, geology, history and culture along the way.
Transport
Our trips focus on enjoying the landscapes through human power, so by walking, biking or paddling through them. We minimise motorised transports as much as possible.
This Hebridean mountain biking holiday starts and finishes at a mainline train station to encourage the use of public transport. You will spend your days’ riding 30-70km. This way you get to really immerse yourself in the otherworldly landscape of the Outer Hebrides.
Accommodation & Meals
We’ve handpicked your accommodation on this trip and we take the provider’s Green Tourism credentials into account during our selection process and encourage where possible for our partners to reduce, reuse and recycle. We use a variety of cosy B&Bs, small hotels, Highland inns and family-run guesthouses along the route.
Scotland is known for its fantastic natural larder so we try to source all food and drink provided on the trip as much as possible locally, and endeavour to take our clients to establishments that celebrate seasonal Scottish produce, meat and dairy. We’ll often have picnic lunches en-route which are the perfect opportunity to try some of the local specialities. The Outer Hebrides are known for their incredible seafood, black pudding and sugar kelp gin.
In the Office
It's not just on trips that we promote sustainable processes! We operate our holidays out of a carbon-neutral headquarters which is powered by renewable energy. We reduce, reuse and recycle, using environmentally friendly products from local suppliers where possible. In addition, our office car park hosts two public EV charging stations, and we subsidise staff usage. We encourage car-sharing and compete monthly for the most environmentally friendly commute!
Additional
In preparation for our trips, we strongly encourage our travellers to bring a reusable water bottle and lunchbox on their holiday to discourage the use of single-use plastics.
Lastly, we are committed to contributing annually to a nature-based charity that promotes conservation in Scotland.
People
Local TeamAlthough our office staff isn’t 100% Scottish, all members of our team live and work in the Scottish Highlands. Because of this, our passionate personnel are able to give expert insider advice on their own favourite playground and ensure the best experience for our visitors.
Local Partners
We ensure a warm welcome from the locals wherever we go as we’ve always strived to work together with the local community and businesses, ensuring that the economic benefits are shared. We seek out locally owned and family-run hotels and restaurants over chain businesses. Packed lunches and snacks are sourced locally, either directly from the accommodation providers or from small cafes and delis.
Local Experiences
On each trip, we endeavour to introduce our visitors to local and unique experiences, to channel tourism income back into the local community. On this mountain biking holiday across seven Hebridean islands, you will have the opportunity to visit one of the most remote villages not just in the Outer Hebrides but in Scotland, as well as the Harris distillery for a tour, a beautiful historic lighthouse, an ancient broch and enjoy a private RIB/zodiac to the 5,000-year-old standing stones of Callanish.
Over-Tourism
Some of the areas we visit suffer from over-tourism and we do what we can to manage this consequence. The crowding caused by over-tourism not only negatively impacts the natural environment but also the quality of life of the communities who live and work in the beautiful destinations that we visit. To mediate this we take our clients to the lesser-known spots in any given area, extend our tour departures into the less busy shoulder months to spread the flow of visitors and when we do visit ‘hotspots’ we aim to go outside of peak hours.
Group Sizes
We deliberately keep our groups small for several reasons. Having smaller groups means less disturbance to the environment and the local community. It also means that we can stay at smaller accommodation providers who are not eligible to benefit from mass tourism providers and have a better guide to traveller ratio.
Popular similar holidays
Lands End To John O'Groats cycling trip
From £1995 - £2245 16 days excluding flights
Britain's classic cycling challenge
North Coast 500 cycling tour in Scotland
From £1245 - £1345 7 days excluding flights
Fully supported cycling the Scottish North Coast route 500
Mountain bike across Scotland
From £1695 6 days excluding flights
Journey across Scotland on mountain bike
