OUR BOOKING CHARTER

COVID-SAFE TRAVELS

As we take tentative steps towards the reopening of travel and tourism in Scotland we’re delighted to have gained these stamps of approval acknowledging we are ‘Covid-ready’. Be assured that you, our staff and our communities are our number one priorities guiding all of our preparations. When you see us displaying these symbols, you can relax in the knowledge that we are 100% ‘Covid-ready’ and we’ve thought of every detail for your safety so you don’t have to. We’re very much looking forward to riding with you again soon.

REVISED BOOKING POLICY

Coronavirus-related travel restrictions constantly change and as we understand your worries that you might not be able to travel we now offer flexible rebooking or deferral options for all customers booked to travel with us. In addition, we aim to confirm the status of holidays before balance payments are due. The revised policy below temporarily supersedes our standard booking conditions as applicable, but we reserve the right to change it in line with circumstances as they develop.

• If your booking is cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, we’re offering travel credits towards any future holiday i.e you have the opportunity to defer and all monies paid (less unrecoverable costs) will be held as a future holiday booking payment, in other words, you can hold on to your travel credit until you feel comfortable to re-book at a future date

UNPARALLELED KNOWLEDGE

We pride ourselves on being a unique Scotland-only mountain bike and gravel tour operator. With over thirty five years of mountain biking experience in Scotland, there’s hardly a place we haven’t ridden, guided, recced or mapped. Whatever your technical ability and fitness levels, we know every suitable trail to make sure you have an unforgettable riding experience.

AN AUTHENTIC SCOTTISH EXPERIENCE

What makes a Scottish mountain biking adventure so magical? It’s not just the epic riding. Whether you’re a frequent visitor to Scotland or it’s your first time here, there’s always something new to experience. A lot of behind-the-scenes stuff goes into making our trips what they are – the most authentic, adventurous mountain bike experiences in Scotland. We spend time meeting the locals, studying the sights and history, getting to know the accommodation, eateries, the ferry masters, the distillers and brewers, all so you can experience the very best that Scotland has to offer!

EXPERT GUIDES*

Our guides are fully trained and qualified to the highest standards required to operate in the mountain environments where our trips take place.

Scotland is a beautiful but wild place. When you pay for our services, you’re paying for the reassurance that we know our way around the mountains, how to read people, the local conditions, logistics, fix mechanicals and always have a another ‘plan A’ up our sleeve.

As well as being extraordinarily great human beings (as standard!), all our mountain bike guides hold, as a minimum, the Mountain Bike Leader qualification and emergency outdoor first aid qualifications. We believe these to be the most robust and rigorous qualifications in the business and the minimum standard for running trips like ours in Scotland. They’re not easy to come by but your enjoyment is a serious business. We’re serious about your enjoyment.

*We only offer self-guided packages once we’re confident that our clients will be safe first, and have a great experience second.

COMPLETE PACKAGE

Organising your own biking holiday can be a logistical nightmare. Book with us and we’ll take care of all the planning and logistics for you. Our comprehensive pre-departure package includes detailed trip notes and ‘essential kit’ lists. All you’re left to do is get in shape and count down the days until your adventure begins!

SAFETY FIRST

An adventure wouldn’t be an ‘adventure’ without a degree of risk. It’s our job to manage those risks so you have the best time possible. As well as substantial field first aid kits, your mountain bike guides will be packing (or distributing among the group) essential group emergency items including mobile telecom’s, VHF long-range radios, emergency survival shelters, and extra emergency clothing and supplies.

Speaking of guides – we operate with the highest ratio of professional guides to clients in the industry. The current regulations permit one guide per group of eight. We don’t agree this is acceptable. We’re a lot more comfortable with at least two staff per eight clients, and a maximum group size of eight in the sensitive mountain environments we run our trips. Sure, we might not be the most profitable outfit in the industry but we strive to be the safest. We employ robust late back procedures, and every trip is fully risk assessed. While no one can guarantee a 100% safe trip, we do everything possible to minimise risks. And long before we depart we ensure the trip is suitable for you – none of this one size fits all approach – it simply doesn’t work.

OUR 'PLAYGROUND' - SCOTLAND

Only one thing matches our desire to enjoy Scotland’s amazing outdoors and that’s our commitment to contribute to sustainable adventure tourism in Scotland.

We operate ‘small footprint’ mountain bike adventures to minimise any negative environmental impacts of running our business. We are often asked about running large group trips in remote, sensitive locations but in line with our safety and environmental policy – that’s not really our forté. As well as being members of the key environmental organisations in Scotland, we encourage our clients to consider their interaction with the environments they are riding wherever possible. We also make use of local hospitality, products and services to ensure our trips contribute economically to the rural environments we enjoy so much. But we must do more.

A FEW MORE CONSIDERATIONS

Like most things, you get what you pay for so here are a few other important things to consider when you’re comparing our trips with some of the alternatives.

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Our Consumer Financial Protection insurance protects your money. This is in fact a legal requirement but not every adventure company even knows this and some choose to ignore it. Why? Because it’s an expensive, complicated process to become fully insured in this way, and not every application is accepted. Ours was. Your money is safe with us.

TOUR OPERATORS LIABILITY

Did you know that in the UK it’s us, the tour operators, who are liable for all aspects of your holiday package? That’s why we have ‘Tour Operators Liability Cover’. Always ask your supplier if they have this insurance. You need it and they should have it.

THE BOTTOM LINE

You’ll realise that running bike adventures in a legitimate, sustainable, safe, and most of all fun way comes at a price. Hopefully you’ll agree we’re on the money.