MEET THE TEAM

Aneela’s known for her infectious laughter and brings a lot of fun to the Go-Where experience. She’s a great motivator, and can often be heard at the back of the pack making sure everyone’s having the best of times!
 

Aneela’s part of the Juliana Bicycles ambassador programme and loves riding her Joplin whilst sharing her passion for getting more women into the sport – she finds nothing more satisfying than seeing other women ride harder, stronger and most importantly gain confidence and value their skills. Follow her Instagram feed to see what she’s been getting up to lately, and don’t forget to check out the new women’s adventures she’s introducing into the schedules too!

Aneela’s favourite saying tells a lot about her outlook:

“I don’t ride a bike to add days to my life. I ride a bike to add life to my days!”

Andy’s been a mountain biker since the mid 80’s - spending far too much time poring over maps, exploring the mountains of Scotland and beyond.

Turning his passion for two-wheeled adventure into a successful mountain bike guiding & tour business at Go-Where, Andy’s an experienced mountain bike guide and a (very) reluctant administrator so he tries to get out of the office and onto the hill as much as he possibly can!

“I get such a buzz showing off how amazing the riding is in Scotland – it’s the best job in the world being able to take what I’ve learned about Scotland over the past 20+ years and turn that into somebody’s dream trip!”

Our Senior Guide Andy’s originally from Manchester, honing his passion for mountain biking grinding the trails of the Northern Pennines before he realised the error of his ways and shipped north to Scotland to settle with his family.

We’re fortunate to have Andy on the Go-Where team – as one of Scotland’s most experienced mountain bike guides, he’s spent a lifetime thriving in the outdoor industry. If he’s not actually guiding a trip, you’ll find him weaving a pretty quick dash along a ribbon of singletrack around his home in the Trossachs.

 

“I’ve been lucky to guide and lead a wide variety of clients all over the world. I’ve been fortunate enough to have travelled and ridden all over, from the US and Canada to the Alps and New Zealand – Scotland as a riding destination however has to be the winner hands down for me though! Awesome scenery, belting trails and amazing wildlife.”

Like many women Jules discovered mountain biking a bit later in life, but that hasn’t stopped her jumping in with both feet. Based in Dunkeld in Highland Perthshire, she’s surrounded by some of the best riding Scotland has to offer and spends most evenings after work enjoying the playground on her doorstep.

Jules’ world revolves around bikes – when she’s not riding, her hands are pretty full as one half of mountain bike suspension supremos Flotec. Her technical suspension know-how and workshop skills make her a real hit when you want to squeeze the ultimate performance from your bike.

What got you into mountain biking and guiding?

 

“Riding bikes has completely changed my life. I love the adventure, the rush and the incidental exercise! But seriously though, it’s much more than that – it’s opened me up to a whole series of challenges that have helped me to grow in confidence as a person outside of bikes. I love watching other riders go through this same process. I originally started my guiding journey (Level 2) as a personal challenge; this lead on to qualifications in cycle coaching and mountain bike coaching and finally my Level 3*.”

 

*Level 3 is the highest mountain bike leadership qualification in the UK and we love having Jules on the team – her enthusiasm is infectious and she’ll coax out the riding skills you never knew you had!

Davy’s passion for the outdoors started early – he grew up in the countryside of Northern Ireland finding adventure beyond the next field, hedgerow or river – whether it be by trusty BMX, foot or boat.

“I have worked in the outdoor industry for around 10 years, coaching and guiding in a variety of sports, such as sea kayaking, river kayaking, coasteering, hill walking and of course Mountain Biking. During this time, the outdoors has enabled me to explore some amazing places in the UK and beyond. I have been involved in sea kayaking expeditions in Norway, Scotland and Ireland; spent winter seasons in the French Alps; and most recently experienced life in New Zealand while working as a mountain bike coach and mechanic on the South Island.”

 

Mountain Biking is Davy’s real passion and focus.

 

“I think the sport can provide so much enjoyment on so many levels – the social aspect (which is ever growing), motivation to stay fit and healthy, and a method to explore further and for longer in the mountains. You cannot beat the buzz you get from descending a nice bit of singletrack! So get on your bike and go have fun!”

Paul’s been a biker since the stabilisers came off at age four, then he progressed to BMX, smashed and jumped everything he could, usually his brother’s and pals brave/daft enough to lie down in front of his trusty plywood and brick ramp. And by the late 80’s and his first Peugeot mountain bike he was totally hooked.

The two wheel obsession would take him on so many adventures with motocross, motor bike enduro and trials heavily in the mix too. Mountain biking is a massive love in Paul’s life and as a member of Peebles Cycle Club and a kids club leader, he love’s being able to give something back to the great kids in the Tweed Valley. TCL then Mountain Bike Leader and now as a fully fledged Guide, Paul loves every minute on the hill.

“When I’m not looking after our amazing guests, Enduro is my passion – I may not be the youngest in the team but I’ve been lucky enough to take top spot in enduro Masters Cat in the past on my sweet Bronson…so who knows what 2017’s got in store for me, plenty more two-wheeled adventures that’s for sure!”

Favourite trail snacks?

“Guaranteed there’s a giant bag of Haribos always on standby in my pack!”

Charley’s a lovable Welshman although some guests have remarked about his slightly weird toes (he is too awesome not to have on our crew so we have decided to overlook them)!

As well as a degree in outdoor leadership, Charley brings 15 years experience of inspiring people in the outdoors – the last 10 of those on bikes. He lives in the UK’s second mountain biking paradise – the Lake District – where you’ll regularly find him testing kit to destruction for the mountain biking press.

“My passion for the Scottish highlands began very early when I was fortunate enough to be pulled out of school for a few months every winter to stay at the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre. This was enough to inspire me towards a lifetime of exploring the rock faces, peaks and glens from the Trossachs all the way up to Sutherland. There is nowhere that makes me feel more alive than Scotland’s wildest and most remote areas.”

Jamie grew up in Scotland’s Kingdom of Fife and has been riding bikes as long as he can remember including over ten years guiding out in the French and Swiss Alps, the Italian Riviera, and the Canadian Rockies.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to guide all over the world but Scotland has always called me back, and I’m now based in Fort William, ‘the Outdoor Capital of the UK’. I love riding epic singletrack, and getting out on big backcountry adventures, and the Highlands of Scotland has some of the most phenomenal terrain on the planet. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to share my passion for this beautiful country, and this amazing sport with visitors from all over the world.”

From growing up in London, Charlie has spent the last 10+ years working and living in the mountains. Starting from a winter season in the Alps after Uni to ditching any prospect of getting a ‘real’ job.

After spending seven winters coaching snowboarding in both the northern and southern hemisphere, Charlie moved to Aviemore and now lives all year in the North West of Scotland being a stone’s throw from the mountain bike mecca that is Torridon. Although he teaches and leads several other outdoor sports such as climbing, hiking and kayaking, mountain biking always takes first place.

What makes Charlie tick?

 

“Snowboarding sparked my passion for being in the mountains full time and I loved hiking off piste and finding new places to ride. Mountain biking, for me, is about the same thing. I love being in remote and wild places with a bike and being able to share that with other people is amazing. Scotland is the perfect place to do that with so much to explore all on the doorstep. You can spend a whole day on a bike and not see another soul with constantly changing scenery. What more could you ask for?”

Originally born and raised in Wales Dan is now fortunate enough to call Scotland home. He is based with his young family in Aviemore.

Dan loves exploring new and remote areas on his bike as well as tearing around his local trails right on his doorstep. He’s been working in the outdoor industry for over 10 years gaining qualifications in all areas of the outdoor sector. Providing top quality experiences in a range of activities from canoeing and climbing to gorge walking, however, mountain biking is by far Dan’s favourite.

“Scotland is an awesome place to live and work – the sheer variety of trails is world class; there’s something for everyone and I love taking folk into new exciting areas to show off this beautiful country.”

Tweed Valley local, Craig may be the newest member of the Go-Where Clan but there’s nothing green behind his ears!

An engineer to trade, with 30 years Fire and Rescue service under his belt, Craig’s devoted his early retirement to his beloved MTB (bravo we say!).

Behind that cheeky smile and infectious banter are some of the safest hands in the industry: an incident management tutor, outdoor first aid/trauma instructor, professional MTB guide and coach all help to make Craig a favourite with everyone he rides with.

Tell us about your happy place?

“I’m happiest outdoors, in the air or underwater. I’ve been a Skydiver, Scuba Diver, Snowboarder, Ice n Rock Climber n White Water Kayaker.

My biggest love is mountain biking though. Since the 90s, I’ve explored most of Scotland, and I know the Tweed Valley like the back of my hand…you’ll probably find me smashing the climbs and descents on my single speed hardtail these days and I can’t wait to share the gold with our guests.”