A Dream Come True
Mountain biking in the Scottish highlands – that always sounded like an adventure. After the Hopetech Women Enduro in England last year, it was clear that the next trip to the UK would lead me even further north. And Scotland was more than overdue. I stumbled across the Go-Where Scotland website a couple of years ago and was determined to make it to one of their trips. I was close to signing up more than once, but a tight schedule with races, training, seminars and work made it impossible for quite a while.

But then a time slot opened up in my July schedule and I was lucky – there was one place left on the Mountain Lassies Royale trip. So I didn’t think twice. I booked my flights and was on my way to Scotland a couple of weeks later.

The weather in Scotland can a bit challenging – even in the summer months. But as we all know this is not a problem at all, if you have the right equipment. So I had prepared myself for some rain and lower temperatures. In the end, we were quite fortunate with the weather. In the seven days of mountain biking we had lots of sunshine and just a little bit of rain. We even tested our stamina by cooling down in creeks and getting in some cold water exposure. This was actually super relaxing and good for our recovery after a whole day of biking. :)

The Team Spirit
As always, the success of any endeavour is shaped by the people joining it. On this trip, I ended up with an extremely great bunch of women. Two exceptional guides and five lovely participants. The chemistry in our group was perfect and made the trip very special.

Scotland at its Best
It was quite clear from the beginning that the Go-Where Scotland team has lots of experience in dealing with mountain biking clients – the whole concept reflects that. They know how to make the most of their trips and provide a truly authentic experience. I loved the diversity of the trails, the super positive attitude and good vibes spread by our guides Aneela and Jules. They took us onto the best trails around Braemar and Ballater in the Cairngorms mountain range. We were climbing on panoramic dirt roads and descending on flowy single trails, over rock rollers and through challenging terrain. And all surrounded by stunning views and beautiful nature.

I was impressed on how well the trip was structured and organised. And even though there were lots of things to take care of, the guides dealt with everything in a super relaxed fashion. No stress and lots of fun. We laughed a lot and learned about the culture and local customs. For me it was the perfect trail adventure. So I can highly recommend joining any of their trips! ;)