Scotland Bike Tours: Highlands, Lowlands, and Islands

7-Day / 6-Night Bike Tours

Inns

• Ballathie House Hotel, Kinclaven
• Kenmore Hotel, Kenmore
• Western Isles Hotel, Tobermory
• Kilcamb Lodge, Strontian

Dates

• Jul 16-22, 25-31
• Aug 6-12

Itinerary / Distances

• Day 1: Arrival Day. 11 mi (18 k)
• Day 2: 26 or 32 mi (42 or 52 km)
• Day 3: 36 mi (58 km)
• Day 4: 18 or 29 mi (28 or 46 km)
• Day 5: 26 mi (41 km)
• Day 6: 29 mi (47 km)
• Day 7: Departure Day

Rates

• Tour Cost: $2695

Deposit

$300 per person. Final payment due 60 days prior to your tour (personal check, Visa or MasterCard).

Bike Rental

$100

Single Supplement Fee

$400

What's Included

6 nights of lodging (double occupancy); 6 breakfasts and 5 dinners; detailed maps and itineraries; 2 experienced guides; full van support; transfers from and to Glasgow Airport (on the beginning and ending dates of the tour); all transfers during the tour; and the cost of all ferries and excursions and most entry fees. Airfare is not included.

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel...
(a) at least 61 days prior to your tour we will return 100% of your tour payments;
(b) 60 days or less from the date of the tour you must pay the full tour price.

Should Bike Vermont have to cancel your tour we will refund all your tour payments immediately as full settlement.

We strongly recommend you purchase Trip Cancellation Insurance as soon as possible. A detailed comparison of trip cancellation insurance policies and prices is available online and links for these sites are available at the end of the reservation page. We recommend CSA Travel Protection based on their rating by Consumer Reports. We will also send you an application form with your Confirmation.

Terrain

Easier to Intermediate

• Average Daily Mileage: 23 mi (37 km)
• Average Daily Mileage with Options: 30 mi (49 km)

"Where the Highlands meet the Lowlands, and they both meet the sea." That's where we go on our cycling tour of Scotland, immersed in some of the grandest scenery in the British Isles and treated to the essence of all things Scottish: romantic castles guarding their domain; luxurious palace homes of dukes and barons; deep wandering lochs and soft wooded glens; and lovely winding roads where we are often the only travelers. We visit ancient villages, tour whisky distilleries, and shop for crafts, antiques, and woolens.

From the Central Highlands we ferry across to the Inner Hebrides, the fabled islands off Scotland's western coast. Here we are treated to a landscape of craggy cliffs, rocky bays, shimmering seas, heather-covered hills, and historic fishing villages, all as the guests of the warm and friendly Scots, many of whom trace their ancestry back to the earliest Celtic settlers. All of this is enjoyed while cycling along easy to moderate routes that take advantage of a superb network of country roads.

Scotland Bike Tour

We stay at a marvelous variety of small four-star hotels including Ballathie House Hotel on the banks of the River Tay, the Kenmore Hotel near the shores of Loch Tay; Western Isles Hotel overlooking Tobermory Harbor; and Kilcamb Lodge on the shores of Loch Sunart. Our cycling route is truly outstanding. We visit the medieval village of Dunkeld where the Scottish National Trust has restored a number of 17th-century houses and where the ancient ruins of Dunkeld Cathedral still stand high above the town.

In the afternoon we follow a lovely road along hedgerows, crossing and recrossing the River Tay before arriving in Kenmore. The next morning we visit the busy fishing port of Oban and, after a scenic ferry ride, explore the wonders of the Isle of Mull. We ride out to Duart Castle (built in 1360) and to Torosay Palace. We stay two nights in Tobermory, famous for its glorious harbor framed by a brightly painted crescent of 17th-century houses. Here, we can enjoy a lovely ride along the ocean, take the "day off" to explore the village, or ferry out to the Isle of Staffa (optional) to visit the puffins and seals. Then, on our last cycling day, we ferry across the Sound of Mull to Kilchoan on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula where we are treated to the most spectacular mountain-to-ocean scenery imaginable.