Scottish Lowland Saunter

Cycling

Southern Scotland, or the lowlands as the area south of Glasgow and Edinburgh is known, is cycling heaven. The roads are quiet, the climbs are gradual (just because it is called the lowlands doesn’t mean there are no hills!), the landscape green and rolling and the coast is beautiful. As her home area, this is arguably where our Cycling Development Manager knows best, and where she cut her own cycling teeth as a teenager. Rather than following the recently established Kirkpatrick cycle route, we like to do things our way. Our own ride starts in Portpatrick (via transfer from Lockerbie) and includes a there-and-back to the Mull of Galloway, finishing in North Berwick where we will transfer into Edinburgh for our final night. En route, we will take in our own personal highlights of this varied rural landscape.

Highlights

• Watching the sea: swirling around the Mull of Galloway at the start of the tour, and framing Bass Rock and Tantallon Castle at the end.
• The Southern Uplands: yes, there are hills and mountains in this area, but the combination of daily distance and climb are set to a very manageable level.
• Fun small towns like Kirkcudbright: known as the artist’s town!
• Quiet roads: the area is criss-crossed with B roads which actually take you somewhere.
• The green: there is something almost comforting (almost Irish) about how green this area really is.

Accommodation

Your accommodation, on a twin share bed and breakfast basis, will be in comfortable hotels and good quality bed and breakfasts. We will endeavour to accommodate the group in the same location however on occasions this might not be possible.

Single accommodation is available for a supplement price.

Meals

The hotels will provide breakfast whilst the support team will provide a pack-up lunch, this will depend on what is available on the day and could include a mix of fresh sandwiches, pasties or easy grab and bites sourced from local bakeries. If weather doesn’t permit outdoors we will get into cafes for quick lunch.

​You will need to purchase your own evening meals, which are usually eaten communally although of course you are free to opt out if you wish.

We will carry emergency energy gels and bars in the support van but you are advised to bring along your own preferred sports nutrition to fuel your ride. There will be water refills, fruits bars etc provided to keep you hydrated.

In the Tour Plan, (B, L, D) refers to meals included in the trip cost i.e. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Bike Transfers

Getting your bike to and from the Capital of The Highlands can be difficult, we aim to remove this difficulty by offering a totally free of charge delivery service to the start in Inverness and back to Sheffield at the conclusion of the event. All that you need to do in the days leading up to the tour is drop off your bike at our Sheffield office and we will deliver it to Inverness. On the day preceding your arrival the support crew drives to Scotland and we can arrange bike collection at convenient motorway services as we head north. We will be using the M1, A1, M6, M74 and the A9 as we drive from Sheffield to Inverness.  Please ring the office or contact us if you would like further clarification of our bike collection and drop off service.

While we will take all reasonable care while handling your bikes, using padded covers and making sure they are securely stored, we are not liable for any loss or damage during transportation and storage. We recommend you have appropriate insurance.