Great Glen Cycleway
5 Days & 4 Nights 4.5 Read 37 reviews- Complete a Scottish coast to coast journey by bike
- Visit 13th century Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness
- Highland hospitality and cyclist friendly accommodation
- Ride the single track of Loch Lochy and Loch Oich
- Pedal the lush glen and hillsides of the Great Glen fault line
What To Expect
Trip Type:
Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!
Activity:
Leisure Cycling | Leisure Cycling
This trip is suitable for:
Solo Travellers
As a guide, we would suggest that the minimum age of traveller this holiday would be suitable for is: 12 Years
Ideal if you have an interest in:
- Long-Distance Trails
- Accessible by Rail
Grade & Terrain
The route is on canal path, singletrack, forestry road and minor road. It does involve some steep ascents and descents and is graded moderate to strenuous due to the tough climbs involved.
Navigation
The Great Glen Cycleway is very well waymarked, with pale blue posts marked with a thistle guiding your way. You'll receive maps and a guidebook to ensure you find your way easily.
Experience & Fitness
Experience and fitness: The cycleway does have some steep climbs and descents so you should have experience of this type of off road riding and be in good shape.Accommodation Information
One of the highlights of this tour is the high standard of the accommodation. You will stay in carefully selected 3 or 4 star B&B’s, guesthouses, country pubs and small hotels. A delicious breakfast is always included. You can see a list of some of the accommodations that we use for the trip by scrolling down the page.
Single Rooms
If you require single rooms within your party we will always try and accommodate you subject to availability. A single supplement is payable.
Meals
A hearty breakfast is included each morning. Lunch and dinner are not included. Most of your accommodation will be more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or at nearby pubs or restaurants.
- 4 Nights in 3*/4* B&B's, guesthouses and small hotels
- Baggage transfers
- Information pack, and route notes
- Access to detailed maps, and GPS tracks in the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app
- 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our office
- Travel to Fort William / from Inverness
- Bike hire (mountain bike as standard)
- Lunches, dinners, drinks & snacks
- Personal equipment
- Travel insurance (required)
- Additional nights along the route
- Bike hire (mountain bike as standard)
When To Go
This trip is available to start on any day, from April through to October.
Weather and Climate
Weather and climate: This trip is available between April and October. The beginning and end of the season will be cooler, although the weather is changable and can be wet at any time in Scotland.Getting to the Start
Fort William is easily accessed from Glasgow. There are several daily trains that run which you can check on the Scotrail website. Alternatively there are several buses that you can book on the Citylink website. Should you wish to drive, there are a couple of B&B’s that will allow you to leave your car with them while you cycle to Inverness.
From Glasgow there are frequent departures from either Queen Street Rail Station or Buchanan Bus Station. You can find further details for this section of the journey by going to City Link for buses or Scotrail for trains.
Getting from the End
Again Inverness is well serviced by Scotrail and Citylink and both can be booked via their websites. Inverness also hosts an international airport with flights to many places in the UK. If you are returning to Fort William to collect your car this is easily done by travelling on a Citylink bus which takes around 2 hours.
Baggage Transfer
Daily door to door baggage transfer is included in the cost of your holiday. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 18kg per person.
At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase. Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person. It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.
General Information
The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen.
Equipment
Equipment hire section. We currently hire the following type of mountain bike on this trip.
Brand |
Trek |
Bike Type |
Mountain |
Frame types |
Gents, ladies, unisex |
Sizes |
15, 17, 19, 21 in |
Front suspension |
yes |
Stand |
no |
Mud guards |
no |
Luggage rack Rear/Front |
no |
Paniers |
no |
Handle bar Bag/ map holder |
no |
Bottle holder/Water bottle |
yes (available) |
Computer meter |
No |
Interchangeable pedals |
Yes |
Front gear set |
2 |
Back gear set |
10 speed |
Brakes |
Hydraulic Disc |
Helmet included |
Yes |
Puncture repair kit |
Yes |
Spare inner tubes/ how many |
Yes/1 |
Pump |
Yes |
Lock |
Yes |
Travel Insurance
It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.
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