Pre-Trip Service
Chris walked us through each step of the planning process. We started with the hope to do the NC500, but, after much effort by the Wilderness Scotland team, Chris let us know tha, yes, it could be done, but that it might be a more cumbersome, less fun experience than we were hoping for. He suggested (and we’re so glad he did!) the Caledonian Way as another option. We felt confident and excited going into the trip, which speaks to Chris’ support.
Trip Comments
The Caledonian Way is filled with breathtaking views, challenging, but doable routes, and sheep and cows grazing by (and on!) the little trafficked roads. I could imagine doing the route in fewer days… but why would we want to? It was wonderful to take our time and enjoy ourselves.
Accommodation & Food
All of the hotels were adequate and we recognize that smaller towns have limited places (and we added the complication of wanting single occupancy!). Some of the hotels were clearly better than others. The whispering pines cottages is amazing and we were all saying it would be wonderful to find a way to make this a two night stay (maybe backtrack to Creagan like we backtracked to Campbeltown). The hotel in Lochgilphead was also a winner for us. The others were fine, although the hotel in Inverness was our least favorite. Only other thought we had was that it would be fun to stay in Oban instead of just outside. Since it’s so hard to get an Uber or Taxi if you’re not in Oban, we weren’t able to make it into the town. Overall, though, pleased with the hotels.
Your Guide
Rachel rocks!!! We were so thrilled to spend the week with Rachel. She guided us, drove us, fixed our bikes, cleaned our bikes, pivoted when we needed pivoting, recommended alternatives when we needed recommending, and is someone I now consider a friend. Anyone would be lucky to have Rachel as their guide.
The Bottom Line
Phenomenal trip filled with countless amazing views, good food and drink, endless moments of joy, and memories we will hold for years to come. Wilderness Scotland (and specifically Chris and Rachel) made this trip everything we could have imagined. They even called up Mother Nature and made sure we only had a half day of rain all week!
What does this mean?
