Typical Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival
Our driver will be at your nominated collection point at the agreed time to collect you, your team and all your kit. We greet you at Campbelltown, our home for the night, with a hearty meal cooked on an open fire. We will go over your Caledonia Way adventure and then leave you to sample a wee dram of local produce and rest for your big first day.
Day 2 – Campbeltown to Ford
- Approx. 5.5hrs
- 103km/64mi
- 1130m
Seal, dolphin and porpoise-spotting is your main job today as you cruise coastal roads along the Kintyre Peninsula. Leaving the coast you are met by forests, nature reserves, the historic Dunadd Fort and Carnasserie Castle. Your day ends with a glimpse of the Temple Wood Stone Circle. We meet you with warm food at camp, near Ford.
Day 3 – Ford to Fort William
- Approx 5.5hrs
- 115km/72mi
- 1210m
The awesome Loch Awe is your wondrous guide today! Each treacherous ascent rewards you with a stunning vista on this 10 mile lakeside stretch. We recommend stopping for lunch at The Falls of Lora on Connel Bridge. It’s well worth a paddle. Kayaks can be hired for those in need of stretching out their cycling muscles! White sandy beaches of Loch Creran, picturesque villages like Creagan Village and Portnacroish, the beautiful Kentallen Bay and Loch Linnhe line your path for the rest of today. Tonight we camp a stones throw away from Ben Nevis in Fort William – the outdoor capital of the UK. Let us know if you fancy a break day here to climb Ben Nevis, test yourself on world class mountain bike trails, or fully embrace the foam on a white water rafting trip you won’t forget!
Day 4 – Fort William to Inverness
- Approx 5.5hrs
- 108km/67mi
- 970m
Day three sees you head out into the wilds to find the Caledonian Canal – our route’s namesake, before heading into the bustling hub of Fort Augustus. The steepest ascent of the tour takes you to the peak of the Caledonia Way – Suidhe Viewpoint – up General Wade’s Military Road, and finally to Loch Ness’ shores for the last 20 miles of the day. We’ll be waiting at camp to celebrate your accomplishment with a delightful meal of your choice and toasty bed.
Day 5 – Home
Congratulatory breakfasts of Arbroath Smokies, eggs, and fresh bread all round for our Caledonian Challengists this final morning! When you are recuperated we deliver you and your kit home or to your nominated point for the rest of your jubilant recovery.
If you’d like to extend your Caledonia Way adventure there’s a myriad of options for break days, from mountain bike parks, to whitewater rafting to climbing Ben Nevis. This route is road based but there is a gravel option too, following National Cycle Route 78, which is coming soon. Get in touch and we can talk through the options to extend your stay and personalise this basic itinerary.
What’s included?
- Transport for you, your luggage and kit from/to your front door
- 2 person support team, on call incase of incident or emergency at any point during your tour
- 3 meals per day. Chosen by you from an extensive menu of locally sourced, ethical ingredients and cooked fresh each evening over an open fire
- Freshly ground coffee and/or a choice of tea with meals
- Water bottles filled each morning
- Energy boosting snacks for the day
- Beautiful 5m canvas bell tents. Pre-pitched. Furnished with real beds and winter tog duvets and linen bedding
- Routes loaded into a GPS device for the nominated team navigator and added to a backup OS Landranger map too
- Routes available in GPX/KML format, viewable on Google Maps, Strava etc. for the rest of the team
- Devices charged overnight so you are juiced up
- A Nine Yards T-shirt for the lead booker and Nine Yards tote bags for the rest of the team
What’s not included
- Alcoholic/soft drinks other than water
- Personal equipment (bike, helmet, waterproof clothes etc) – We can arrange the hire of kit, if required
- Personal travel insurance
- Personal expenses for souvenirs, pub trips etc.
If you would like a guided tour, need to hire equipment or would like to otherwise personalise the tour with add-on excursions, diversions, or any other changes, we can do that. Just get in touch via our Personalised Adventure page.
Nine Yard Tours is a boutique holiday experience provider and as such we are strictly limited in our tour capacity. This means you receive a fully flexible personalised service from our dedicated crew from start to finish. It also means once a date is booked, it’s booked and our small but mighty team is unavailable for anyone else’s luxury adventure. We sell on a first come, first served basis, so get in touch today so we can plan your most adventurous glamping experience to date
*All Preplanned Adventure routes are approximate and may vary slightly depending on campsite availability at the time of booking. We will confirm the final route when bookings are made. If there isn’t a campsite available at the end of any tour section, we will arrange transfers from the closest available site.
**Please note that all Preplanned Adventures are self-guided and participants are required to be proficient in their chosen tour method, be it cycling, hiking or paddling.
