Susan Greenwood May 7, 2009

Mountain biking on the Isle of Skye

Mountain biking on the Isle of Skye is a challenging proposition taking in precipitous singletrack trails - but also stunning wild scenery

Setting off — The route for day one starts ominously in a car park opposite a graveyard. The climb to the start of the trail warms up leg muscles before the real riding begins Photograph: Tom Humpage/guardian.co.uk

Quiraing — The route centres around the cliffs at Quiraing - Cuith-raing in Celtic - with steep drops and stunning views Photograph: Tom Humpage/guardian.co.uk

The singletrack gets very single — Scotland’s trails are open access, which means mountain-bikers can literally ride on anything. As the singletrack gets narrower, guide Euan Wilson plunges ahead Photograph: Tom Humpage/guardian.co.uk

Carrying the bikes — Because the trails are not purpose built for mountain-bikers, some sections are impossible to ride and bikes have to be carried Photograph: Tom Humpage/guardian.co.uk

The mist begins to close in — As the weather closes in, the mist begins to obscure the view, the path - and the drop Photograph: Tom Humpage/guardian.co.uk

Riding a scree slope — Scree slopes provide for some challenging riding Photograph: Tom Humpage/guardian.co.uk

The mist closes in as Euan smiles on — Riding on Skye throws everything at you at once - as soon as you get to grips with the technical nature of the riding, visibility is suddenly reduced to nothing by the mist Photograph: Tom Humpage/guardian.co.uk

Steep gradients — Steep gradients mean weight distribution on the bike becomes essential - a fall to the right and you would be rolling for quite a while Photograph: Tom Humpage/guardian.co.uk

Day two — On the south of the island, the scenery, while still dramatic, opens up more. The route chosen by Euan followed an old mining trail out to Boreraig - the last crofting village to be vacated on Skye as part of the Highland Clearances in 1853 Photograph: Tom Humpage/guardian.co.uk

Grassy terrain on day two — From the mud of Quiraing to the grassy and rocky routes on southern Skye. Gentler riding means more time to admire the scenery Photograph: Tom Humpage/guardian.co.uk

Riding up wet grass — Euan Wilson against the stunning backdrop of the Qua Photograph: Tom Humpage/guardian.co.uk

Riding the marble mining trail — The trail to Boreraig followed a 200-year-old marble mining route across moorland Photograph: Tom humpage/guardian.co.uk

Final descent to the coast — The final descent to the beach at Boreraig - famous for its fossils - takes in both rocky singletrack and wet fields Photograph: Tom Humpage/guardian.co.uk

Sheep dodging — Sheep dodging becomes a useful skill as the outlines of the ruined village come into view Photograph: Tom Humpage/guardian.co.uk

Leave a Comment Cancel comment