Buy the OS Route Map and instructions for this route

It would be difficult to imagine a more perfect day’s mtb’ing than an early morning start on the Isle of Skye, a calm, sunny ferry ride to Harris, a superb loop around the island, stopping for a dip on a remote beach, dinner in Tarbert, and then a sunset ferry back to Skye. Sadly it can only happen on summer Saturdays (or Mondays with an unreasonably early start), and getting one of these to tie in with a window in the weather is never going to be easy. Alternatively, spend a few days on the island, in which case you can catch a ferry on any day you choose.
This route makes a perfect introduction to Harris mtb’ing — short, very sharp, and absolutely awesome — crossing some of the most mouth-watering scenery in the UK along the way.
It splits into three sections really. The first and last comprise of steep climbs over high mountain passes, followed by fast and furious descents offering everything from wheel-grabbing peat bogs to rock and heather-lined singletrack. But it’s the middle eight that makes the ride: it includes probably two of the finest kilometres of mountain biking anywhere in the world. It starts with a sinuous singletrack that hugs the cliff top, looking down over the stunning turquoise waters of Loch Trolamaraig; and then, after a few
wonderful ups and downs, it plummets around a series of steep and testing zigzags to a remote beach where it would be a crime not to take a quick dip before continuing.
It’s a short enough loop to ride twice in one day — and trust us, it’s good enough. But there is over 1,000m of climbing to think about — a lot in a little over 20km — and then there’s the rest of this wonderful island to explore.