Our story
Aidan Prior and Tom Bruce-Gardyne (Clockwise from front left)
It all started on the road from Campbeltown, island-hopping up Scotland's west coast, visiting the odd far-flung whisky distillery. The route was thanks to Aidan, the whisky was Tom's idea - being a drinks writer by trade. Somehow it all meshed together beautifully as friends on the trip can testify. Similar trips followed to prove it wasn't a one-off. And that some ideas are too good not to share. Come and join us for our next adventure.
The hotels will be comfortable - some of them luxurious. The food and drink will be good with plenty of locally sourced produce to enjoy. Your baggage will be carried in our support van that also acts as a back-up for anyone who needs a break. You’ll be guided by Tom and Aidan who will cycle with you and be there to fix any punctures and the like. The pace is nice and steady with stops and picnics along the way, though there will be hills. If you’re renting one of our bikes it will have super-low gearing for the ups and great disc brakes for the downs. Any visits to wineries or distilleries will be after the day’s ride.
Aidan is the cycling and bike expert, Tom is a whisky and wine writer
Aidan Prior rode his first UK bike tour aged 14. He cycled 10,000 miles as a leader on the Four Corners Bike Ride in 1987, the most adventurous section of which was in China. In the last 10 years in addition to tours in the UK he has led or guided on bike trips in The Alps (Geneva to Nice), in China, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Thailand. Apart from the wonderful West Coast of Scotland, his favourite routes are through the Pamir mountains In Tajikistan and the incredible gravel routes up the side valleys off the Karakoram Highway in northern Pakistan.
Tom Bruce-Gardyne never thought of touring on a bike until seeing the smiles on the faces of Aidan and his friends when they returned from a tour in the far north-west of Scotland. A drinks writer by trade, he has written for all sorts including the FT, Sunday Times, Decanter and Unfiltered on whisky and wine (especially Italian). He was the Glasgow Herald’s drinks columnist for 7 years and has written three whisky books and one on Champagne. And, as a sideline over the years, ran wine tours for Arblaster & Clarke, though never by bike.
For more information, contact: apcom@btinternet.com