Hebrides Tip to Toe Multisport

Is this for you?

This adventure is for anyone with a general level of fitness, comfortable taking on bike, run/trek and paddle sections.

You’ll need strong legs, sea sense, and mental grit. But the views, the camaraderie, and the sense of scale make this a next-level challenge for multi-sport adventurers.

What to expect:

• Mixed weather (wind, rain, sun – all in one day)
• 8+ hours per day of physical activity
• Quiet roads, remote villages, zero traffic
• Ferry and kayak transitions
• Deep physical and emotional challenge

Perfect for:

• Endurance lovers who want more than just miles — this is a journey, not a race
• Multi-sport athletes looking to push boundaries in a uniquely wild setting
• Adventurers who want the thrill of cycling, running and kayaking in one epic package
• People who love logistics being handled — all you need to do is show up and go
• Solo travellers, charity fundraisers, small groups, and anyone craving a challenge with soul

You'll need:

• A solid fitness base — able to be active for 6–8 hours/day for 4 consecutive days
• Experience with long-distance cycling on tarmac (not racing – but long days in the saddle)
• A willingness to run/hike in remote terrain and variable weather
• Comfort around open water (for kayaking — full safety support provided)
• Some grit — there will be headwinds, hills, and moments of doubt
• A sense of humour — it helps when it rains sideways in South Uist

Accommodation

All accommodation is pre-arranged and included:

• Mix of hotels, bunkhouses, hostels
• Twin-share and dormitory format
• Solo travellers paired
• All bedding provided
• Comfortable, simple, and scenic locations

Food and fuel

• Breakfasts and dinners provided
• Pit stops en route with water, hot drinks, and snacks
• Dietary requirements accommodated
• Local produce sourced where possible
• Fully plastic-free catering and no single-use items

Kit list essentials

You'll receive a full mandatory kit list.

• Road or cyclocross bike (or hire available)
• Helmet, lights, spares, tools
• Trail running gear (shoes, pack, layers)
• Waterproof layers
• Energy food and hydration system
• Basic navigation and safety gear (supplied if paddling)

FAQs

How do I navigate? You won't be staring at maps more than you have to! You'll use a downloaded route file and follow 'the line'.

What happens if I bail on the route? You'll be picked up by one of the sweeper vehicles and transported forwards.

Season

• Jan
• Feb
• Mar
• Apr
• May
• Jun
• Jul
• Aug
• Sep
• Oct
• Nov
• Dec

Your 5-day adventure

• Day 1 | Arrival, anticipation and ferry crossing

  You gather at Tyndrum with backpacks, nervous grins and small talk. The road north is long, the landscape bleak, the anticipation growing. The ferry ride from Ullapool to Stornoway is your first taste of the sea. The salt wind tangles your hair as you gaze out over swelling waves and islands appearing on the horizon.

  That evening, in your hotel bunk or hostel room, you sort your kit, double-check plans, and feel the hum of excitement. Five days of challenge, and five days of transformation has begun.

• Day 2 | Wheels up in Lewis, then run in Harris

  Morning comes early. You board buses north, arriving at the Butt of Lewis lighthouse; a rugged sentinel marking your start. You all mount your bikes. The tarmac is smooth, the roads are quiet, and every turn reveals rugged coastline, ancient standing stones, and sweeping moorlands. At your back: the Atlantic. At your front: endless island.

  Halfway through, you drop your bike and run a coastal trail, sea spray in your face, views across to distant islets. Then it's bikes again — over Harris’s ridges, through hidden valleys, to Leverburgh. The sense of motion is uniting and energising.

• Day 3 | Paddle, cycle, islands unfold

  If conditions allow, you’ll dip into kayaks. The waters are changeable and you'll glide between islands, with exposed rock, seals, wind, and the immeasurable horizon. If not, you ferry across, safety first!

  Back ashore in Berneray, you remount and cycle south through North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist. At one point, there’s a surreal beach crossing with sea shimmering on either side. The islands feel infinite and remote.

• Day 4 | Final push: Sea, summit and descent

  This is your day of peaks and crossings. Morning paddle across the Sound of Barra (weather permitting) — if you feel that rhythm of waves beneath your paddle, you’ll never forget it. Then back on your bike for a ride over hills, culminating in a run/hike to the summit of Heaval. At the peak, you scan the horizon — islands, sea, sky — and it's all yours.

  The descent brings you back to your bikes for the final ride to Vatersay, where wild beaches, cattle, wind, and salt mark the end. You pedal the final stretch and the finish line comes. Exhaustion, elation, tears, laughter — all at once!

• Day 5 | Homeward, reflections and farewell

  Before dawn, the ferry waits. You cross back to Oban, ride to Tyndrum. The land feels different now: smaller, familiar. You reflect on miles traversed, seas crossed, and friendships formed. The journey ends—but the transformation stays.

Included

• Event entry
• Accommodation (4 nights)
• Ferry travel and island transfers
• Pit stop support (food, water, medics, mechanics)
• Kayak and safety gear (if paddling)
• Luggage transfers
• Route guidance and safety briefings
• Finishers medal, tech tee

Optional extras

• Bike Hire (limited availability)
• Event merchandise
• Refund Protect insurance

Trip leader

James is your leader for this adventure. He's a multi-lingual running machine!

Fully supported

There will be a mixture of safety staff, pit stops and support vehicles to support you at intervals by the mobile ‘pit stop’ team. Multiple vehicles are on hand - and will be needed - plus multiple staff members, snacks and drinks to distribute. So, if it does get too much, if you overheat, get too cold, need sustenance, motivational support or otherwise, the crew will assist. You are in good hands.

Age

16 and 17 year olds will be considered on an individual basis, if taking part with a responsible adult.

You're covered

• Interest-free instalment plan
• Free transfer to some other events up to 1 month before
• Optional Refund Protect at checkout

Costs

Meeting point

The Real Food Cafe
Tyndrum
Crianlarich
Stirling
FK20 8RY
UK

Helpful logistics

• Start | Tyndrum, Scotland (arrive by train, car or bus)
• Transfers | Included to Ullapool, then Ferry to Stornoway
• End | Vatersay Ferry to Oban, then Coach to Tyndrum
• All internal travel is handled by the event team

What adventurers say

The sense of isolation and scale was unreal. You feel like you're the only person on earth out there.

Everything was taken care of — food, ferries, places to sleep — all I had to do was keep moving.

I’ll never forget riding across the beach as the sun set behind the Atlantic.

Sustainability promise

This adventure is committed to being low-impact. A full eco policy is available.

• Plastic-free event
• Zero food waste
• Local, low-carbon suppliers
• All travel carbon offset
• Support for Scottish conservation projects