About Vurie Adventures

Back in 2002 Garry Meikle (me), was recovering from knee surgery when I asked my physiotherapist, a Dutchman, if he thought a mountain biking trip to France would provide suitable activity for promoting heeling in said knee. “No!” came the emphatic reply. Not being so easily deflected I countered, “Well what about a cycling holiday in The Netherlands?” to which my therapist gave a confirmatory nod and said “Yes”.

A week later I flew to Schiphol, hopped on a train to Utrecht , hired a bike at the station – shopping basket included – and then just cycled away. I had no pre-determined route and nowhere to stay. I had a ball. It turned out to be the most relaxing and rewarding holiday of my life up to that point.

I cycled from town to town, ambling my way along the banks of the Rhine, through cool forests and pleasant countryside almost exclusively on traffic free cycle paths. Bliss – just how cycling should be!

Prior to that trip I’d been a reasonably regular cyclist, using a bike to access mountains for walks and fell runs or cycling for cycling’s sake. But it was only afterwards that I realised cycling had so much more to offer the discerning traveller. And ever since the idea of setting up a company to run cycle tours has lingered in the back of my mind, and now, having amassed considerable experience riding the trails of Scotland and other parts of Europe that idea is now a reality.

What do we do?

Vurie Adventures specialise in providing cycling and multi activity holidays in Scotland. We arrange bike hire, accommodation and baggage transfer. We design and set routes, provide maps with detailed route descriptions, and reassuringly we also provide cycling support services for our customers on point to point tours and in certain centre based holidays. Yes that means we will try to get as close as possible to you with a support vehicle if you have a technical issue with your bicycle. Our trained support staff will attempt trailside repairs. And failing that, they’ll deliver you to your next night’s destination and provide you with a replacement bike so you can continue your holiday.

Our cycling routes follow a mix of cycle path, forest and farm track, quiet country road, footpath and very occasionally short sections of main road. We look to design our cycling routes to be as traffic free as can be.

Where do we do it?

We are based in the historic city of Stirling, known as the gateway to the Highlands. The majority of our tours start in Stirling and head north into the central Highlands ranging as far as Glen Coe to the northwest and Glen Garry to the northeast. We also offer single center cycling and activity holidays at various locations throughout Scotland.

What’s the cycling like?

Our cycling routes are chosen for their variety of terrain and scenic beauty. We offer a mix of road and trail cycling routes and even more challenging mountain bike routes. And some routes incorporate a bit of everything. We can tailor routes to be as easy or demanding as you like. In fact if you want super easy we can do that simply by designing a route that is mostly flat or downhill or by giving you an e-bike. An e-bike or electric bike assists with pedaling which can make hills almost effortless. If you wish to test your strength, skill and stamina on a mountain bike then you’ll be glad to know we have routes aplenty up our sleeve.

Who are our holidays for?

Almost anybody endowed with the spirit of adventure! If you’d like to try a cycling holiday but aren’t sure about your abilities and don’t want to commit to any set daily mileage then our single centre holidays would be the place to start. With these you can do as little or as much cycling as you like. Alternatively our grading system will help you gauge whether a holiday is suitable for you.

What’s our philosophy?

We love the great outdoors and we love playing in them. We’re lucky enough to have an environment as diverse as the Scottish countryside to explore; and we take great pleasure in sharing some of its highlights with our customers. It’s important that we provide high quality holidays that deliver real value. And if at the end of your holiday you feel healthy and happy then we will be happy. Holidays are a time to relax and have fun and cycling along quiet country paths, especially in a land as beautiful as Scotland, can be very relaxing and lots of fun.

The experience of discovery is a wondrous thing and all our holidays are intended to be voyages of discovery. Each day will bring something new. You’ll visit welcoming highland villages and towns and have the opportunity to spot a great variety of wildlife including: red and roe deer; pine marten; red squirrels; if you're lucky the elusive Scottish wildcat and numerous other mammal species; a massive variety of birdlife including golden eagles; ospreys; peregrine falcons; several types of owl and other majestic birds of prey. There's grouse; capercaillie; ptarmigan; lapwing; bunting; tits and finches galore; geese; duck; oystercatcher and heron and the ever popular robin to name just a few. And that's just inland. You can climb mountains, swim in rivers, canoe on lochs and enjoy spellbinding scenery. Oh, and yes of course you can visit castles and distilleries. But most importantly, what you do is entirely up to you. We provide the information and you pick and choose as you please.

Why the name?

Vurie pronounced (voo-ree) is a phonetic translation of the Gaelic word ‘Bhuiridh’ which means ‘roaring’ or ‘bellowing’ according to some Gaelic dictionaries. Some Gaelic dictionaries state it has the additional meanings of ‘digging’ and ‘delving’. For me it’s named after a hill from which the views over Scotland are spectacular. It’s a hill that many ski on during the winter, mountain bike on in summer and walk on all year round. But whatever the meaning we hope you have a rip-roaring time delving into Scotland’s marvelous nature and digging into its past. And if you’re passing the White Corries at the western edge of Rannoch Moor I thoroughly recommend a jaunt to the summit of Meall a’ Bhuiridh (meel-ah-voo-ree).