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Sandy | MTB guide | Photographer

@sandyshewan

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Raise your hand if you’ve ever done 117k on tarmac with downhill tyres. We hadn’t either until Mull 😅

We didn’t know what route to take, so we decided to do all of it if we could.
First stop, Tobermory. Ice cream, seafood, and a false sense of optimism. Back south to Salen and hit the Ben More road.
Climbing to the pass and into rain we weren’t moving fast enough to out pedal the midgies. Life was good.

We dropped down to Loch Scridain and made the shop before closing. rewarded ourselves with a cheeky cider and pushed on to Fidden, aiming to camp. A local weaver out walking his highland cow lured us into the pub with a promise of live music.
We stayed until Caledonia was sung and then rode the last 1.5 miles in the rain. My fleece did an excellent job of soaking most of it up.

Day two kicked off with a wee ferry to Iona.
We swam in the North Atlantic, then dried off with a cycle around the island—hit the abbey, the white strand of the monks and even got some hand stand practise.

Back on the ferry, some chips and another cider later, we made our way to Knockvologan for our wild camp which looked exactly like Narnia, if Narnia was 90% midgies and 10% damp sheep.
We did get a gorgeous sunset and a pretty epic last night to finish the trip.

In short: Mull and Iona are wild, remote and too beautiful.

…Until the next island adventures 😍 Bikepacking Isle of Mull

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I spent the last year doing what I thought was “right.”

Working hard in a job that took everything I had. Studying in what little time was left. And leaving almost nothing for anything else.

I came close to burnout, honestly, I think it was the worst I’ve ever felt.

One night I woke up at 2am and realised something important: If I wanted the life I’d been working towards… I had to quit the job that was draining me.

I couldn’t sleep. Was it genius, or complete madness? My tired 2am brain couldn’t decide, but I couldn’t let the thought go. It felt obvious, like my whole body already knew.

A few months later, I did the hard thing.
I left a job I’d been chasing for over five years. And I took a leap of faith. I started to tune into what energised me, and what left me with nothing left to give.

Before the decision, I felt so unwell I genuinely thought something must be wrong with me. But nothing was “wrong.” I was just walking the wrong path.

That sounds cheesy, I know. But it’s true.
At the time, I couldn’t see how unhealthy my life had become, I was just surviving, and barely at that. And even though I was terrified to leave the security of my job, it was the best thing I’ve ever done.

You can’t see what’s on the other side when you’re sinking. You can’t give energy to the important things, when you’re completely empty.

The worst part? These kinds of decisions feel massive, and our minds will come up with a million reasons not to make them.

But for me, this was 100% the right move.

And now a few months later, I found myself wild camping in Mull, swimming in the coldest, bluest sea, and pedalling slowly through misty hills, sometimes not even fast enough to outrun the midges. Tired, but in the kind of way that heals.
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📸 @sandyshewan

#bikepackingscotland #adventurebybike #mytiso #tisoonline #headintheskymtb #mtbscotland #girlslovemtb #calmacferries

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How We Ended Up at Sandwood Bay
(Totally by accident. But somehow, right on time.)

We had plans.
Good ones — the kind that involve trains, ferries, and plenty of type 2 fun.
But when every option sounds amazing, it’s hard to choose.

After a swim at Loch Morlich, we drove north.
Thirty kilometres into the HT550 northern loop, my knee quietly bowed out.
Change of plan, then…

We ended up at Achmelvich Bay for the night instead.
A morning swim, coffee on the beach — and suddenly we noticed just how far north we’d come.
And how close Sandwood Bay was.

It was never the plan — just one of those “someday” places you tuck away for the right moment.
And somehow, without really meaning to, we’d arrived.

We stopped at Lochinver for a pie that could honestly win awards. (Probably has.)
Visited Wailing Widow Falls. Took a nap — because adventuring is hard work. After a cheeky cider at Kylesku we carried on north until the road ran out.

Left the tents behind, opting for light bikes we set off towards one of the remotest beaches in Scotland.

Rolling down the last descent of the 7km ride, we saw Sandwood Bay in the distance.
Waves dangerously high, no sunshine.

We chilled on the beach, munching apple pie with custard and drinking cider.
Then, just like it was waiting for us, the sun started burning through the clouds and the waves settled.

The sunset that followed? Insanely beautiful.

Louise looked at me and said, “We have to go in.”
Because why not throw yourself into freezing Atlantic water when you’re already far from help and slightly mad?

So, kit off, and in we went.

We went looking for adventure and we found a beach at the edge of the map.
And in the end, the real magic was feeling like you’re the only two people in the world Mtb mountainbike adventure

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The Hebridean Way. You know when you set out by saying, if we leave now, we might just make the ferry, it’s gonna be something special. And boy, it was.

A bikepacking trip that involves multiple ferry’s, islands, beaches, swims and the classy of all, pot noodles. If this doesn’t make you feel anything short of awe struck, I don’t really know what will. Although, watch out for South Uist time warp, it goes backwards there, and any hill you pedal up, does not end in a downhill, but weirdly another incline. A trip where you find yourself chasing coops, and sunsets, and most likely a headwind too.

There really is something pretty special about Scottish islands, but Scottish islands by bike. Incredible. People. Get it on your list!!😍
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@tisoonline
#calmac #hebrideanway #hebrideanwaycycle #adventurebybike #bikepackingscotland #ridelikeagirl

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