It’s May again, and time for another Highland Trail mass start! The Highland Trail 550 is one of the hardest self-supported mountain biking routes in the world, taking in over 550 miles and 16,000 meters of the best off-road the Scottish Highlands has to offer. With copious amounts of hikeabike, exceptionally technical trails and the potential for extreme weather conditions in the mountains the Highland Trail is a real test for bikepackers. This year, for the first time ever, enough women signed up that there was initially a 50/50 start list. Unfortunately numbers have dwindled slightly since then, however there will be 27 women lining up in Tyndrum on Saturday, including some big names you may recognise! The competition this year is going to be fierce, especially as trail conditions are looking dry and fast. We’ve also got at least three women who are riding single-speed. This year could very well be a record breaking year!
I asked this years Women of the Highland Trail to let us all know about their journey to the start line, their goal for the mass start and what they are planning on getting for their finishers meal from the Real Food Cafe. I’m so excited for pre-start hanging out with all these rad riders!
Leanne Wrightson, 38, Glasgow, Scotland, @Blooming_wild_adventures
For the past three/four years I’ve dot watched the hardy folks tackling the HT550 and every year I’ve said “I wish I could do that” and “I wish there were more women/nb folks on the start line.” So, this year I took the leap and emailed Alan, to my shock (and sheer terror) he said yes. Then, after a large glass of wine, I confirmed my place.
I’ve never raced before and certainly don’t see myself as being competition for anyone. I just wanted to show up for myself, give it a go and hopefully encourage more women/nb riders to get to the start line. Finishing would be INCREDIBLE but, I’m also happy to be starting it and seeing how far I can push myself. I love riding (pushing/carrying) my bike and wild camping, I’m really good at eating cake and I’m no stranger to type 2 fun or living in the outdoors so, I hope I’ll be able to look after myself and make tough decisions if I have to but, I’m most excited about exploring more of Scotland by my own steam.
What will you get from the Real Food Cafe for your finishers meal?
Either chips and cheese with two pickled onions and a crusty roll or a chickpea curry with chips. I hope they have Irn Bru or Vimto.
Rachel Fox, 37, Edinburgh, Scotland, @rachslittleadventures
For me, the journey probably started when I was 18. My mum, sister and I rode from John O Groats to Lands End, we had cheap hybrid bikes, went a bizarre route and took over three weeks. It was ace. I loved the simplicity and the challenge of seeing the whole country by bike. Who knew Scotland was so big! 10 years later I moved to Edinburgh, started mountain biking and got into bikepacking. A friend mentioned about this thing called Highland Trail and I’ve been dotwatching it ever since. A little voice in the back of my head was saying ‘I wonder if I could do that’.
Back in 2019, a pal and I recced the northern loop, it was so cold I carried a hot water bottle. When we arrived at Kylesku the hotel was fully booked for dinner and I actually cried. I wrote about the experience and posted it on insta, and Alan had commented “group start next year?”. The little voice in my head got a bit louder.
Since then it’s been a frustrating few years with injuries. ACL reconstruction, meniscus damage and tendonitis, all plagued my journey to the start. I’m grateful my body seems to have now recovered, to the point where I can give this a go.
After all the injuries my main goal is to get my body to the start line in once piece (and maybe to get a pie in Lochinver).
I’m not the fastest rider, so I’ve been struggling a bit with imposter syndrome, with so many fast women and men on the start line, it’s easy to feel like I’m not supposed to be there. But hell, if I’m the loneliest pink dot at the back, I’ll still be out there doing it! And I’d love it if that helped other people who were maybe worried they weren’t good enough, fast enough or strong enough, to sign up for big things.
What will you get from the Real Food Cafe for your finishers meal?
I’m hoping I finish around 9am, the day doesn’t really matter, that’s when the scones come out of the oven…
Lynne Diamond Davies, 49, Peebles, Scotland, @i_am_diamond_davies
I have avidly dot watched every year, In 2022 I was watching the excitement of everyone’s preparation and I couldn’t sit on my hands any longer. On the eve of the 2022 event I emailed HT550 Alan and asked if I could have a place for 2023 – yes a year early! He cheekily emailed back saying he’d give me a place if I could get there for 8am the next day.
On the actual date the entries opened I quickly wrote up my request to join before I over thought the process and started to give myself reasons why I’d be better to wait another year…
To get to the startline I’ve done lots of lovely cycling to get as fit as possible (oh the hardship), I’ve read every blog ever written at least twice, and brought myself a teeny dinky tent my husband says resembles a coffin.
My main goal for HT550 is not to case a waterbar…
I want the opportunity to test myself, while enjoying the experience of such an epic adventure. I also want to see much more of Scotland’s wild remote places. I’m looking forward to seeing the famous Fisherfield view, and hopefully making the pie shop in Lochinver!
What will you get from the Real Food Cafe for your finishers meal?
Chickpea curry and chips please!
Peg Leyland, 47, Pukerua Bay, New Zealand
Last time I was back in the UK in 2018 I bumped into Lee Craigie at the Eroica bike festival and picked up her book about the Highland Trail. It sounded pretty epic, and the seed was sown.
My goal is to get immersed (hopefully not literally, though I understand this is a distinct possibility) in the highlands, which I have barely explored. I have no idea what is realistic in terms of time to cover the ground, but I hope to ride long steady days.
What will you get from the Real Food Cafe for your finishers meal?
Depends what time of day it is, but the Veggie Brekkie sounds delicious, alternatively it’s been a very long time since I had UK fish and chips!
Katie Strempke, 30, Utah, United States, @katie.strempke
Annie Lee who is also racing the HT550, visited Arizona during the winter and I had the opportunity to spend time and bikepack with her. She spoke highly of the riding in Scotland and encouraged me to come visit. With no plans for the summer, and registration opening in just a few days, the timing was right to make it happen. I’m spending a month in the UK and just finished the middle loop with my partner, Andrew, for a little taste of the route. I’ve been enamored by the landscape and the variety of riding so far and I’m excited to experience the whole route during the race! Many thanks to Annie for the invitation and encouragement!
I’m hoping to finish without too much bog juice in my socks! I love moving my body though beautiful landscapes and I’m looking forward to the challenge of completing the route.
What will you get from the Real Food Cafe for your finishers meal?
Any form of friend potatoes will do!
Liz Tromans, 60, Oldham, Manchester
It’s all Lee Craigie’s fault – I read “Joining the Dots” in 2018 and it lit a fire inside me. I wanted to see what I could do if I really pushed myself on the bike. I cam late to mountain biking (I started when I was 45 having spent my youth climbing, mountaineering and fell running) and although I loved hooning down trails on my bike I had never bikepacked. I started by entering the Bearbones 200 in 2021 (an event my husband had done but I had never considered myself fit enough for). I did some training and absolutely had the best time ever. This led on to solo journeys round the Lakeland 200 and 300; the Cairngorm loop; the JennRide; the Calder Divide and an unsuccessful attempt at the Bearbones 300 in 2022. When I heard Alan was trying to get a 50/50 split in the 2023 HT550 I decided it was now or never and sent in my entry.
My goal for the HT is to get round as quickly as I can. Realistically, I will be happy to complete it in 8 days, but am aware that it could be longer if things don’t go well. I am looking for an adventure that will enable me to discover a bit more about myself and what I’m capable of (or not!).
What will you get from the Real Food Cafe for your finishers meal?
If I complete I’ll look forward to fish and chips at the Real Food Cafe.
Annie Le, 33, Scottish Highlands, @a_girl_outside
I had no intention of signing up this year, but when I saw how many women were doing it, I thought it sounded like an amazing field and wanted to be part of it. I’ve always wanted to be in a big field of pink dots and be a mid pack rider. Often where there are so few women I feel pressure to put on a good ride even though I don’t associate with being a racer. This year I’m hoping to blend into the pack, whilst all the fast gals battle it out a long way ahead. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and exciting to have so many other women around.
I rode the route twice in 2021, so this year I feel a lot more relaxed going into it. I know the route and what to expect in terms of weather. So i’ve just had a lot of fun riding my bike when I can, fitting in longer overnights around work if it’s been possible, but not stressing when I’ve not managed. I don’t have the mentality to train, I just do stuff that I enjoy, be that mountain running, swimming or bike rides. My body is pretty fragile so I also spend plenty of time on the sofa being snoozy.
I’m just excited for the privilege of not having to worry about anything other than riding my bike and looking after myself. I want to have fun, be immersed in nature and get pie from Lochinver. Of course, it would be nice to finish and maybe in a faster time than last year, but i’m not willing to hurt my body or take out the fun to do that. Hopefully there will be some nice sunrises and sunsets while we are out there.
What will you get from the Real Food Cafe for your finishers meal?
Ooh, something with lots of of leafy bits and veg.
Cat Magill, 43, Edinburgh, Scotland, @catrmag
I rode the Highland Trail last year and had an epic experience. I was planning to try a different event this year, but when I realised there were going to be more women on the start line of the Highland Trail than ever before, I decided to join.
Last year I rode to see if I could finish. It was a complete unknown, and it wasn’t until about 20km from the end that I realised I’d done it – and it was such an amazing feeling. I’ll never forget that moment. This year I feel like I’m riding for and with the wider community – to be part of something beyond myself. I used to struggle to find friends to go on bikepacking trips with me, but in the last year I’ve met an incredible community of women in bikepacking, and it’s brought me so much joy. I want to see this community grow, and I want to see more women feeling confident to challenge themselves and get to the start and finish line of big rides. The Steezy Collective in particular has been a huge source of inspiration and support for me, and I hope I can be part of inspiring others.
What will you get from the Real Food Cafe for your finishers meal?
I’m going to massively congratulate myself if I make it to the Real Food Cafe before it closes on Friday. It would be a dream to get there in time for breakfast, but if it’s lunch or dinner time than i’ll of course have fish and chips.
Ruth Finney, 43, Shropshire, @shropshire_lass_finney
The HT550 has been on my list of epic rides to do, but I had always planned to take a fortnight over it and enjoy it. Anyway, I was out riding with a couple of other women recently who have entered this year and they mentioned that a female cancellation place had come up… so I took it as a cue to just get my butt in gear and give it a go!
I’m taking my Level 3 MTB Leader assessment with British Cycling in July, so I am using the HT550 to put into practice all the skills and knowledge (e.g. navigation, trail repairs, confidence riding in the wilderness/technical terrain, good decision making) that I have acquired working towards the qualification. I am also hoping to have an epic adventure exploring some parts of wild Scotland that I have never had an opportunity to visit before.
What will you get from the Real Food Cafe for your finishers meal?
Whatever I can get my hands on probably, but I like the sound of the Chickpea curry!
Roisin Daly, 45, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, @rosh_daly
I’ve always liked mucking about on bikes but I only started doing bigger miles in the last few years when I hit 40 and my son was suddenly grown up. I came across the self-supported bikepacking ‘race’ world, including the HT550, just looking for route inspiration. I guess the more I clocked my own miles in murky weather, at the same time as seeing what other people, including women like me, are doing the more the seeds sewn of ‘maybe’. The HT550 has been a favourite dot watch for me because it’s local and I know how tough the terrain can be but signing up was definitely a spontaneous thing, maybe a bit of now or never. I recon I was probably ovulating so enjoying those brief few days of super confidence when the call for women to sign up appeared on Insta.
My main goal is definitely just to finish. I’ve got an amazing amount of kudos for signing up, so will be good to earn that!
I’m really looking forward to being packing up and riding/hiking for a week. No more kit decisions and panic buying kit. I think I also wanted to feel part of the community, but I feel that before I’ve even started especially with all the support through the women of the TH550. Be nice to know there’s others out there on the route.
What will you get from the Real Food Cafe for your finishers meal?
Got to be Chickpea Curry.
Emily Harper, 35 (turning 36 during HT550!), Forest of Dean, @emily.is.on.an.adventure
Having done GBduro in 2021 and 2022 the best bit each time, by far, was Scotland, so the HT550 is the obvious next adventure (and also I heard about it from Alan himself).
My preparation wasn’t quite as I would have liked as I was off the bike for a few months from the end of January due to a bike crash and shoulder injury, but I’ve been frantically panic training since then!
My goal is to have fun, enjoy the views, not get eaten alive by midges and to finish.
What will you get from the Real Food Cafe for your finishers meal?
I think my finishers meal at the Real Food Cafe might have to be fish and chips 🙂
Philippa Battye, 37, Wilshire, @Philippa_Battye
HT550 has been on my radar for a while, a few good female friends have done it over the years! My journey to the startline was stalled by a year due to covid, so the anticipation has been even more drawn out than usual!
Main goal has to be finish in once piece! Ideally stronger than when I start. I want to try and enjoy as much of it as possible and really appreciate the route and terrain for what it is, avoiding any resentment for the life decisions I make!
What will you get from the Real Food Cafe for your finishers meal?
Depending on the time of day… a fry up or fish and chips. Maybe both.
Photo from Annie Le (@a_girl_outdoors)
