The Carter Company (www.the-carter-company.com) has launched Highland Scotland's most accessible east to west coast bike holiday, helping leisure cyclists of all ages and abilities ride from Nairn to Port Appin.

The luxury bike holiday specialist has created Highlands Coast to Coast, a 130 mile self-guided route that averages 21 miles per day and includes seven boutique hotel stop-offs for nightly recuperation.

Despite stretching through mountain ranges and brushing past Ben Nevis and the volcanic peaks of Glen Coe, the ride avoids any of the extreme climbs and long distances associated with other Highland routes. Only two of the six cycling days require more than 20 miles of riding, although there are options to go further for those who want to.

The mostly traffic-free route takes riders through some of the Highlands' most stunning scenery, following bike paths, the Loch Ness shoreline, the Caledonian Canal through the Great Glen, taking back lanes to historic towns and tiny fishing hamlets, and finishing along a disused railway hugging the west coast seashore.

Among the many highlights cyclists on the slow-travel route have time to discover are Culloden Battlefield, the site of the last full-scale battle on British soil; Cawdor Castle, which Shakespeare used as his setting for Macbeth; whisky sampling at a traditional Scottish distillery, and the pioneering eco-village of Findhorn.

The Carter Company specialises in providing luxury cycling holidays, so each night riders stay at a boutique hotel in a stunning location. Luggage is transported each day and riders are equipped with high quality hybrid bikes fit to their frame.

Wendy Carter, founder of The Carter Company, designed the route with leisure cyclists in mind. She says: "I wanted to make the Highlands accessible to any standard of cyclist. Our exclusive route includes the stunning scenery and captures the romanticism of the region, without the lung-busting climbs and challenging descents that only a biking specialist could tackle."

Highlands Coast to Coast costs from £1,425 per person based on two people sharing a room, and includes bike hire, hotel accommodation, luggage transfers and cooked breakfast each day.

To find out more visit: http://www.the-carter-company.com/trip/cycling-holiday/in-scotland/the-highlands-coast-to-coast/

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