After 8 years of operating in Europe and providing epic mountain biking holidays in world-class destinations such as Finale Ligure, Morzine and the Aosta valley we are so stoked to finally announce our merger with Tom Hutton MTB and the start of our UK operation. Scotland Ultimate Wild Trail Sarafi or Cairngorm Big Mountain Magic anyone?
With both Rich and Ben (Founder and Owners) being born and raised in the UK we always knew there was so much incredible riding here and after endless weekends spent in Wales, Scotland and so on we knew the potential was there for some amazing trips. The real research however started after Rich moved back to Bristol from Morzine in 2016. Skip to 2020 after many crazy years of running the all the European trips the pandemic finally gave us time to focus on the UK, cue the introduction of Tom and Steph from Tom Hutton MTB.
Introducing Tom and Steph from Tom Hutton MTB
From the first contact with Tom and Steph it was positive and exciting, with the plan to create a Scotland trip for MTB Beds that would blow people's minds and really show the true scale of mountain bike perfection that is on offer in the UK. Tom's knowledge of the UK and it's trails are second to none, with this being cemented by his brilliant guide books and being the man behind the MBR magazine trail pull out's over the years!
Combined, Tom and Steph are a force to be reckoned with, both qualified to BC level 3 with additional mountain leadership tickets and an ability to inspire confidence in their clients with their knowledge, bike skills and infectious enthusiasm! The clients comes first, no stone is left un-turned and it's all smiles from the first corner. Tom is a self confessed map geek and the attention to route detail is amazing. Steph never stop smiling, just don't challenge her to an uphill race, you will loose, you have been warned!
So back in September 2020 Rich spent 7 days with Tom riding around Scotland putting the final pieces of the puzzle together for our Scotland trip and after several conversations it became evident that there was so much more we could do together and that maybe the timing was just about perfect for diving deeper into the relationship.
As the trip progressed with many rides, car journeys, hike a bikes and a few beers it became very clear that Tom and Steph's real passion was not for sitting behind the computer running the daily business but for guiding, entertaining and making sure their clients leave with huge smiles and as better riders with experiences they will never forget! This is when we started thinking about a merger and what each company could offer to the other, their clients and the overall experience and it simply made sense.
At the peak of Ben Macdui, the UK's second highest Mountain.
And here we are now, on the 26th Feb 2021 in the midst of the global pandemic announcing our merger, I suppose there is one thing we have to thank the pandemic for and this is bringing us together and giving us the time to refocus, re assess and change our paths slightly to achieve what we would rarely have had time to do under our normal, busy working lives.
Sometimes you meet people who inspire you, who you want to work with, who share the same passions and work ethics as you do and we believe that is what we have here! We can not wait to start developing both Tom Hutton and MTB Beds trips and additional offerings together.
New friendship and new adventures
So what does this all mean.. Well on the surface not much will change at Tom Hutton MTB, with Tom and Steph continuing to guide their incredible UK trips with their natural flair and passion for the great outdoors and life on two wheels. But in the background, once fully up to speed the Tom Hutton brand will benefit from a new booking system, new vehicles, new partners and the support of the well oiled machine that is MTB Beds with our in house videographer and admin team.
This will allow Tom and Steph to spend more time developing new trips with Rich and Ben to sit on both the Tom Hutton and MTB Beds platforms and we will be releasing the first of these very soon. From more Enduro focused trips exploring some of the finest, steep and technical riding destinations to epic bike packing adventures deep into the UK wilderness these trips should not be missed! This will also allow Tom to do more guiding and coaching for his our MTB Beds clients with pre holiday guiding and coaching packages coming soon with great discount if you book both!
But for now head over the the Tom Hutton MTB website and check out their 2021 trips, most of which are now sold out but you might still be able to bag some spots! From the Cairngorm Big Mountain Weekend to the Snowdon 3 Day Special there is something for everyone!
Thank you and stay tuned for more big announcements soon. #FREEYOURRIDE #ONEPEDALAHEAD
