Jim Sutherland - Ride Away Bike Packing
Getting Started
Jim Sutherland first got the idea for Ride Away Bike Packing in the summer of 2022 when he created and rode his own version of the Lands End to John O' Groats route, which was 1200 miles long with over 62,000ft of ascent. On the way he met lots of interesting, local people and sampled great places to eat and stay. The route was a blend of quiet backroads, bridleways and committing mountain tracks and trails. This experience has made Jim want to share a small version of this with others to help them then go on to have adventures of their own with a similar ethos of community and leave no trace on the way.
The Enterprise Journey
Jim’s journey started early on:
‘I have never found it difficult to dream about adventures, whether at night when asleep or with my eyes open wide. This approach has taken me all over the Scottish Highlands where I grew up; Spain, the Alps, the Southwest of the US by hiking, climbing, skiing and more recently by bike.’
Jim is a a qualified Mountain Bike Leader and holds the Winter Mountaineering & Climbing Instructor Award. From 2003 to 2019 he was director of his own small, guided mountaineering business based in The Torridon Mountains. Since moving to The Cairngorm National Park with his wife and family he has spent time exploring the tremendous variety of biking available out the back door of his home in Grantown on Spey.
Jim has had his own bike packing adventures all over Scotland, including The Capital Trail, The Deeside Trail, an offroad coast to coast to celebrate his 50th birthday, The Moray Trail which he has cycled six times so far! In 2019 he also rode unsupported over 1100 miles on The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route through Alberta, British Columbia, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. A route that he hopes to fully complete in the future.
Jim has had support along the way including our own Karen Martin from Growbiz, his entrepreneurial colleagues Angus Grant and Kyle Noble at Grantown Grammar School, friend Jane Candish, his wife and family but most of all Jim’s friend Al Gilmour at The Bothy Bakery in Grantown on Spey.
Ride Away Bike Packing is also about using local suppliers and Jim’s greatest achievement to date has been getting to know the local shopkeepers and business owners right here in Grantown on Spey, sharing his vision for Ride Away Bike Packing with them and receiving their backing to make the business work.
With the continued cost of living crisis, the impact on the business has been to reinforce the quality of the experience as if visitors are going to spend their precious money on an all-inclusive guided bike packing weekend it will need to be enjoyable, memorable and high-quality for them.
Support
Q. How do you feel about the support you've had from GrowBiz?
The support I have received from GrowBiz has been fantastic. My first meeting with Karen inspired me to go home and get cracking the very next day. I have been introduced to web design specialists who have explained clearly to me all the implications of having a website created from scratch. I have been encouraged to apply for a Business Gateway start-up grant. I have attended webinars for new businesses. Karen has continued to check in with me and give further advice.
Q. What other support do you feel you need at this time?
I require support in identifying, reaching and attracting my target audience through marketing, website and yes… social media!
Looking to the Future
Jim remains focused on plans for the future and hopes to offer great experiences for his guests on weekend trips, introduce day rides with a similar ethos and in the future plan, prepare and make more remote expeditions further afield with return guests.
Jim has no plans to recruit at the moment and is finding managing social media the hardest thing about running his own business.
Built into Ride Away Bike Packing is a sustainable model and using local business Jim also promotes ‘Leave No Trace’ when out on trips and comments:
‘I will be recommending that once guests have booked a weekend trip, they spend 45 minutes working through the excellent online Leave No Trace course from LeaveNoTrace Ireland. This will reinforce the responsibility that we all have on these rides and encourage them to apply these 7 principles.
In the future I would like to ‘reward’ guests to travel to join a weekend trip by public transport. Unfortunately, the transport network in the UK does not make this easy with bikes!’
To see the range of bike packing tours available from Jim this year visit https://www.rideawaybikepacking.co.uk
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