About Wild Rides
Sharing my love of cycle touring and wild places is my passion
I fell in love with cycle touring at 19, when I threw a £50 tent on the back of my bike and set off from my home city of Glasgow to explore Scotland's beautiful west coast. I'd never felt such pure freedom and joy.
After university, I cycled the 15,000km through South America, following the Andes from Colombia to Ushuaia, and have since been joined by my partner, Heba, on a 12,000km tour across Africa and Asia. I am a qualified ride leader, and have extensive experience organising and leading group cycle tours, in both Europe and Africa.
The only thing I love more than cycle touring is sharing that joy with others - friends, family, and - now - you. I set up Wild Rides to help people discover just how incredible cycle touring is, especially in remote, challenging, rewarding destinations.
And it's not just cycle touring I'm passionate about, but all cycling: whether it's an epic cross-continental tour or popping to the shops, I think cycling should be for everyone. I also work for the UK's national cycling charity, Cycling UK (formerly the Cyclists' Touring Club), campaigning to make cycling accessible to everyone.
I hope I can help you fall in love - or even more in love - with cycle touring on the wild side.
Sustainability and impact
Cycle touring can and should have a positive impact on the world. Cycling is one of the oldest forms of sustainable transport, and by connecting communities and cultures in a way that simply isn’t possible in a car, campervan, or tour bus, travelling by bike can help break down the barriers that all too often divide society.
By leaving the commercial tourist trail, cycling touring is also a fantastic way to have a positive local economic impact, as you can be sure your money is going directly to the people who should be benefiting from adventure travel but so often aren’t - whether that’s buying supplies from local stores, using locally owned campsites, guest houses or paying directly for local guides.
Positive-impact adventure travel is therefore at the heart of Wild Rides, and we will do everything we can to ensure our tours proactively support local communities and businesses. We will also commit 5% of profits from each tour to locally run charities with demonstrated positive impact in their communities.
As we grow, we hope we can find more ways to have an even greater positive impact on the wonderful places we travel through.
- Keir, Wild Rides founder and tour leader -
Why ride with an independent operator?
We aren't a huge commercial tour operation - quite the opposite. What does that mean in practice?
It means rides planned and led by passionate cycle tourers, invested in ensuring you have the adventure of a lifetime.
It means an experience more like riding with friends than a group of tourists.
It means a genuine, A to B cycle tour - as close as you can get to independent cycle touring, without the faff.
Find your wild ride
Damaraland, Namibia
One of the world’s most remote and remarkable regions, Damaraland has it all: stunning scenery, vast landscapes, incredible starscapes, and a good chance to spot Africa’s famous wildlife from the saddle.
The Peruvian Andes
Snow capped peaks, glistening lakes, and tropical glaciers: we’ll take you off the tourist trail and help you find the Andes’ wild side.