A wheely good idea

Sports enthusiast Andy Burton came up with a 'wheely' good idea for a new business which impressed local enterprise company, Lochaber Enterprise.

The former call centre project manager from Edinburgh decided to re-locate to the area two years ago because of his love for the outdoors.

After working for a local chain of hotels and the popular Lochaber Life magazine, he thought it was time to strike out in business on his own.

So it was natural that his passion for mountain biking, climbing and hill walking provided the inspiration for his new venture.

Lochaber is renowned for its range of outdoor activities and the increased profile for the sport as a result of the recent World Cup Mountain Bike event in Fort William, coupled with the assistance available from Lochaber Enterprise, encouraged Mr Burton to take the plunge.

'Wheely Good Bike Guides' offers package deals including bike hire, safety equipment and qualified guides with detailed knowledge of the area.  The business will cater for all age, skill and fitness levels and will work in partnership with other outdoor activity centres in the area.

Andy is initially working from home and will rent space from Vertical Descents Adventure Centre in Inchree.

Lochaber Enterprise approved a grant of £2,000 to help with Andy's set-up costs of £4,800.

Andy said: "I have always had a love for the outdoors and am particularly keen on mountain biking, snowboarding, climbing and hill walking as well as white water rafting and sea kayaking.

"Lochaber is a great place to live because I can enjoy all these sports.  I was thinking about starting up my own business for a year and Lochaber Enterprise gave me vital advice and support to set up the business.

"It was also the success of the two World Cup events in 2002 and 2003 that confirmed to me there was an opportunity to combine business with pleasure.

"Shortly after I started, I ran a teambuilding event for 35 Russian IT Consultants on behalf of Kuoni Travel.  It was a kind of treasure hunt on mountain bikes based on the film 'Highlander'.  It was hilarious and everyone enjoyed the variation on a theme."

Tourism in Lochaber accounts for more than 30 per cent of the GDP.  It is estimated that approximately one million tourism trips are made to Lochaber each year and research indicates that adventure tourism may account for up to 65 per cent of these.  Visitor spend is estimated to be worth £145-155million to the local economy.

Lochaber Enterprise chief executive Charlotte Wright said: "The two World Cup events generated a momentum and enthusiasm to position Lochaber as 'the Outdoor Capital of the UK'.

"A VisitScotland report identified mountain biking as having one of the highest participation rates amongst adventure/extreme sports in the UK.  It is a versatile sport that appeals across a wide target market with varying degrees of experience.

"With the success of the Downhill Mountain Bike Track at Nevis Range and the increase in mountain bike trails available in the area, Andy Burton has seen a gap in the market and has been able to take advantage of this and create a worthwhile business venture."

To find out more about Andy's business, you can e-mail him at andy@wheely-good.co.uk