west – Markus Stitz

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West Highland Way in one day - Done it!

West Highland Way in one day – Done it!

photo: markus stitz – At the top of Devil’s Staircase Kinlochleven-bound

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It would have been rude not to take the Kinesis G2

It would have been rude not to take the Kinesis G2 out for a quick test ride before the Dorset Dirt Dash. Great to see @kinesisbikes_uk supporting the event. And as I couldn’t take my own bike down, they paired me with the G2 for the weekend. The scenery & gravel tracks here are nothing short of spectacular. Lens duty tomorrow at @dirtdash_cc - really looking forward to it. Thanks also to @schwalbetyresuk & @komoot for supporting grassroots gravel & bikepacking. And if you like what you see, part of my route from tonight is featured in Great British Gravel Rides. #gravel #dorset

An evening on Alyth Hill - simply stunning!

An evening on Alyth Hill - simply stunning!

Adventure doesn’t need to be an epic expedition.

Adventure doesn’t need to be an epic expedition. An adventure can simply be cycling those trails you noticed exploring, and want to discover more. I combined some well-known trails with those trails in the Pentlands I always skipped - and then topped an already great trip with finishing on the John Buchan Way from Broughton to Peebles. Amazing day out! #gravel

The Gralloch - what an experience. On Friday Mark

The Gralloch - what an experience. On Friday Mark & I made the journey to Galloway for a chat on stage in the riders’ zone of the first event of the @ucigravelworldseries. Sadly we couldn’t race, but managed to ride some of the course in the morning. I remembered sections of the race route from riding a route for’Great British Gravel Rides’ with Esther & Warren from @gallowaycycling. The conditions were ace, fast & dusty trails. And afterwards we soaked up the atmosphere in the small village that welcomed the riders like you’d expect in Scotland. Congrats @tiffanycromwell & @swiftconnor on the win. And a massive thanks to Max & Malcolm for inviting us and organising such a fab event! And if you want to find out more about the route - link for Great British Gravel Rides is in my bio #gravel #galloway

It‘s live - Bikepacking Scotland, the book! Avai

It‘s live - Bikepacking Scotland, the book! Available now online & in your favourite local book shop! If you want to support my work, you can also order a copy from me, you’ll find the link in my bio. It’s not just a book, you can download all routes as GPX & find QR codes to films for the routes. #bikepacking #scotland

A weekend gravel and road riding in the Borders, w

Time to get some miles in those legs, singlespeed

This weekend I visited the city of Lelystad - and

This weekend I visited the city of Lelystad - and it was a great reminder of a few things. I love Scotland, but the infrastructure for bikes here is so much better. Not just the paths, but also the ease of access - we paid 12.50 Euros for our hire bikes. If we really want more people on bikes in the UK - we urgently need large scale investment like here. For tourism - hotels rent bikes, we hired ours at a cafe - superb service. It works both ways, as the cafe hired bikes, we had lunch there too - and will 100% be back. @onzekaslelystad is highly recommended. Public transport is the other thing. Although we had a wee apartment out of town, there was a bus. Train to Lelystad, bus to next stop, an 1.6km walk to our host. All easy, and while a car would have been easier, it was not necessary. And in regards to bikes, our 7speed bikes did just fine. Yes, a nice & fast gravel bike would have been great, but with the amount of great cycling infrastructure from coast to nature parks, it was totally fine to cruise around on those bikes. And I found out that the wonderful Gormley statue ‘Exposure’ (pictured) was built in East Lothian. After visiting his Angel of the North, Domain field and some other sculptures, this was one of the highlights to explore easily by bike. Netherlands for a holiday - highly recommended!

The advance copy of Bikepacking Scotland has arriv

The advance copy of Bikepacking Scotland has arrived. Not long until the first batch of books will be here - in time for @mucknmacfest & @bikefestivalaviemore I hope. Hopefully good inspiration for the new #bikepacking season.

There are very good reasons why Central Scotland v

There are very good reasons why Central Scotland very prominently in my new book. Great architecture, a fascinating history and also places where you won’t feel that you are so close to a very populated area. Here are a few examples in pictures from exploring the Firth of Forth, East Lothian & Falkirk.

This should give you an idea why I think the Scott

This should give you an idea why I think the Scottish Borders are fab for cycling! Route no.3 in Bikepacking Scotland will take you on those wonderful heritage paths - like Dere Street.

A final ride to double check a route for the new b

A final ride to double check a route for the new book - and a welcome break from proofing PDFs. This is where the Bikepacking Scotland story, which started with the Capital Trail in 2015 continued - with mapping the Reiver Raid & documenting it in the first film - The Reiver Raid. I wanted to have a good spread routes in the new book, from demanding multi-day expeditions to routes like this - 70km that don’t require too much planning, but offer plenty of great views, some riding that’ll test your skills - but also plenty of nice places to stop & enjoy the local offer. Last set of amends has been sent, the final book is going to print this week. Check out my bio for a link to pre-order a signed copy. #bikepacking #scotlandstartshere

Here’s a short preview where Bikepacking Scotlan

Here’s a short preview where Bikepacking Scotland book can take you. The book features this stunning loop in Moray & the Cairngorms National Park. We included tips on where to eat/sleep and hire bikes. The bikes for this trip came from @cyclelochness - link to pre-order in my bio or on the @vertebrate_publishing website.

Another wee preview to the new book - you can expe

Another wee preview to the new book - you can expect routes of varying lengths, and shorter routes like this one - which takes you from Haymarket to Kinross. An ideal introduction to #bikepacking. We are finalising the last details before the @bikepackingscot book goes to print. Exciting times. You can pre-order trough me (link in bio) or @vertebrate_publishing

An amazing weekend - essential ingredient - the bi

An amazing weekend - essential ingredient - the bike. When it comes to route planning I am a perfectionist - and use every opportunity to look for better alternatives. It’s a lengthy process at times, as it requires cycling a certain stretch of a route multiple times, to eventually pick the best bits. I had to get a big ride in to see where my fitness levels are, and cycled almost 200km from Aberdeen to Perth yesterday, with stunning new finds like Prince’s Albert’s Cairn (a pyramid) at Balmoral. Today’s ride was only half the distance, but the outcome is that a good route will be even better. Back to proofing now, doing chages & then ‘Bikepacking Scotland’ from @vertebrate_publishing is finished!!! I did all journeys this weekend by public transport as well, thanks to the amazing @rideember & @scotrail

Cold temperatures & snow - there are no better con

Cold temperatures & snow - there are no better conditions for an overnighter. Yes, I initially questioned my decision to take a 7.30pm train, with another 2hrs to ride once I arrived. But making it to a hut, all for myself, having pasta & a Deanston dram at midnight was totally worth it. More of this will be in the book I just proofed for @vertebrate_publishing

The magic of winter cycling

The magic of winter cycling

Today was essential. Understanding that a day outs

Today was essential. Understanding that a day outside the office is much more productive & creative. I started filming for a new feature, and scoped the first part of a new event route, which includes the Cairngorms National Park Loop featured in the upcoming book. This descent to the Spittal of Glenshee is fun without snow, but even more so with this view and the wonderful noise of tyres crunching through fresh powder. Simply wonderful!

As I am getting a first proof this week, here are

As I am getting a first proof this week, here are more images from routes featured in ‘Bikepacking Scotland’ - there’ll be a good mix of shorter & longer routes, all designed & mapped by me. But I also thought it’s important to include portraits of people that have put a lot of work into developing routes & events, like @ht550alan - who welcomed me to my first #bikepacking ride in 2014. The 176 pages are filled with words & pictures that’ll hopefully get you to grab your bike & enjoy an adventure. If you’d like to be the first to get the book - link to pre-order is in my bio. @vertebrate_publishing

A social ride on the new #bikepacking route in the

A social ride on the new #bikepacking route in the Cairngorms was one of the off stage highlights on the Faster Tour with @mrmarkbeaumont - we drove to Ballater after a great audience in Aberdeen, had a great welcome at the @balmoralarms and managed to bump into the legend @nick1craig at breakfast. At midday we set out from @cyclehighlands for 2.5 hours of sheer joy! The route is available for free at the @visitcairngorms & @bikepackingscot websites, but will also be featured in ‘Bikepacking Scotland’ - one of 20 adventures on two wheels. #gravel #cycling - link to film & book portraying the route in my bio

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