Bikepacking Scotland

Bikepacking Scotland by Markus Stitz features 20 great multi-day off-the-beaten-track cycling adventures across the Scottish mainland and islands.

The book features routes of different lengths which take in the best of the country, from the Ayrshire Alps, Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders in southern Scotland, through Perthshire's unique drovers' roads and the grand architecture of the Central Belt, across to Argyll's islands on ferry-hopping adventures around Islay, a paradise for whisky connoisseurs, and Jura and Mull to spot magnificent golden eagles. And, of course, the Scottish Highlands with an epic tour of the Cairngorms National Park, home to 25 per cent of Britain's rare and endangered species, as well as the author's own take on the North Coast 500 and more.

Researched and written by the founder of Bikepacking Scotland, and mostly accessible by public transport, each route includes all the information you need to help you plan your ride, with points of interest along the route, food recommendations and accommodation options, in addition to stunning photography and overview mapping. Downloadable GPX files of the routes are also available. Alongside further information on access, seasons and what to pack, and valuable insight from Scottish cycling personalities including Mark Beaumont and Jenny Graham, this book is full of practical tips and advice for both experienced bikepackers and those who want to try it out for the first time.

Auteur

Markus Stitz is a German-born route designer, filmmaker, photographer and writer, based in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. He caught the adventure bug while living in New Zealand and has explored Scotland extensively since he moved here in 2009. Before cycling 34,000 kilometres unsupported around the world on a single-speed mountain bike, he mapped his first bikepacking route, the Capital Trail, awarded best new route in 2015 by bikepacking.com Shortly after his trip he founded Bikepacking Scotland (bikepackingscotland.com) has worked in many corners of Scotland, designing bikepacking and gravel routes for Wild About Argyll, Visit East Lothian, the Cateran Ecomuseum, VisitCairngorms and others. Markus is an ultra-endurance racer, with three successful finishes of the Highland Trail 550, along with single finishes of the Silk Road Mountain Race and the Atlas Mountain Race. Markus's writing has appeared in a wide variety of magazines and online publications including Singletrack, Cycling UK, Cranked *and *Yellow Jersey. He is the author of Great British Gravel Rides and he also co-edited Big Rides: Great Britain & Ireland. Bikepacking Scotland is his second solo book. markusstitz.com