Our bikepacking gravel guidebooks, written by experts, are designed to inspire your adventures in Scotland. Each book is thoroughly researched, offering the best routes to fuel your bikepacking and gravel cycling journeys. Our books are the perfect companion to exploring Scotland by bike.
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Available now! Gravel Rides Cairngorms & Perthshire
Our latest book Gravel Rides Cairngorms & Perthshire features 15 of the finest gravel bike rides across Cairngorms National Park, extending south into Perthshire and the Angus Glens. The routes range from 14 to 77 kilometers; the book offers something for every gravel cyclist. Furthermore can experience the smooth, fast gravel of disused railway lines on the Deeside Way and Dava Way. Or tackle the iconic Burma Road mountain pass. In addition you can explore remote Highland glens like Little Glen Shee, where solitude is guaranteed.
Researched, ridden, and written by Markus Stitz the book provides easy-to-follow Ordnance Survey maps, route directions, distance, timings, and difficulty gradings. Moreover you can enjoy stunning photography, find useful local insights, make the most of our recommended refreshment stops, and a detailed appendix. Furthermore the book also includes a link to downloadable GPX files for each route.
‘The Cairngorms and Perthshire offer some of the most spectacular landscapes in Scotland, which I got to explore from an early age, being home-schooled on a farm near Blairgowrie. Markus has once again captured this wilderness in stunning pictures for this book.’
Mark Beaumont, record-breaking cyclist and adventurer
BIKEPACKING SCOTLAND
Bikepacking Scotland by Markus Stitz features 20 great multi-day off-the-beaten-track cycling adventures across the Scottish mainland and islands. Click here for a sample.
‘If you’d like to benefit from the years of hard work and exploration that Stitz has put into his routes, check out his books.’ James Howell-Jones, Global Cycling Network
What to expect
Our book features routes of different lengths which take in the best of Scotland. Moreover we take you on routes 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. Additionally, we encourage you to travel across to Argyll’s islands on ferry-hopping adventures around Islay, a paradise for whisky connoisseurs, and to Jura and Mull to spot magnificent golden eagles.
Moreover, enjoy the Scottish Highlands with an epic tour of the Cairngorms National Park, home to 25 per cent of Britain’s rare and endangered species. And additionally you can enjoy Markus’ own take on the North Coast 500 and more. Watch the film below to get inspired by Bikepacking Scotland.
All the detail you need to plan your trip
You can benefit from our extensive research, and we made sure that most routes are accessible by public transport. Additionally 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.
Our book features stunning photography and overview mapping, and you can download GPX files for each route in the book to navigate. Let Bikepacking Scotland inspire you with information on what to pack and valuable insight from Scottish cycling personalities including Mark Beaumont and Jenny Graham. Leave the planning of your Scotland bikepacking trip to us. We made sure that our book is full of practical tips and advice for both experienced bikepackers and those who want to try it out for the first time.
Reviews in the media
‘This is a guide I can wholeheartedly recommend.’ Sam Waller, Cycling UK
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Beautifully illustrated, easy to use and with a ton of useful information … perfect for exploring on two wheels.’ Richard Bath, Scottish Field
‘Bikepacking Scotland is a well-edited book whose many route suggestions are just for jumping on the bike and riding. It can also be used for inspiration when planning your very own personal route.’ Torben Finn Laursen, cykelportalen.dk
‘this is scottish adventure at its best, writ large with a capital ‘a’ (if i actually employed capital letters in the first place). markus’ unbridled enthusiasm for his metier shines out of every page.’ brian palmer, thewashingmachinepost
‘This book is far more than a visual aid; it’s an adrenaline shot, to get you out on open tracks adventuring.’ Eoghan McHugh, Sportive.com
‘The book is well laid out and packed with useful information. The photography is excellent and inspiring.’ Fiona Russell, FionaOutdoors
‘Markus’s enthusiasm for just riding a bike as it seems to shine through on every page.’ Gary Walls, UK Gravel Collective
Reader reviews
Good if you don’t know Scotland
Nice book if you don’t know Scotland at all. I live in the Highlands, and found that there wasn’t much in it that I didn’t know about. I guess that most stuff is already out there so it’s difficult to create new routes. Nice format to the book. A good book for someone visiting Scotland from elsewhere
A treasure trove of information
A brilliant book jammed pack full of information. It’s comprehensive and I love that there are routes of varying difficulty fore both beginner and seasoned bikepackers. I love that you can scan the QR codes and then you’ve got the GPX files on your phone. Markus has covered everything in the book, from this beginner’s point of view.
Reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.com
Media coverage of Bikepacking Scotland
The Guardian – ‘It’s all about freedom and adventure’: five of the best bikepacking routes in Scotland
UK Hillwalking – Bikepacking Scotland – Five of the Best Routes
Always Another Adventure – Podcast Bikepacking Scotland
BBC Outdoors Podcast – Bikepacking in Scotland with Markus Stitz
Scottish Field – Take a look at the top five bikepacking routes in Scotland
The Courier – Best wild adventures in little-known corners of Scotland – by bike
The Herald – Bikepacker Markus Stitz on his love for Lairig Gate in the Cairngorms
Press & Journal – Cycling expert believes Inverness could be a hub for off-the-beaten-track adventures
Der SchottlandBerater (DE) – Bikepacking Scotland von Markus Stitz
Grit! – Gravel with Grinta! (BE) – LEESTIP: Bikepacking Scotland
Bikerumor – New Cycling Guidebook Helps Bikepackers Explore Scotland’s Mountains and Glens
GREAT BRITISH GRAVEL RIDES
Our second book Great British Gravel Rides pays homage to the very best gravel cycling across England, Wales and Scotland. In this book we have curated a collection of 25 routes across Britain – each a favourite route of a well-known gravel cyclist.
You can join round-the-world cycling men’s record holder Mark Beaumont in East Lothian, experience a different side of East Anglia with ultra-endurance racer Josh Ibbett and GBDURO20 winner Gail Brown, or embark on a coast-to-coast trip across Scotland with round-the-world cycling women’s record holder Jenny Graham. You get the chance to see the best of Scottish Borders with diversity in cycling champion Aneela McKenna.
‘Never mind gravel, this book is a real gem: highly recommended.’ Sportive.com
You can find more reviews, media coverage and much more on markusstitz.com
BIG RIDES – Great Britain & Northern Ireland
Big Rides: Great Britain and Ireland is your inspirational guide to the most iconic, epic and popular long-distance cycle trails in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, including two excursions from mainland Britain to Northern France.
The book features twenty-five routes showcase the best of Britain on two wheels. If you prefer to pedal on-road, the routes take you along the historic Way of the Roses trail through Lancaster and York, as well as across Scotland’s Atlantic perimeter on the Hebridean Way. You can head off-road to Northern England’s hills on the Sea to Sea (C2C) and past iconic monuments in Southern England on King Alfred’s Way.
If you are a mountain bike enthusiast, you will find plenty to challenge you in the Sarn Helen and through the Scottish Highlands on the renowned Highland Trail 550. Or head offshore, to Ireland’s coast on the Wild Atlantic Way and from Devon and Dorset’s Jurassic Coast to Normandy’s alabaster cliffs on the Tour de Manche.
Big detail
Big Rides is designed to inspire big adventures. Rather than carry you along the route, this guide provides everything you need to plan and explore further, including a general overview of the trails, specific technical information, overview mapping, key information and stunning photography.
You can plan your adventure ach route specifies approximate timings which allows for you to plan your adventure at your own pace. Whether you’re completing routes at a leisurely speed or racing towards the finish, let Big Rides: Great Britain & Ireland be your guide.
You can also buy signed copies of the books at the following local shops:
Edinburgh
- Honey Pot Creative Cafe, 1 Longcraig Rd, South Queensferry EH30 9TD
Central Scotland
- Alyth Cyclery, The Old Church, The Barony, Commercial St, Alyth PH11 8AF
- Flour Coffee Shop & Deli, Alyth Rd, Meigle PH12 8RP
- Greenrig Cycles, Lochgreen Rd, Falkirk FK1 3AZ
- Aberfoyle Bike Hire, Main Street, Aberfoyle FK8 3UQ
South Scotland
- Moffat Outdoors, Chambers House, High St, Moffat DG10 9ED
- Bspoke Cycles, Old Tweeddale Garage, Innerleithen Rd, Peebles EH45 8BA
West Scotland
- The Blairmore, Blairmore PA23 8TJ (nr Dunoon)
- Highland Book Shop, 60 High Street, Fort William PH33 6AH
North Scotland
- Cycle Highlands, The Pavilion, Victoria Rd, Ballater AB35 5QQ
- Aviemore Bikes, 5A Myrtlefield Shopping Centre, Myrtlefield, Aviemore PH22 1SB
England
- The Woods Cyclery, 56 High St, Lyndhurst SO43 7BG
Germany
- Hase Schaltwerk, Hiberniastraße 2, 45731 Waltrop
Alternatively buy the books in good book shops, or ask your local library to order them.