Scotland draws visitors from all over the world. Regenerative Tourism encourages people to rethink how they travel for leisure and how they enjoy the places they choose to travel to in ways that ‘leave things better’ and ensure those places are available for future generations to enjoy. That is, until she decided she was done letting a lack of gear and experience hold her back and traveled to Scotland to ride a 220-mile route with her partner Ben. Some of them come to buy tartan umbrellas and pretend they’re a blue-painted Mel Gibson, but a fair few of them come to ride their bikes. I hope the new film and the route network will encourage more people to explore the area and will also give locals new ideas to experience their immediate surroundings.”. We rode days of 100 km, but also days of max 35 km. The Go East Lothian Trail was developed with funding from East Lothian Council, and the video below will make you want to ride it! One exception is the Borders Bike Bus, which handily links Edinburgh to a couple of points on the Capital Trail Route. Click the link below to find out how to start. We look forward to working with Highland Perthshire Cycling on future phases of the project. Nowhere more so than in the Highlands, where wild camping is legal and bothies abound Next to traditional cycle touring, mountain biking and road cycling, bikepacking and gravel cycling can become key drivers to establish a more sustainable, regenerative approach to tourism in Scotland. Today, Gaelic is most commonly spoken in the north west and on the islands, particularly the Outer Hebrides, but it’s enjoying a modest resurgence, and its legacy lingers throughout Scotland in the form of place names. The A1 on the east and (more likely) the M74 on the west offer easy cross-border transport if coming up from England. One area that I work in regularly has been known to experience 30 rainy days out of 31 in a single month, while in the east it can be as low as 670mm (26 inches), and often dry. Bits n pieces: Cick the link to see them plotted or select from the links to the right to filter. Six walking and cycling adventures are currently featured on the Wild About Argyll website. A stroll down the promenade and the Victorian pier is highly recommended, or a visit to the historic Castle Mound and the museum. We want people to explore the Cateran Ecomuseum on foot and by bike, travelling slowly so that they can take in the amazing landscape and discover the extraordinary heritage and stories along the way, and we want them to really get to know our host communities and all they have to offer. In our latest film ‘Unhurried’ Bikepacking Scotland founder and filmmaker Markus Stitz documents his trip on the John Muir Way, one of Scotland’s Great Trails. Scotland is a land with incredible natural assets and a rich history, and Bikepacking Scotland’s vision is to provide people with ideas to harvest this potential. With such a vast wilderness around us, the toughest decision tonight will be deciding where we want to set up our bivvy. If you are looking for bikepacking routes in Scotland, look no further. Routes: Central and NW Highlands, Cairngorms, Central Belt and the Borders, The Islands Posted on September 27, 2016 May 21, 2018 by 6am Fit Club. Privacy, Web Use, Acceptable Use and Cookie Policy. Good and bad weather can be had at any time of year, often occurring in the same day or even the same hour. As ever, ‘run what you brung’ is the best philosophy. The Rail and Sail Ticket, a joint offer from CalMac Ferries and ScotRail, makes travelling on public transport simple and encourages people to leave their car at home. The Highlands themselves are a geologist’s dream, containing hugely varied rock formations all packed tightly together. As with any multi-day trip to damper regions, a decent waterproof jacket is a must. I have seen a waterproof kilt before, but have never tried one, so further research is needed. Iconic routes like the Highland Trail 550 attract racers and tourers alike, but in almost every corner of this intricately connected country there are adventures to be had for those willing to embrace the challenge, ranging from ‘tarmac in name only’ to chunky, rugged mountainous singletrack. Learn More, As important as it is to have a reliable bike and pack as light as you can, choosing the right route is perhaps the key to your enjoyment. The Met Office also provides forecasts for certain mountain summits, e.g. Combining two of Scotland’s heritage paths and crossing a mixture of surfaces and countryside, this 92-mile route makes for an epic day ride, or a highly enjoyable two day adventure with an overnight stay in Ballater. Simply put, bikepacking is the synthesis of mountain biking and minimalist camping; it evokes the freedom of multi-day backcountry hiking, with the range and thrill of riding a mountain bike. Using a combination of the waymarked walking and cycling routes, we have produced a recommended bikepacking version, which you can download as GPX on our website here. ... Bikepacking Scotland: The Capital Trail. The Clearances emptied the Highlands of much of their human population, but the system of land ownership is largely intact and private landowners own huge tracts of land. Waterproof socks (such as Sealskinz) are also very popular, as when water comes over the top of them it stays warm against your feet, like a wetsuit. More information about the Cateran Ecomuseum can be found at cateranecomuseum.co.uk. Temperatures are very rarely cold enough to make a liquid-fuel stove worth the weight, although you might prefer the simmer control for cooking up a gourmet feast. Their maps cover the entire country and are easily available in 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 scales, with 1:50,000 being the most useful for cyclists. 21 Sep 2020 – Advntr.cc – Short film: Drovers, perthshiregravel.com It’s rare to go far without access to water, and I can’t remember ever carrying more than 1.5 litres of water while riding in Scotland. Gear choices are, of course, a hugely subjective thing, but if you’re coming from the deserts of Arizona or somewhere similar then you might find a couple of handy ideas below. 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