WILDERNESS

In Scotland's Cairngorms, the UK's largest National Park, Markus Stitz finds gravel roads, wild scenery and a perfect base for riders seeking adventure without long-haul travel

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When people talk of gravel riding, they often cast their minds to the wide, dusty tracks of North America.

They think of sun-soaked vistas, trees speckled across the foreground and mountains towering in the distance. It's an image of serenity and the joy that comes from being at one with the great outdoors. But having travelled widely in the US and Canada, let me tell you a secret: you don't need to take a long-haul flight to enjoy such soul-soothing scenery.

North of my home in Scotland, in the expanse of the Cairngorms National Park, the smooth, flowing gravel roads are a close match for the coveted stateside ones. It's an area laced with centuries-old tracks, sharp ascents, and routes that cross the mountains, a place that always lures me back.

When friends come to visit me, their trips sometimes coincide with my book research. In 2023, I was gathering material for Bikepacking Scotland; this time it's Gravel Rides: Cairngorms & Perthshire. The benefits are mutual: I get riders to model for my photos, while my friends enjoy a free guided tour far off the beaten track, on some of the finest gravel roads in the country, if not the world.

CALL OF THE CAIRNGORMS