Markus Stitz, is no stranger to riding off the beaten track, he’s even ridden around the world on a bicycle with just one gear, so who would be better to curate a volume of some of the best riding the UK has to offer? Well actually, there are people who are better. Those guys are the riders who live in the areas featured in the book. There’s no substitute for local knowledge, people who are out there riding that single and double track, exploring and finding the tasty sections, the views and of course importantly, where the best cake can be had!
Luckily for us, Markus has hooked up with these locals and picked their brains as to what the best routes are so you don’t have to go down those blind alleys but stick to the good stuff. I’m sure though Markus would advocate trying those blind alleys too, just incase!
Set out into regions and graded from Easy through straightforward to challenging and expert, every route gives a detailed description of the type of surface you’ll encounter, how much climbing there’ll be, how far from “civilisation” the route can reach and the distance between refuelling stops (think cake/local corner shop etc) the mapping is good and clear but thankfully you don’t have to lug the book around with you as all the routes can be downloaded as a GPX for your electronic device if that’s your thing. If you want to spend an afternoon with a highlighter and an OS map then all the better!
There are inspirational pictures to whet your appetite, a guide on what to take on your ride, tyre choice and bike recommendations. You’ll see from the pictures that it’s not all curly bars and check shirts, these routes are for anyone on any bike. just get out and ride!
With routes from Scotland, Northern and Southern England and Wales there’s something for everyone. there’s 19km easy trundles to over 50km 1000m climbing routes with possible hike a bike. So from beginner to expert there’s something to work your way up to or just pootle along in the sunshine between cafes*
*disclaimer, you know these routes are in the UK right? take a showerproof jacket at the very least!
A comprehensive guide to some great routes on gravel and road, there’s no downsides other than the cost of fuel to get from one end of the country to the other…..you could of course ride, it’s not like it’s all the way around the world is it?
you can buy Markus’s book from Vertebrate publishing or many other outlets
UK GRAVEL COLLECTIVE 