Ever fancied taking your bike on an adventure in the Scotland? Ed Shoote talks about his new book Gravel Rides Scotland giving some great tips on 28 of the best routes to cycle on gravel tracks. Gravel biking exists somewhere between road cycling and mountain biking. It allows you to explore some remote places on routes that are everything from a few hours to a couple of days.
Ed Shoote is a writer and photographer; his work has featured in numerous outdoor and cycling magazines over the last decade. Having developed a passion for road cycling as a child in Suffolk, Ed later fell in love with mountain biking as he moved further north in the UK, and then discovered gravel riding while living in British Columbia where he explored the endless, remote logging roads.
Over the years he has travelled extensively with his gravel bike in tow, particularly in central Asia. Now living in Scotland with his young family, Ed works in developing cycling in the south of Scotland and spends his spare time exploring the glens, mountains and forests across the country on his gravel bike. Gravel Rides Scotland is his first book.
Gravel riding is the fastest-growing cycling discipline – this book showcases the finest routes in Scotland, its natural home. The routes are clustered within seven outstanding gravel destinations – the Scottish Borders; Dumfries and Galloway; Argyll and Bute; Highland Perthshire and the Trossachs; the Cairngorms (split into Deeside and Aviemore); and North West Scotland.
Each section makes the perfect base for a short break, or combine some of the routes together on a bikepacking trip. Classic gravel routes such as ‘Gravelfoyle’ and the Big Country Loop in Galloway are listed alongside hidden gems including Loch Eck and the Lammermuir herring roads.
