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gravel rides edinburgh, fife & the lothians - markus stitz. vertebrate publishing paperback. 139pp illus. £15.95
the sight of wout van aert winning the marly grav in valkenburg last weekend, if nothing else, underlined that, irrespective of author markus stitz' appreciation of the activity, gravel might well be viewed as every bit as important as the giro d'italia, particularly in the eyes of visma lease-a-bike. as jonas vingegaard attempts to capture the pink jersey in italy, the man who one would perhaps expect to assist the dane in taking his first podium top step in milan, was allowed to fly solo over limburg's unmade roads.
however, before anyone rushes to acquire a copy of 'gravel rides edinburgh, fife & the lothians' in the hope of learning how to emulate the belgian, the other side of the gravel coin depicted in markus' latest volume, tends to concentrate on a less frantic approach to gravel.
mr stitz has an enviable reputation in the world of gravel, having expertly navigated the world of social media to bring the joys of bikepacking to the great unwashed. while his last book from the vertebrate publishing catalogue concentrated on rides on my side of the country, this latest volume provides something of an east coast balance, presenting 15 gravel bike advetures around scotland's capital city. as with his previous explorations, the author has conveniently categorised the rides into three sections: easy, straightforward and challenging, ranging from an economical 17.2km to a somewhat alarming 244km around fife, added here as a bonus ride. thankfully, the accompanying challenging rides listed are curtailed to a less strenuous 56.9km (mark beaumont's edinburgh bypass) before topping out at 89.1km (the great polish map of scotland), starting at the city's haymarket station; ideal if arriving from other regions of scotland.
gravel riding is reputedly on the rise, though increased sales of gravel bikes may have more to do with the current state of scotland's (and britain's) roads than intrepid desires to explore the undergrowth. the majority of the velo club have moved to either cyclocross bicycles (yours truly) or gravel, in order to ensure we remain true to the rubber side down mantra adopted by most of us. but gravel is sufficiently new on the horizon to have acquired recent acolytes, many of whom may find themselves, if not ignorant of the locations, certainly apprentices when it comes to finding their collective way around its twists and turns. which is just where markus is ready and willing to help.
and, to paraphrase julie andrews, the best place to begin is surely at the beginning. to this end, the author explains not only how to use this book, but thoughtfully includes advice on access and legalities, including scotland's outdoor access code, wild camping, and taking care to avoid any deer stalking activities (a real concern even on this side of the nation). since the whole purpose of the book is geared (pun intended) towards exploring the region by bicycle, markus defines what he considers to be machinery capable of allowing comfort and joy midst the gravel to be found en-route. the advice not to leave a bike shop maintenance visit until the day prior to the grand départ is particularly pertinent.
then of course, there's the not insignificant question of just what to wear when attempting to be gravellous. it would take a brave and possibly foolish approach to dress in similar fashion to the aforementioned wout van aert (visma skinsuit), though i note that markus has creditably omitted this from his comprehensive list; ticking off each items on his lengthy checklist would make for a pragmatic initial approach. it is to be hoped that the majority of those heading out into the hinterlands will enjoy a relatively incident free bike ride, but the time to consider what you might do if or when things go wrong, is not in the middle of nowhere on scotland's east coast. in which case, it well behoves the reader to pay attention to the section on what do do if there's an accident.
and no book about cycling in scotland would be worth its salt if it failed to mention midgies.
each route opens with an overview of the terrain and location, augmented with a route profile, distance, ascent, required o/s maps, and parking with ev charger access. aside from being a hardy soul on the bike, an excellent videographer and writer, markus is no stranger to the digital camera, decorating each chapter with superb, illustrative photography. and though many will use smartphone maps or gps files (available for download) to navigate each ride, it's worth considering carrying paper o/s maps as backup, lest the batteries fail on your electronic devices. or perhaps confidently rely on the quality maps included along with each and every route, accompanied by more than comprehensive step-by-step directions.
accepting the knowledge of experts in every field of life is not to be underestimated, particularly if you're a tad unsure of just where you're going, and where you might end up. while markus can't help you ride your bike, he can help enormously at the pre-planning stage, ensuring that the ride itself is as enjoyable as you always hoped it would be.
wednesday 20 may 2026
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