New interactive e-guide to mountain biking in the Scottish Highlands

Commonwealth Games star Lee Craigie has helped launch a new interactive e-guide to mountain biking in the Scottish Highlands. The e-guide features purpose built trail centres, introductions to all the areas in the Highlands and 21 ‘natural’ routes, with videos, full descriptions, maps and downloadable GPS files.

Craigie was recruited by Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland (DMBinS), part of Scottish Cycling, last year, as a volunteer, to map, take inspiring images, videos and write route descriptions for all the natural routes featured in the guide.

“I am passionate about mountain biking and about the Highlands where I have lived and worked for 10 years so I was delighted to be asked to volunteer for this project,” said Craigie.

“I spent two incredible weeks touring the Highlands in a Big Tree Campervan riding a variety of routes that offer something for everyone, from short rides which are ideal for families with young children through to some big days out in very remote terrain for experienced mountain bikers. The choice of routes reflects the variety and quality mountain biking in the Highlands can offer everybody.”

The aim of the guide is to make it even easier to visit the Highlands and help mountain biking in the Highlands grow to its forecasted level of £10.58m per annum and help support 309 jobs across the Highlands.

Graeme McLean, project manager of DMBinS, said: “In 2012, DMBinS and partners across the Highlands undertook a study with University of Highlands & Islands to understand the economic impact of mountain biking in Scotland and the key actions needed to deliver its expected growth. One of the clear recommendations was to improve the marketing of mountain biking across the Highlands. The report actually proposes a new website however partners in the Highland mountain bike cluster felt that it would need to be constantly updated and no one had the resource to do this. It was felt that it would be better to create a guide which could be hosted on every partners website.”

One of the partners of the Highland cluster, Frazer Coupland of Outdoor Capital UK (OCUK), said: “We know that mountain bikers who visit are likely to want to travel around the Highlands and experience the unique characteristics of each area. Partnership working is the best way to achieve a joined up experience for our visitors and it is great that we can work together to provide a guide to mountain biking across the Highlands. This guide is ideal for anyone wishing to ride their bike and plan a visit.”

The e-guide was part funded by DMBinS, Highland Council, OCUK, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Northwest Highland Initiative and all the trail centres across the Highlands.