Unhurried | The John Muir Way with Markus Stitz

This new video covering the John Muir Way, from Markus Stitz is a gentle paced look at why you should ride your bike, explore, and go further. If you were feeling sad that you couldn’t go and ride something in a far flung land, this will show you that what’s on your doorstep might be just as inspiring.

“My introduction to bikepacking was by racing the iconic Highland Trail 550 in 2014. As in any race the clock never stops until you reach the finish line, so my early experiences were defined by pausing as little as possible. And while I still love the thrill of races, most recently I finished the Atlas Mountain Race in Morocco on a singlespeed bike, I also think that bikepacking offers a unique opportunity to slow down and reconnect with nature. And that’s exactly the sentiment I want to bring across with the new film. Working together with Gavin Morton from the Green Action Trust I created a film that is deliberately slow and pays attention to the finer details. When selecting the music, I was also inspired by the simplicity of Satie’s Gymnopédie, written during John Muir’s lifetime, and think the film is the perfect antidote to my early bikepacking experiences.”

“John Muir made the United States his home away from Scotland and founded the National Parks movement. I moved to Scotland eleven years ago from Germany and hope that through my work I can inspire others to use bikepacking and cycling as an alternative means of discovering the country. In my opinion the John Muir Way offers a great opportunity for first-time and experienced bikepackers alike, as it is a waymarked route well-connected to infrastructure, but still has a bit of wilderness left in it. The John Muir Way perfectly captures Scotland’s very different facets, from bustling urban centres with great architecture to the remoteness of Scotland’s first National Park. And while the contrasts are stark at times, for example when leaving the remoteness of the hills around Helensburgh and then travelling through a bustling place like Balloch, the whole journey reminded me that in the end everything is connected.”

Detailed route descriptions and pictures of the John Muir Way can be found at johmuirway.org and bikepackingscotland.com/johnmuirway.