UKH

Combining elements of cycle touring, mountain biking and backpacking, the emerging bikepacking scene has an obvious attraction to hillwalkers. Markus Stitz, one of the UK's leading bikepacking exponents, tells us what it's all about.

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In reply to UKH Articles:

A great article with sound advice but it does make it sound like you have to be in Scotland to go bikepacking! I promise you don't, but English and Welsh bikepackers face the additional challenge of needing to plan routes based on bridleways, not footpaths where a cyclist has no right of way.

Having started bikepacking in Finland which has the Nordic 'everyman's right' law of access, a model that Scotland has sensibly copied, moving back to England was a bit of shock in terms of not being able to camp and ride wherever I wanted. Having said that I've done some good bikepacking trips in the Peak linking well known MTB routes and some low profile bivvying, and also done some longer mainly gravel rides using the Sustrans national bike path system and a bit of late night sleeping in a hedge style camping!

 

Pretty good article. 

Though I'm not sure you really need a bothy bag/survival bag when you've already got a sleeping bag and a tarp with you and are trying to travel really light.

In reply to TobyA:

Indeed. So far, I've only done bits of the South Downs bikepacking (https://www.wildernessisastateofmind.co.uk/bikepacking-the-south-downs-way if interested), but as it was December it was reasonably testing both in terms of mud and hours of darkness lying under a muddy bike/tarp thing. Doesn't need to be Scotland to be worth doing, though I fully admit I'd love to be up there with the bike. As long as there are no midges/ticks allowed under my tarp.

I reckon the Peak District and Pennines would have some outstanding riding suitable for backpacking, based on my day MTB rides there, and we all know Wales is full of great places to pedal into.

In reply to UKH Articles:

Excellent article.

Goods beginners guide. I cycled to Cape Wrath the other year and it was a good learning trip. Subsequent trips have been lighter with better / more appropriate kit.