When people talk of the best gravel riding destinations, they often cast their minds to the wide, dusty tracks of North America. They think of sun-soaked vistas, trees speckled across the foreground and mountains towering in the distance. It’s an image of serenity and the joy that comes from being at one with the great outdoors. But having travelled widely in the US and Canada, let me tell you a secret: you don’t need to take a long-haul flight to enjoy such soul-soothing scenery.
North of my home in Scotland, in the expanse of the Cairngorms National Park, the smooth, flowing gravel roads are a close match for the coveted stateside ones. It’s an area laced with centuries-old tracks, sharp ascents, and routes that cross the mountains, a place that always lures me back.
