Читать книгу Mountain Biking in Southern and Central Scotland онлайн

20 страница из 34

Since the establishment of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act of 2003, mountain bikers, walkers and horse riders have had unrestricted access to vast tracts of Scotland’s magnificent landscape. Unlike England and Wales, however, there are no dedicated bridleways and relatively few way-marked footpaths; indeed, path signposts and waymarkers are generally thin on the ground in Scotland. Because there is no parable system of footpaths, bridleways and byways marked on OS maps covering Scotland, it’s difficult to plan MTB routes in a given area merely by studying the relevant maps. Outside of the trail centres, popular mountain biking routes tend to be established through word of mouth and internet forums by mountain bikers living locally. For people travelling from different parts of the country or from outside of Scotland, the whole prospect of seeking out viable, quality mountain biking routes provides something of a challenge, which is where this guidebook comes in.

Mountain bikers should always give way to walkers and horse riders. Don’t approach walkers or horse riders at speed from behind or in front. When approaching from behind, slow right down and announce your presence with a ‘hello’ so as not to startle man or beast. When approaching from the front, slow down and give a wide berth or stop and make way for them to pass you (some riders use a bell, but experience suggests that some walkers and horse riders find bell-tinkling mountain bikers irksome in the extreme!).