If you forced me to choose a suitably Scottish-sounding national park name, I’d pick “Cairngorms National Park.” But it’s also a real place, readers — a mountainous, moody oasis deep in the heart of north-central Scotland.
In Home is Where the Trails Take You, Marcus Stitz brings his bikepacking rig, camera, and drone into this verdant wonderland to chronicle the bike-loving residents that call the park home.
In a series of short interviews with bike shop owners and residents, Stitz explores what makes the Cairngorms so special.
Partly it’s the landscape — a sweeping string of mountains and valleys (or glens, if you will) that are rugged while remaining accessible for riders of all skill levels. Partly it’s the Cairngorms’ importance to biodiversity. A title screen early in the film informs viewers that the park is home to one-quarter of Scotland’s native forest and 25% of the UK’s endangered species.
Finally, it’s also the relationship the park has with locals.
“Some folk will spend a year planning a trip here, and we can just go and [ride] without thinking,” one interviewee says in the film.
Starting to sound intriguing? Watch the film to get the whole scoop. After that, check out the 165-mile bikepacking loop Stitz took while making the film.
