In their film ‘Explore Your Boundaries’, which launched today, the famous duo cycle along gravel routes that follow the outline of four Scottish council areas – Falkirk, Clackmannanshire, East Lothian, and Glasgow.
Having downloaded each council boundary and uploaded the information to a navigation app, Mark and Markus mapped out 24 routes and matched them with the closest existing pathways.
The sportsmen then filmed their adventures in Falkirk, Clackmannanshire and East Lothian from June to September last year, before heading to Glasgow in November.
During their time in the local area, the friends travelled a total of 133km or 83 miles around the outskirts of Falkirk Council.
Although they cycled past iconic sights, such as the Kelpies, it was the lesser-known areas that really made their local adventure standout.
Mark said: “Out of all the council boundary routes that we have created and explored so far, Falkirk is the one that has surprised me the most. The iconic landmarks like the Kelpies and The Falkirk Wheel are well known, but it is the places in between that threw up some challenging and varied riding, which is what all adventures should be about - not know what is around the corner!”
The men also found the area’s rich history inspiring.
Filmmaker Markus said: “I loved the variety of riding on the Falkirk boundary. The challenging sections around Torwood, the really relaxed sections along the canals and the Firth of Forth and some great gravel tracks. The route was also full of great historical sites like Tappoch Broch, Blackness Castle, James Watt's Cottage at Kinneil Estate and the remains of the Antonine Wall, so was a perfect opportunity to dive more into Scotland’s history.”
Lockdown inspiration
The idea for the film arose after the second lockdown of 2020, when the friends had to exercise within or close to the boundary of the local council area where they live – Edinburgh.
Motivation for ‘Explore Your Boundaries’ also came from feedback people provided on social media about the cycling routes that inspired them to ride their bikes.
Mark said: “The thing I love about the ‘Explore your Boundaries’ concept is that it forced us to find routes which we never would have looked for. Often it felt like you were in the middle of absolutely nowhere, and yet if I stopped and thought about it, I was only 25 miles from home.”
Watch 'Explore Your Boundaries documentary
More information about ‘Explore Your Boundaries’ is available on Bikepacking Scotland’s website.
Check our cycling page and Falkirk Council’s Take the Right Route web pages for more information about cycling in the area.
