The latest gravel guide book to be published by author and route creator Markus Stitz hits the shelves later this month and features a selection of his favourite routes around Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, as well as Argyll in Scotland. We sat down with Markus to discuss the inspiration behind his latest guidebook, but this time we primarily focused on his incredible images. If you’d like to find out how Markus creates his amazing photographs, then read on…..
“Be patient. Taking good photos takes time.” We had been chatting with guide book author Markus Stitz about his most recently published gravel guide book, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, but rather than talking about the routes directly, we had been analysing the images used in the book instead. Markus had offered a few tips for aspiring photographers and the ‘be patient’ advice was simple and easy to understand. It was advice that many of us probably fail to heed! We wanted some insight from Markus into the images selected for the book. How did he capture them? What kit does he use? What was it about the particular image that grabbed his attention? What advice could he give aspiring photographers?
We figured that a good starting point would be for us to choose our favourite images from Markus’ book and then see whether our selection matched his choices. We chatted about each image in turn to get some insight into what justified its inclusion in the book.
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III. Focal length: 36.8mm. Aperture: f/4.5 Shutter speed: 1/1,000
Markus - “For me, this is exactly what I think Scotland looks like. There’s the silhouette in the foreground and really strong, but dark colours looming over the Sound of Mull. I’m not a big fan of picturing Scotland with blue skies, without clouds or whatever. It’s such a powerful and contrasting country when it comes to lighting, which is what I love most and that’s why I was drawn to this view. It was taken on the Isle of Mull and it was predictably pouring with rain soon after I took it.” That was Markus’ insight into the image, which is taken from Route 14 – Eagle Gravel.
GU - In the book the image is presented as a cropped, landscape orientation version and it has a really cinematic feel to it. The dark foreground and bright background draw your eye into the image. When you look at the high resolution version of the shot, you can see a CalMac ferry crossing the water which helps give some scale to the landscape. The image oozes drama and intrigue.
DJI Mini 4 Pro. Focal length: 19.35mm. Aperture: f/2.8. Shutter speed: 1/1,000
Markus - “This shot features Loch Lomond and as it features in the title of the book, there had to be one included. The problem is that the Loch has a very busy main road on the western shore and a very technical MTB trail on the eastern side. The track featured in this shot wasn’t one that I knew about previously. I was there on a perfect weather day and managed to find this spot which is close to the nearby village of Balloch, but amazingly there weren’t any people about. The track is the epitome of an ‘ideal’ gravel path – not too technical, not boggy and with the perfect surface. The other great thing with this trail is that connects perfectly to rest of the trail network, without an awkward gate, or steps or a style which would have spoilt it. I only include images in the book that features trails which are part of the route. The problem is that when I took this image, I didn’t yet know what the rest of the route looked like, so it might have been the perfect image, capturing everything that I wanted from this region, but then it might not have been part of the finished route, so I couldn’t have used it. Fortunately this track does appear in the finished John Muir Way Taster route.”
GU - What might not be obvious from the image is that Markus took it with his drone, while riding one handed up the climb. The drone was hovering which makes it slightly easier, but Markus still had to ensure he got himself into the right position in the frame to make the lighting and the composition of the final image work. That’s a lot of things to juggle, but he pulled it off and the image really captures this part of Scotland.
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III. Focal length: 36.8mm. Aperture: f/3.5. Shutter speed: 1/640
Markus - “This shot was captured on a totally unintended early morning ride on Islay. It was shot without having any intention to use it in the book, but then we came to the final process of choosing the routes for the book, we decided to include an Islay route, so this shot was perfect. As you can probably tell, it poured with rain soon after I took the shot.”
GU - The light in this image is spectacular. In the book it’s published in portrait orientation in order to fit with the layout requirements, but in our mind’s eye, we can picture it cropped to 2.35:1 (Cinemascope) for the full cinema look and feel. It stars in the Islay Sunset Gravel route.
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III. Focal length: 36.8mm. Aperture: f/2.8. Shutter speed: 1/250
Markus - “This shot is also taken on Islay and features in the same route as the dramatic one above. When I’m shooting images for the book, I want to capture some big, cinematic stuff; some shots of people on bikes (as this helps when readers of the book can picture themselves on the route); but I also want some finer details shots which probably don’t relate directly to cycling at all. The routes in the book aren’t just cycling routes – I want people to go on a journey through this bit of Scotland. Visiting Islay in August when the heather is in full bloom is magical and I hope this image captures it. I think it was taken from a roadside ditch!”
GU - In the book the image is presented cropped into a 16:9 landscape orientation which increases the drama even further. The use of a shallow depth of field helps to highlight the colours and texture of the heather, but the image also has the perfect foil with the stunningly lit, out-of-focus backdrop.
DJI Mini 4 Pro. Focal length: 6.72mm. Aperture: f/1.7. Shutter speed: 1/2,500
Markus - “This is an obvious drone shot and I love the lighting in it. It was taken at the end of the day, facing west to make the most of the sunset colours. Sunrise and sunset are by far the best time of day to ride a bike if you’re interested in the light, but unless you want to get up at 3am, off-season is probably the time to visit! This image was shot in April – the days were just getting long enough to do big rides, but were shorter than mid-summer. The other benefit in riding at this time of year, particularly if you want to stand and marvel at the sunrise for five minutes, is the lack of midges. The trail is called the Great Trossachs Path and it’s really varied with plenty of climbing and descending. It's a popular area with visitors and it can be quite busy, but on this day I was lucky. The only problem with drone shots is that they present a view of the route that a rider would never see, so for that reason I try not to overuse them. Artistically drone shots are great, but the reality is they show a view that’s not entirely representative.”
GU - The trail rolling away into the distance really draws your eye into the image and helps make the viewer feel that they are actually there. It looks like archetypal Scotland with the perfect combination of scenery and light. The elevated point of view really helps showcase the drama of the landscape. If you look carefully you’ll see a rider in the bottom central section of the image which really adds to the scale and drama of the image.
DJI Mini 4 Pro. Focal length: 6.72mm. Aperture: f/1.7. Shutter speed: 1/8,000
Markus - “The detail in this shot is amazing. I love the structure of the rock. The low water level gives a perspective that you wouldn’t see at all times of year – if the river was in spate, the rock structure would be masked by the water. The river crossing would also be much more tricky, so I have added a note into the route write-up. In Scotland there are frequent river crossings with no bridge, so you have to ford the river. The reality is that you will get wet feet at some point. For this reason I wear Dexshell waterproof socks and I was actually looking for a shot where I could show the socks being used. Typically on this day, the water levels were too low to need them!”
GU - The combination of the striking bedding planes in the rock and the crystal clear blue sky combine to give this image some real wow-factor. In our view, the fact that this view would only be visible at certain times of year doesn’t distract from how great the image is.
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III. Focal length: 36.8mm. Aperture: f/6.3. Shutter speed: 1/1,000
Markus - “This shot is taken from such a cool route – the Gleann Nan Caorann. The route starts on the busy west shore of Loch Lomond. The route takes you up a big hill and suddenly it all goes quiet and you’re in the middle of nowhere. The scenery is amazing. When I was researching this route, I wanted to do it as a circuit, so at the top of the climb in the photo we kept going, but ended up with lots of pushing through a big area of boggy ground. It was pretty grim, so in the end I changed the route and made it into an out-and-back – the only one in the book. The interesting thing about this shot is that it reminds me to look back when I’m riding as well as looking at the route in front. Things look totally different depending on which direction you’re riding. This route gives you a mountainous backdrop and a wide open glen on the climb, but then on the descent you get the opposite, so you get to see both perspectives. In a mountainous landscape, it’s always worth looking what’s behind you once in a while. I generally try and make the images as realistic as possible to what the rider would see, but once in a while, where it doesn’t make a lot of difference, for example if the trail is heading through forest, I’ll orientate the shot to capture it with the best light rather than strictly to show the rider’s perspective. Fortunately, although I didn’t know it at the time I took this photo, this is the view that riders would get on the return leg of the route. “
GU - When we first looked at this image we assumed it was a self-portrait, taken using a timer or a remote shutter release, but it turns out the rider in the image is a friend of Markus’ who visually is very similar! The combination of fantastic backdrop, perfect looking gravel trail and the rider’s brightly coloured bar bag combine perfectly to give the image some real ‘pop’.
DJI Mini 4 Pro. Focal length: 6.72mm. Aperture: f/1.7. Shutter speed: 1/500
Markus - “This trail is arguably one of the nicest cycle paths in Scotland! The route takes you through archetypal Scottish forest on a beautiful flowy, gravel path. It’s a lovely example of a really good National Cycling Network trail. I really love the colour of the bike, which pops against the greenery of the background. This is a self-portrait shot with my drone. When I’m taking shots like this I’m always mindful that there aren’t any other trails users around, so that I don’t disrupt anyone else’s experience or enjoyment of the environment.”
GU - The colour combination and the structure of this shot with the trail heading off into the distance, really helps lead your eye into the picture. The bright colours of Markus' jacket and bike stand out vividly against the predominantly green background which helps give the image some real wow-factor.
DJI Mini 4 Pro. Focal length: 6.72mm. Aperture: f/1.7. Shutter speed: 1/4,000
Markus - “This feels like it sums up Gravelfoyle in one image. It’s got all the bits you’re looking for – forest, the lochs, some perfect champagne-gravel and the mountains in the background. The only thing that’s missing, which is not something that’s easy to capture in a landscape shot, is the really great gravel riding community around Aberfolyle. Although I love moody, dramatic images, sometimes it’s great to feature a perfect blue sky day image too. Spring 2025, when this image was taken, was incredibly dry which is pretty unusual. With seemingly ever-more frequent wet weather in winter, I have to be really careful to choose routes that I know will be pretty much rideable no matter what the weather is doing. Fortunately the trails around Aberfoyle hold up really well, which makes it perfect for year-round riding.”
GU - This image is almost a picture-postcard/tourist board promotional shot to persuade you to come and try the gravel riding in Scotland. It certainly works on us!
DJI Mini 4 Pro. Focal length: 6.72mm. Aperture: f/1.7. Shutter speed: 1/2,500
Markus - “This shot is totally misleading as the rider would never get this perspective from the ground, but it captures the trail really well. The trail has been fairly recently upgraded and it’s such a joy to ride. It’s right on the water’s edge on a nice day you might be able to spot seals in the water. I love the contrast and the different depths of colour in the water.”
GU - This photo has an abstract, painterly look to it, but at the same time is really inspirational – it makes us want to go and ride this waterside trail.
DJI Mini 4 Pro. Focal length: 6.72mm. Aperture: f/1.7. Shutter speed: 1/2,000
Markus - “This shot was taken on Mull. The shot wasn’t intentionally timed to coincide with the ferry in the background – it was just serendipity. I have done shots like that for other projects, this was just luck. The trail is super cool. It snakes up the hillside. The serpentine-like bends help to make the gradient manageable, as otherwise it would be super steep. You can see the sea from a lot of this track which makes it much more enjoyable. This trail is part of the Eagle Gravel route on Mull. It’s a big day out, but there’s so much variety and a great café stop too.”
GU - This image gives a real feeling of being immersed in a big landscape. Although the trail itself doesn’t look that challenging, the combination of gravel logging road, forest, water and mountains is perfect and it has an adventurous/big-day-out feel to it.
As we got towards the end of our conversation, we asked Markus if he had a favourite image in the book? “If I had to choose one, it would be this one. We needed to find an image for a full page spread in the book’s layout and this was the one I chose. It seems to sum up gravel riding in the west coast of Scotland – native woodland, a wild looking river and the great gravel trail.”
We finished up by asking Markus to tell us a little about the kit that he uses when he is out photographing the routes for his books. This is what he told us. “ I try and keep my kit small and compact. I use the same set-up whether I’m out for a single day ride or a multi-day trip. The only time I would change this if I was doing a single-day people-focussed shoot. My ‘go-to’ camera is a Canyon G7X Mk3 as it has great manual controls and I can shoot in RAW, which gives me more latitude for editing afterwards. I carry a lightweight Manfrotto tripod, a DJI mini-gimbal for shooting video and a DJI drone. I carry it all in an Apidura backpack, which also allows me to have quick access to my phone to capture shots for social media use. I generally carry the drone in my backpack to help reduce vibration. It means it’s not so good for spontaneous use, but I think it’s worth it. Simplicity is key when it comes to kit, as this allows me to be fast and to capture something that is as close as possible to the rider’s experience. I shoot a lot of self-portraits, which is harder to get right, but I’m often riding solo so it’s a necessity. “
Markus’ latest guide book, Gravel Rides Loch Lomond & The Trossachs is available now priced £15.95. You can buy it direct from the publisher, as a signed copy from Markus, or in all good bookshops.