Over the years, we’ve been sent a wide range of UK-based gravel guidebooks to review, covering everything from the south-east of England to the far north of Scotland and plenty of places in between. Most follow a familiar format: around 90% route guide, with the remaining 10% made up of useful background information and additional reading. Mike Raine’s books, on the other hand, take a very different approach. They’re much more “tales from the trails”, combining personal experiences and observations with practical advice, route guidance and plenty of useful pointers along the way.
“This is not a journey from darkness into light. It is something rarer: a joyful, eco-conscious exploration of Britain’s tracks, trails, moors and mountains. It is about tired legs, slow climbs, cafes frequented, rural observations, small laments, shared laughter, and the quiet satisfaction of forward motion.” That’s how Mike Raine summarises his End to End book and as you would expect/hope from a well-established author, the summary is eloquent and accurate. Mike has published four books so far, including a practical manual for qualified Mountain Leaders, a field guide to the mountains of Snowdonia and most recently, two books which manage to simultaneously be a source of inspiration, a font of factual information, a travelogue and a nature lover’s guide to the flora, fauna and geography of various sections of the UK through which he pedals.
In Mike’s first bikepacking book, Just One More Hill, he makes it clear pretty early on that his version of bikepacking has an ‘experienced man of the mountains’ approach, rather than the (perhaps more common in the cycling media) ‘see how far and fast you can ride with as little sleep as possible.’ Everything from Mike’s choice of bike (a titanium Sonder mountain bike fitted with a Pinion gearbox and belt drive), to his attire (outdoor gear repurposed from other mountain activities) to his use of mountain navigation (paper-based maps and compass bearings in Just One More Hill) makes him stand out from the crowd.
Although both books were published in 2026, it feels as though End to End was written after Just One More Hill. You can sense Mike becoming more confident and experienced as a bikepacker, while also becoming more technologically savvy and less reliant on the skills and mindset of his earlier hillwalking and rock-climbing days. His writing style also evolves between the two books. End to End was co-written with his wife, Sally Hancox, and whether that’s down to Sally’s influence or simply the result of a more collaborative writing process, the difference is noticeable. The prose becomes more fluid, easier to read and slightly more relaxed, giving End to End a distinctly different feel from its predecessor.
Mike’s background as a former geography teacher and Senior Instructor at Plas y Brenin, the UK’s National Outdoor Centre, shines through in his writing and there are moments when he adopts a distinctly schoolmasterly tone. He has strong opinions on inconsiderate behaviour in the outdoors; the proliferation of vehicles in our villages, towns and cities; the role of large landowners and the lack of joined-up thinking around Public Rights of Way in England and his adopted home of Wales. Some of Mike’s views may occasionally feel a little strongly expressed, but beneath the occasional lecture is a genuine love of the landscape and a clear passion for exploring it on two (pedal-powered) wheels. As Mike himself describes his End to End book: “This is a bikepacking adventure shaped less by haste and more by curiosity, fatigue and a healthy dislike of busy roads.”
In both his bikepacking books, Mike manages to strike the perfect balance between being informative and being entertaining. Where some gravel/bikepacking books are a little ‘dry’, Mike’s books contain some fantastic anecdotes, insight and inspiration. His background as an outdoor instructor and mountain dweller shines through – his interaction with other hill users, his love for seeking out conversation with local people and his attitude of making the best of any situation (never knowingly passing a garden hose, without knocking on a door and asking to give his beloved bike an impromptu wash, for example) set him apart from more a more head-down-must-get-there approach, that is perhaps more common in the genre of bikepacking literature. To balance the prose, Mike has included some beautiful hand-drawn maps and a series of black-and-white images, which were based on photographs taken by Mike, but then converted into ‘sketches’ thanks to the wonders of AI.
It feels as though Mike’s two books have slightly different target audiences. Just One More Hill is slightly more biased towards being a self-help guide for anyone interested in getting into bikepacking, whereas End to End has a more travelogue-y feel to it and has a more flowing, literary style. Both make excellent reading and could be read sequentially (like we did) or as a one-off. Either way, you will be entertained, informed and inspired. We suspect that Mike’s books will go a long way to inspiring more people – both cyclists and more traditional outdoorsy people - to explore away-from-the-roads on two wheels.
Mike’s books are available directly from the author (for anyone based in the UK) or from all good bookshops (for everyone else). If you buy directly, you'll get a small saving on the cover price, and Mike will sign them. You can find all the details at Mike’s website.