For tonight I leave from Euston
And leave the world behind;
Who has the hills as a lover,
Will find them wondrous kind.
An imaginary journey round Scotland, linking together wild bothies and landscapes.
Please don’t ask me for the locations of these bothies!
Really enjoyed the footage and has definitely got me interested in combining a bike into my microadventures. Would it be possible to post a kit list, of what you took on the trip including camera gear? Really interested in how much you can fit into the alpkit bike luggage and how much camera kit (Lenses, tripod, Gopro and drone) you choose to carry. Many thanks!
I used…
ION camera
5D Mkii camera
DJI Phantom Drone
17-40 f4
50mm f1.4
70-200 f2.8 (I rented this for the week)
Beautiful and inspiring, thanks! I’m watching from the Seattle area. I’d love to read more about your technique for filming yourself while touring solo, with drones and stationary cameras. Have you written about this anywhere?
Awesome vid! Been thinking about something like this in the Andes, with a full suspension Mountain Bike, kinda like the Huayhuash video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upZJpGrppJA). I’d also like to make a video of this kind.
What’s your minimal bikepacking gear on one of these trips? I’d have to include a tent and I’d go with one or two more guys.
Great little film Alastair, one of your best I’d say, very emotive about the beauty and isolation to be found in Scotland.
From a “cousin” across the “pond”, thanks for sharing this video. A refreshing reminder what life is about – adventures and new experiences exploring the remote countryside.
Thank you!!
I’m sure that you will know this:
http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk/cust_images/PDF/Ryvoan_poem.pdf
I didn’t know that! Thank you so much!
Which mountain bike did you use in this video? Great video and inspirational thinking!
Orange Evo-8
Inspired by your film I’ve just returned from an amazing 5 days spent mountain biking and staying in bothies in the Cairngorms. A magnificent adventure so thank you.
yay!
This is an interesting pack set-up on your bike. Minimal for sure. I am intrigued by your handlebar pack kit. Is there a previous blog dedicated to this? Thank you for your blogs and videos. I share them generously.
Hi – I haven’t written about the gear anywhere. It’s all from Alpkit though so you can find it on their site. http://www.alpkit.com
Thanks
What a wonderfully inspirational photo story and film. I love the contrast of the busy, lowland London life against the beautiful backdrop of the bothy, Highland Scottish life…and the thread of whisky and fire weaved through every evening.
Thanks!
(Nice Iceland selfie on your website by the way)
I loved the video and enjoyed reading the article, especially as you feature shots of one of our favourite places. (Close by is an earthly arm and bottle streaming a sliver of endless water). This year’s highlight was cycling the coast road to Applecross, no bothy, but a very remote SYHA and some of the hardest coastal cycling. Please keep writing and inspiring us.
Thanks!
I tried but failed to find the arm and bottle…
Next Time!
Great story, photographs and video! I was wondering: did you have help with the aerial shots or did you manage that yourself while filming yourself as well?
I did most of them myself but I had a friend join for one day and he acted as my body double!
Great video and stills too. I’ve walked to a couple of bothies on Rhum and loved it. Sea eagles, red deer and whales. Amazing. Can you let me know which bothies you stayed at please so that I can plan a route? Thanks
Alastair, I think you are super cool and that you are doing a great job in helping people find their “adventurer inside” I enjoy your blog and have read several of your book which I have enjoyed and further recommended.
Only one small negative comment: I find the “subscribe for the newsletter” pop-up really annoying. I don’t know I also read other blogs with the same kind of pop-ups, but the frequency of it in this page and the way it appears is somehow more annoying that any of the others I could compare it to.
Thanks for the feedback.
I know they are annoying, but it’s got me 2000 newsletter sign-ups in a month. So it’s a tricky balance to get…
I will make them less frequent now. Thank you.
Thank you so much for doing this. I find your journey iinspirational and actually quite moving
Alastair Humphreys,
Thank you for this meaningful and beautiful movie!
I enjoyed your voice and your thoughts and your amazing footage.
You are a great guy! :-)
Cheers, a new fan
Till
[…] yay for me! Make sure you watch Alistair Humphreys’ new film Mountain Bike and Bothy Nights (Here) for a beautifully shot overview of some Scottish bothies. After watching you’ll immediately […]
Fantastic really adventure one i really wanted to go there can you explain the detailed way to reach there thank you for sharing
sorry – they are secret! You’ll have to do some googling…
Love it! Your film was a standout last night at the Big Bike Film Night in Auckland, 20 or so short bike films. Everyone “got it”, very inspirational. We go off-piste and “out back” down here too :)
My question, the Gaelic mouth-music, I missed the credits – who were they please?
Thank you!
here is the music – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbMXfvKNnuA
I’d seen this this post at the bottom of your homepage for a while now but only just got around to watching the video…this is now definitely on my to do list in the immediate future, great work!
[…] Think up a microadventure challenge that appeals to you, and do it any time between the 5th of June and the 9th of July. These weeks span the summer solstice on June 21st, the lightest day of the year. Spend a night outdoors with a bivvy bag or a hammock and have fun! Perhaps you’ll cycle to the sea, sleep on a hill, or walk around your town. Bivvy on Beinn Spionnaidh and the sun will rise at 4am. Kip in a cave if you’d like a little lie-in, or head for a bothy. […]
Scotland is an awesome place. Would you please share with us. which camera do you like mostly to use, with your mountain bike journey?
That was a Canon 5D Mkii
[…] few years ago I spent a glorious week in Scotland, riding my bike and sleeping in remote mountain bothies. My only sadness was that I did not have more time for I remember slurping noodles one evening, […]