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Mark Beaumont (pictured), Guinness World Record holder, and Markus Stitz, singlespeed round-the-world cyclist, explore Falkirk on bike in a new documentary that aims to encourage people to stay active.

In their film 'Explore Your Boundaries', which premiered on YouTube last night, 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.


Visit Falkirk

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.”

Tourism

It is hoped that by showcasing what the four council areas have to offer, it will not only encourage more local people undertake their own cycling and walking adventures – starting and finishing at their front doors – but also help boost tourism, an industry that was severely impacted by the pandemic.

Markus said:

“For me, the film highlights regions in Scotland that are not normally in the tourist spotlight. Responsible and sustainable tourism by bike can bring new income streams and visitors to those communities, and I hope the film will inspire more people to visit in 2022.”

Councillor Robert Spears, spokesperson for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, added:

“Mark and Markus’ film not only highlights how accessible our local area is on bike but also the many fantastic places people can visit while they are here. We are extremely lucky to have hundreds of kilometres of shared use paths that criss-cross the area, linking vibrant towns with peaceful countryside making the Falkirk Council area a brilliant place to live, work and visit.”

Watch it all!


Support for the film was provided by Visit Falkirk (together with Scottish Canals, Falkirk Community Trust and Falkirk Council’s Active Travel Team), Visit East Lothian, and Clackmannanshire Council as well as Schwalbe Tyres UK and Vango.

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