New film shines spotlight on sustainable tourism aim
A new film launched this week highlighting seven new cycling routes in Perthshire and Angus as part of the innovative Cateran Ecomuseum’s Travel for All Our Tomorrows initiative.
The project aims to develop new regenerative tourism experiences in the area and the new itineraries have been designed by Bikepacking Scotland for road, mountain, gravel and touring bikes.
The itineraries range from 8.3km to 109km in distance and feature a variety of points of interest including stone circles, standing stones, geological features, historic churches and wildlife reserves.
Shot on locations featured in the itineraries, ‘Built to Last’ is the latest film from round-the-world singlespeed cyclist and founder of Bikepacking Scotland, Markus Stitz.
The 10-minute documentary was unveiled on Tuesday, May 11, and also features Bob Ellis – co-founder of the Cateran Trail – Neil Tuer, owner of Alyth Cycles and Jane Wilkinson, willow weaver at Special Branch Baskets, with music from Dave Macfarlane.
The community-led Cateran Ecomuseum launched in 2019 and is a museum without walls as all its sites are located outside.
Its website currently has over 20 predesigned cycling and walking routes highlighting the heritage of the area and giving visitors the opportunity to design their own routes around its 130 sites of interest.
Travel for All Our Tomorrows has been funded through Smarter Choices Smarter Places (SCSP) by Paths for All, Cairngorms National Park, NatureScot, Perth and Kinross Council, the Thomson Charitable Trust, and the Cateran Ecomuseum’s own directors.
Clare Cooper is one of the co-founders of the Cateran Ecomusuem.
She said: “Travel for All Our Tomorrows is about growing the number of regenerative tourism experiences we can offer across the Ecomuseum.
“Regenerative tourism encourages people to rethink how they travel for leisure and how they enjoy the places they choose to travel to in ways that ‘leave things better’ and ensure those places are available for future generations to enjoy.
“Working with Markus has been fantastic, we’re delighted with the range and diversity of cycling routes we now have that connect people to our amazing natural and cultural heritage and give them the opportunity to really get to know our host communities and all they have to offer.”
Markus added: “Climate change and the impact of my actions on future generations is something that concerns me deeply, and I would like to offer people positive alternatives to our very car-focused culture.
“For me travelling by bike has had a massive positive impact on my life, both for my own physical and mental wellbeing.
“I understand that changing our habits will take time and depend on good alternatives like the electric bus service I used to get to the Ecomuseum from Edinburgh but, as Jane puts it in the film, ‘we can make a small difference and can be part of a better history in the future.’
“For me the joy of cycling doesn’t depend on the latest innovation in cycling, it depends on a connection with people and places, and the Cateran Ecomuseum has provided exactly that for me.”
The new and existing routes, and more information about the Cateran Ecomuseum, can be found at www. cateranecomuseum.co.uk.