Simon Warren’s Cycling Climbs of Scotland returns in a fully updated 2026 second edition
If Scotland’s weather has ever tried to bargain you off the bike, you’ll know the country’s best roads don’t just demand fitness, they demand commitment. A new, fully updated second edition of Cycling Climbs of Scotland: A road cyclist’s guide is set to land this winter, with author Simon Warren revisiting the nation’s most iconic and most brutal ascents for 2026.
Published by Vertebrate Publishing, the compact guide aims to help road riders plan big days across glens, lochs, islands and high mountain passes, pairing practical route intel with “updated stats” and “the latest information” for riders mapping their next Scottish climbing trip.
The headline details (release date, price, format)
Vertebrate Publishing will publish the second edition on 12 February 2026, in paperback. It’s priced at £16.95 and carries ISBN 9781839812835.
The book is a pocket-friendly 160mm x 110mm, runs to 144 pages, and is colour throughout, ideal for a jersey-pocket consult at the café stop (or a tent vestibule when the rain starts tapping the flysheet).
Rights are listed as worldwide, and the edition is explicitly marked as the second edition.
What’s inside: Scotland’s “utterly epic” climbs
The pitch is clear: Scotland’s climbs are “wild, remote, windswept and utterly epic,” and this guide is built for riders who want the kind of roads that “demand respect and reward effort with breathtaking beauty.”
Warren’s selection spans “weather-beaten islands” and “snow-covered mountains,” with the book highlighting household-name Scottish tests alongside lesser-known gut-check gradients.
Among the marquee ascents called out in the release are:
- The Lecht
- The Wall of Talla
- Bealach na Bà
These are exactly the sort of climbs that have become rite-of-passage tick boxes for UK riders hunting elevation, views and bragging rights, especially when stitched into multi-day loops through the Highlands.
What’s new in the 2026 second edition?
Vertebrate describes this as a fully updated second edition, refreshed by Warren specifically for 2026. Updates include:
- Stunning photography
- Updated stats
- Latest information to guide your next ride
For riders, that “latest information” is often the difference between a smooth day out and a wrong turn into a dead-end glen, particularly in areas where services can be sparse and weather can swing quickly.
Why this release matters: Simon Warren’s climbs legacy
Simon Warren, widely known via @100climbs, has built a reputation around the art (and suffering) of uphill riding, and Cycling Climbs of Scotland slots into a broader catalogue shaped by decades of chasing gradients.
According to the release, Warren’s cycling obsession ignited after watching Greg Lemond’s 1989 Tour de France battle with Laurent Fignon, before he rode a 10‑mile time trial on the A1 from Newark to Grantham and back. While he “didn’t have what it took to beat the best,” he found his forte was “racing up hills,” which sparked his fascination with steep roads.
That fixation ultimately fed into his 2010 bestseller 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs and, since then, a string of additional guidebooks focused on “vertical pain” across the UK and Europe. Vertebrate also notes that Warren gives talks, guides rides, has written magazine columns, and released Ride Britain in 2020.
Publisher and availability notes
The book is published by Vertebrate Publishing (Sheffield, UK). Distribution is listed as Central Books Ltd. The release also positions Vertebrate as “the UK’s number one cycling guidebook publisher,” and highlights Warren’s active presence in the cycling community and on social media as key selling points.
Quick buyer’s guide (for riders planning Scotland in 2026)
Who it’s for: Road riders who want a dedicated climbs guide focused on Scotland’s big, beautiful, leg-breaking ascents.
Why you’ll want the new edition: It’s updated for 2026, with refreshed stats, photography and current guidance.
What to expect: A compact, colour guide built around Scotland’s most famous and most feared roads, including Bealach na Bà, The Lecht and the Wall of Talla.
Editor’s take
Scotland is having a moment with adventurous road riding, partly because the climbs are uncompromising, partly because the landscape makes every hard-earned metre feel cinematic. A refreshed, climb-specific guide from one of the genre’s most recognisable names should land well for riders plotting a 2026 Highlands hit-list, especially those who want a single, lightweight reference built around the country’s signature ascents.
,++Simon+Warren’s+updated+guide+lands+in+February){kind=link}