Outside Magazine has published its 2014 Travel Award winners, and as you’d expect we were especially keen to see what Outside would flag up as the best trail running and mountain biking locations.

In the trail running category, the Dolomites in northern Italy were tagged as the number one place to head to for their ‘10,000-foot spires, rollicking trails, supreme landscapes, and cushy huts within solid running distance.’ Throw in the wonderful fresh local cuisine and wines and it sounds like a good choice to us.

Runner up in that category was far closer to home: Santa Fe in New Mexico. “Braided with warm arroyos, high-alpine singletrack, and buff trails just beyond the downtown adobes.” Not needing expensive European flights should certainly keep the costs down, while still providing some unforgettable scenery and suitably challenging trails to run.

But what if you’re looking for a cycling adventure? Scotland’s the place to head here, specifically the 155 mile long trip from Bonar Bridge to Applecross, taking in many of the rugged landscapes the country is famous for.  Dauntingly, the only way to access Day 2’s start point is by speedboat, for added variety.

The runner up was once again closer to home: the 6,000-foot Blue Ridge Mountains in the Carolinas. “Winding roads, great food and incredible views. In other words, it rivals anything overseas,” they say. We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.

The ‘Best Trail Running’ category is new for 2014, which shows its increasing popularity, but ‘Best Biking Destination’ was there in 2013, where Whitehorse, Yukon, Territory was the winner, with Majorca in Spain as the runner up.

Do you agree with Outside’s judgement? Let us know in the comments.