Gravel
Scotland Borders
Gravel Scotland Borders
An amazing "Coast to Coast" featuring the best gravel roads in the Scottish and English Border regions.
Another gravel masterpiece designed by Ed Shoote, author of the book “Gravel Rides Scotland”. Follow this stunning gravel ride from Coast to Coast through the best of Southern Scotland and Northern England.
Overview
Details
Next Departure
June 2nd 2024
From
USD $4,795
Duration
7 days / 6 nights
Non-Rider Friendly
No
Rental Bike
USD $550
Ride Program
Total Distance
Total Elevation
Daily Av. Distance
Daily Av. Elevation
Overview
The Borders of Southern Scotland and Northern England are well known for featuring some of the UK’s top mountain biking and gravel rides. Our route, designed by Ed Shoote, Scottish gravel expert and author of the book Gravel Rides Scotland follows a magnificent coast to coast journey through the “borders”, from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea. Along the way you’ll ride sections of the most iconic gravel races and gran fondos in the UK, including the Gralloch, the only UCI World Championship qualifying gravel race in the UK, the Raiders Gravel, a magnificent 3-day gravel gran fondo in the Galloway forests and featuring the iconic Raiders Road and the super challenging 200km Dirty Reiver gravel grinder event based in the Kielder forest.
The route starts in the south-west corner of Scotland in the fun village of Gatehouse of Fleet, host of the Gralloch gravel race, and sets the tone for the week with some magnificent stretches of gravel from the Gralloch and the Raiders gravel event. cths of gravel that feature in the magnificent rides gun village of with a beautiful warm-up ride into the New Galloway Forest. and the Trossachs national park, truly the heart of Scotland. It then stretches north across the romantic isolation of Rannoch moor and under the high peaks of the Central Highlands Heading east the route flies along the smooth white quartz gravel tracks of the Cairngorms National Park. Each track we ride was built for a reason and it has a story to tell, from the 118th Century military roads of General Wade to the well-trodden ‘drove roads’ that cattle traders took south to markets as far away as London.
Gravel not only shapes Scotland’s cultural history but takes us deep into its breathtaking wild and remote landscapes. This trip has just enough challenges to feel like a real adventure as it crosses rivers, climbs mountains but all the time tries to stick to well-surfaced gravel tracks and quiet lanes.
Trip Technical Difficulty
Ride Surfaces
Bike Setup Recommendations
Recommended Tires
700×42
A minimum 700×42, but feel free to use more rubber for more comfort and grip if your bike has extra tire clearance.
Recommended Gearing
38T × 11-42
We recommend a minimum gear ratio of 0.90 using a 38T chainring × 42 rear cog (or equivalent). Check your gear ratios at www.bikecalc.com/gear_ratios.
Gravel Explained
Read below for a brief description of our gravel definitions. We have classed the surfaces into five categories, from tarmac to boulders, to give an indication of the amount and level of rough stuff on each trip.
Itinerary
| Day | Description | Distance | Elevation | Hotel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Welcome to the Scottish Borders | Laggan / Murray Arms | |||
| 02 | Gatehouse to Moffat | Moffat House | |||
| 03 | Moffat to Peebles | Peebles Hydro | |||
| 04 | Peebles to Langholm | Eskdale | |||
| 05 | Langholm to Kielder | Pheasant Inn | |||
| 06 | Kielder to Alnwick | The Cookie Jar | |||
| 07 | Haste ye back! | ||||
| Daily Averages |
Itinerary Detail
Day 1
Distance
Elevation
Welcome to the Scottish Borders
Gatehouse of fleet is a fun little town with lots of character sitting on the water of fleet river. It is a stone’s throw from the many beaches of the Dumfries and Galloway coast. In 2023 it was also host to the first UCI Gravel racing event in the UK and the tour starts out by following some of this route. The area is fast becoming a big gravel riding destination with hundreds of miles of tracks spreading out in almost every direction.
After setting up the bikes and a quick lunch , we will ride a cool little loop to get a taste of what this land has to offer.
Day 2
Distance
Elevation
Gatehouse to Moffat
The ride heads out of town towards the Cairnsmore of Fleet nature reserve before heading under the iconic brick arches of the now disused railway Big Fleet viaduct. It takes on a section of the famous Raiders Road gravel before using a combination of tracks and quiet back lanes through pretty rural Dumfries and Galloway towns. The forest of Ae is on the route and this offers more miles of sublime gravel forestry tracks. The area is famous for its mountain bike downhill trails too. The perfect gravel here follows the Roman and Reivers route and continues into the market town of Moffat, a long term preserve of hikers the town is full of great cafes and now firmly becoming a cycling stop off due to the great gravel and road riding from the town in all directions.
Day 3
Distance
Elevation
Moffat to Peebles
Today’s ride heads up and up into the vast Clyde Windfarm, at the time of construction this was the largest onshore wind farm in the UK, only overtaken by Whitelee near Glasgow. It is also a huge network of upland gravel tracks offering fast descents and epic views of the Border and southern upland hills.
From the windfarm the route drops down to the souce of the infamous river Tweed, this upland area is mostly bog between the hills and serves as the start point for what is one of the best fishing rivers in the world.
The tour takes in the remote village of Tweedsmuir with its famous rocky bridge over the Tweed, before skirting around the hills on a network of tracks along the river Tweed.
Drumelzier (pronounced Drum – mell e-er) is the last resting place of Merlin the Wizard and Merlin’s Grave. According to legend, which is at least as old as the 15th century, the wizard was buried 200 yds NNW of Drumelzier Church. There are ruins of Merlin’s castle visible on a nearby hill and an associated Alterstone is visible along the route here and adds to a feel of myth and legends that the Borders thrives in.
A sublime short track heads past the magnificent Stobo Castle before a spin along the Tweed to the bustling market town and royal Burgh of Peebles.
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Map & Profile
Surface Details
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Dates & Prices
| Date | Booking Status | Availability | Price / Per Person | Single Supplement | Non-rider Discount | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | |||||||
Jun 2 - 8 |
Taking Bookings |
Places Available |
USD $4,795
USD $4,295
|
USD $950 |
USD $900 |
Book this trip | |
| Early Bird Discount - book before October 15th | |||||||
Waiting List
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Trip Hotels
What's Included
| What's Included | What's Not Included |
|---|---|
Accommodations & Meals
 Transportation
Cycling Support
Nutrition during the ride
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| What's Included |
|---|
Accommodations & Meals
Transportation
Cycling Support
Nutrition during the ride
|
| What's Not Included |
|
Pick-up/Drop-off Info
Arrival
| Pickup Location | Time |
|---|---|
|
Edinburgh Airport |
9:00am |
OR |
|
|
Hilton Hotel Edinburgh Airport |
9:00am |
Departure
| Drop Off Location | Time |
|---|---|
|
Edinburgh Airport |
11:00am |
Rental Bikes
Frame
Felt Breed 20
Groupset
SRAM Force 1
Weight
9.35kg (size 54)
Wheels
Devox Wheels RDS.A0 GXA | 30/21
Chainrings
36 or 38 (depending on trip)
Cassette
11-42
Sizes
47, 51, 54, 56, 58, 61
Price
USD $550
Gravel Scotland Borders
