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

1
2
3
Technical, advanced gravel, where classic gravel and paved roads will be combined with some rocky fast descents, technical steep climbs and random mountain challenges.

Ride Surfaces

Grade 1
25%
Grade 2
15%
Grade 3
20%
Grade 4
25%
Grade 5
15%

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.

Click below to see Cycling Tips’ great explainer video on gravel surfaces.
GRADE 1
Bad roads, cobbles and rough paved surfaces. You’d find this rideable on a standard road bike.
GRADE 2
Well-made, hard-packed dirt roads offering a road-like experience but without the traffic. Some rutting and looseness of stones.
GRADE 3
Reasonably smooth gravel. Discernible small rocks over a hard-packed surface.
GRADE 4
Rough gravel with conditions that may include shale, larger gravel and rocks. Tubeless tyres and big clearance are the most practical choice.
GRADE 5
Borderline MTB terrain, at the rougher end of the spectrum for the capabilities of most gravel bikes.

Cycling helmet, sunglasses and shoes illustration

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 View Itinerary View
Map View Map View
01
02
03
04
05
06
07

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.

Map & Profile

Read our Gravel Explainer for a full description of our gravel definitions.

Grade 1
50%
Grade 2
50%
Grade 3
0%
Grade 4
0%
Grade 5
0%

Read our Gravel Explainer for a full description of our gravel definitions.

Grade 1
35%
Grade 2
35%
Grade 3
20%
Grade 4
5%
Grade 5
5%

Read our Gravel Explainer for a full description of our gravel definitions.

Grade 1
30%
Grade 2
15%
Grade 3
15%
Grade 4
25%
Grade 5
10%

Surface Details

Day 01
Day 02
Day 03
Day 04
Day 05
Day 06

Dates & Prices Illustration

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
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Waiting List


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    Trip Hotels

    Laggan / Murray Arms

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    Moffat House

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    Peebles Hydro

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    Eskdale

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    Pheasant Inn

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    The Cookie Jar

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    What's Included

    What's Included What's Not Included
      Accommodations & Meals arrow
    • 7 days / 6 nights fully accompanied trip
    • All accommodations
    • All breakfasts
    • All dinners
    • Lunch on the 1st day
    • Transportation arrow
    • Pick-up and Drop-Off at Edinburgh Airport
    • All transportation during the trip
    • All luggage & bike box transfers
    • Cycling Support arrow
    • 1 x Ride Leader per 8 guests (approx.)
    • 1 x Support Van & 4WD vehicle
    • Experienced bike mechanic
    • Park Tools Toolkit
    • Daily ride gpx files provided
    • Nutrition during the ride arrow
    • Energy bars, gels and sports drink
    • Variety of snacks and local specialties
    • Bottled water
    • Airfare
    • Travel and personal insurance
    • Additional hotel expenses i.e. phone charges, mini-bar, gratuities
    • Staff gratuities
    What's Included
      Accommodations & Meals arrow
    • 7 days / 6 nights fully accompanied trip
    • All accommodations
    • All breakfasts
    • All dinners
    • Lunch on the 1st day
    • Transportation arrow
    • Pick-up and Drop-Off at Edinburgh Airport
    • All transportation during the trip
    • All luggage & bike box transfers
    • Cycling Support arrow
    • 1 x Ride Leader per 8 guests (approx.)
    • 1 x Support Van & 4WD vehicle
    • Experienced bike mechanic
    • Park Tools Toolkit
    • Daily ride gpx files provided
    • Nutrition during the ride arrow
    • Energy bars, gels and sports drink
    • Variety of snacks and local specialties
    • Bottled water
    What's Not Included
    • Airfare
    • Travel and personal insurance
    • Additional hotel expenses i.e. phone charges, mini-bar, gratuities
    • Staff gratuities

    Travel details - airport departures

    Pick-up/Drop-off Info

    Arrival

    Pickup Location Time

    Edinburgh Airport

    9:00am

    OR

    Hilton Hotel Edinburgh Airport

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    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

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    Gravel Scotland Borders


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