Gallovidian Gravel: Cycling UK’s first Scottish bikepacking gravel route (330km)

Named Gallovidian Gravel, the route traverses Dumfries and Galloway in the south of Scotland, offering a sense of adventure, history, heritage and nature.

Working with adventure bikepackers and route designers Guy Kesteven and Kieran Foster, Cycling UK has added a new route to its network showcasing the very best of UK cycle tourism. Beginning in Dumfries, Scotland’s Queen of the south, the new circular multi-day route covers 330km of off-road riding in majestic and rugged landscapes. Taking in dark sky forest tracks, winding coastal back lanes, wild mountains and hidden lochs, it also introduces riders to charming towns, ancient abbeys and the area’s fascinating history.

Cycling UK’s multi-day routes are designed for long weekend trips, and they’re all accessible by train so riders can explore our countryside without the need for a car. While Gallovidian Gravel is ideal for competent cyclists, it’s been designed in the shape of three smaller, intersecting loops, to provide shorter ‘taster routes’ options instead for people of all experience levels.

At 331km, the distance is the main challenge, but while it looks long and hilly – overall elevation of 4,002m – gradients are gentler to climb. It’s genuine gravel riding and best suited to gravel bikes or hybrid and tough-tyred touring bikes, with only a couple of optional kilometres where an MTB might make more sense. By adding an additional route to its roster of multi-day routes, the charity aims to bring more people to lesser-known areas of the UK to boost local economies and help more people experience the wellbeing benefits of cycling.

Distance
206 mi / 331 km

Total climb
13,131 ft / 4,002 m

Total descent
13,134 ft / 4,003 m

Surface

Unpaved

Webpage

www.cyclinguk.org/routes/long-distance/gallovidian-gravel

The European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), has revealed how cycling tourism now generates more than €44 billion annually, supporting thousands of small businesses, from rural guesthouses to bike rental shops. Adding in the additional economic gains from better health and fuel savings, and the ECF estimates that cycling produces €150 billion in total benefits for Europe. 

Survey data collected by Cycling UK along its King Alfred’s Way route in 2020 demonstrated that on average each person riding the route spends £107.61 per day, when adjusted for inflation, on food and accommodation. The charity also found that cycle tourism spending in the UK generates £520m per year, with 1.23 million overnight trips made each year.

Katie Hammond, Commercial Director at Cycling UK, said:

“Cycling can be the best way to truly experience a place, because you’re travelling slowly enough to take everything in but fast enough to cover great distances. It’s always exciting to be able to unveil a new route, knowing that at the same time, it’ll boost the local businesses and communities, connecting more of our cities, towns and villages.

“Multi-day routes also offer a much greener and healthier way to travel. You get to see incredible places that are often inaccessible by car, and I’m so pleased to be revealing our first Scottish route. By joining Cycling UK, anyone can help support the creation of even more routes that make cycle adventures accessible to everyone. You’ll also be the first to know when we launch something new.”

Guy Kesteven, Ride Guide and Route Planner, said:

“We’ve worked hard to create a moving story of an adventure that takes in traffic free paths and quiet back lanes, linking trail centres, craggy coasts, smugglers coves, seemingly endless forests and wild mountainscapes. 

“Despite being the closest part of Scotland to England, the area remains largely overlooked and undiscovered. It’s somewhere you can experience the wild solitude of Scotland’s dark sky parks, whilst also taking in deep history, delightful towns, villages, remote farms and stunning scenery at every turn.

 “In short, it really has been the perfect biking area to build a route in. Similar to when we made Royal Chilterns Way, we’ve built in three distinct sections that are linked. That makes Gallovidian Gravel one of our most accessible routes yet for those without the time to tackle the full adventure in one go. We guarantee even the shortest ride in Galloway will grab your heart and make you want to return as soon as possible though.”

Highlights include stretches that wind through unspoilt nature reserve woodlands teeming with wildlife, Scottish Royal history and sections with a Highlands and Islands feel. There’s wild and ancient coastal landscapes and smuggler stories, the artistic fishing town of Kirkcudbright, volcanic coastlines, famous ruined churches, iron age hill forts, Wickerman spookiness and even the world’s fanciest cow shed. There are epic views of mountains and nearby islands, and wild goats, eagles, ospreys and deer. There’s plenty of cafes and shops to refuel and stock up, and places to stay along the way – though this being Scotland, wild camping is also an option.

Routes are free to download from the Cycling UK website as a GPX file, ready to use with a cycling computer or smartphone. Alongside the file, riders will also receive essential safety tips about how to ride responsibly and respect the countryside.

The charity has also created a series of guidebooks to purchase, with funds going towards future routes. Guidebooks are spiral-bound and produced to be hard-wearing with weather resistant covers, so you can take them on the trail with you. They capture the exciting feel for the route with detailed descriptions, Ordnance Survey mapping and essential facts unpacking what riders will see on the way.  

Paul Snedker, co-founder and managing director of Saddle Skedaddle, said: 

“Scotland has always been a popular destination for cycling and this new off-road gravel route in Dumfries and Galloway opens up another part of this speculator country for riders to explore.

“Having developed the long-distance route with Cycling UK, we’ve used our 30 years of cycling holiday experience to create an approved variation of the route that includes accommodation and luggage transfers. It’s a great option for people that want to experience the long-distance route with some added support and likeminded riders.

“To help maintain the new route and make sure it’s here for many, many years to come, Saddle Skedaddle is donating ten pence to Cycling UK for every mile one of our customers rides along Gallovidian Gravel.”

Learn more about the route by visiting: 

www.cyclinguk.org/routes/long-distance/gallovidian-gravel

Download the route GPX by visiting: 

www.cyclinguk.org/routes/gallovidian-gravel-map-and-gpx-file