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    A Beginner’s Gravel Biking Journey

    Guest Author: James Stewart, Travel Journalist

    Falling for Gravel Biking

    Let me establish my amateur credentials from the start. I am a 54-year-old man who rarely cycles. While fit(ish) and confident on a bike, I have spent a grand total of 16 full days in a saddle: ten on roads, three off, and the rest in polar snow which laughed at beginner and expert alike. I cannot adjust derailers. I have never posted on Strava.

    Finally, my bike is a heavy commuter hybrid. Nothing says “amateur” like a clunker.

    There’s a near-infinite supply of pedallers like me; people who enjoy cycling’s freedom but are deterred by its more intense varieties. That helps explain why gravel biking has been the fastest-growing sector in cycling over the last five years.

    Into Galloway & the Lake District

    The trick is to find satisfying routes. Enter Wilderness England’s new trip, split between Galloway and the Lake District: guided daily rides of around 56 km/35 miles, mountain scenery and lovely hotels. But can a rookie rider cope?

    Others in my little peloton – three men, three women, aged from early-30s to mid-60s – are keen cyclists. Heck, one woman has a bike tattoo. And Wilderness England’s Trek Domane bikes are high-tech compared to my usual ride: lightweight, hard-tail (i.e. no suspension), with drop-handlebars and tubeless Pirelli tyres.

    But instead of machismo, our group is easygoing. “We’re not here for Strava records,” guide Craig Tweedie says while describing our first 32 km/20 mile route. “One of the things about gravel is we encourage you to stop, drink water, and take photos. There’s no rush.” Phew!

    Two cyclists riding a trail in Galloway, surrounded by hills and lush greenery.

    Two cyclists along trail in Galloway, surrounded by hills and lush greenery.

    England's Gravel Bike Experience

    Most of our trip is on forest dirt roads. Smooth bar the odd pothole, they’re a cinch to ride. When a low-gear grinder inevitably appears, it’s only uphill for 15 minutes. Better still, I can track our progress on a Garmin sat-nav mounted on the handlebars, supplied with every bike. The guides encourage us to descend at whatever pace feels comfortable. You switch to the drop handlebars (for better stability), pick a path through ruts, and rattle thrillingly downhill with the wind roaring in your ears. Magic.

    These dirt roads would be tedious for some mountain bikers. For road cyclists, they would be bike-destroying. Conversely, on longer asphalt link sections, the gravel bikes glide through the miles, which would be a slog by mountain bike. So, if the route and bike are compromises, they’re compromises that increase your options.

    Exploring the gravel paths of Galloway & The Lakes.

    Exploring the gravel paths of Galloway & The Lakes.

    Support That Keeps You Rolling

    Of course, having a support team helps. Midway through the rides, we turn corners to find a picnic table groaning with fresh cakes, scones, cheeses, coffee and Irn Bru (a distinctive Scottish soda). All of this is confirmation that the trip support van has arrived before us. And when I get the inevitable puncture, our guide swoops up to repair it.

    What first-timers will really notice about gravel is its attitude, or lack of. If road bikers are fixated on pistoning through miles, and mountain bikers on ripping down routes, then gravel bikers have a lovely, easy camaraderie. With no cars and the space to ride side by side, we chat, crack jokes and discuss our lives. It’s the stuff satisfying days are made of – like-minded folk enjoying the outdoors. Before one longer ride, I question my fitness. Guide Craig advises: “Keep hydrated, stay in low gear, and take your time. Also, there’s no shame in pushing uphill.” He was right: I felt none.

    A Scottish picnic of Irn-Bru and Tunnock's teacakes.

    A Scottish picnic of Irn-Bru and Tunnock’s teacakes.

    In the Big Tree Country

    Exploring the serene forest trails of Galloway on two wheels.

    Exploring the serene forest trails of Galloway on two wheels.

    The Wilderness England trip begins in Galloway Forest Park in Scotland, which has over 480 km/300 miles of gravel biking potential. In recent years, international events have seen professional riders hammer through the area on 145 km/90 mile days. More fool them. This is a destination to be savoured.

    It’s amazing how muscle aches vanish in beautiful scenery. Our first ride thrums through muscular hills above the River Dee and along a defunct railway line where platforms crumble beneath golden moors.

    On another route we head beyond Fleet National Nature Reserve into the Dee River valley towards Glentrool. My days are filled with mental snapshots: lochs like beaten steel, a rainbow propped on bronzed hills, hundreds of jackdaws swirling like clouds above a valley gilded by late-afternoon sun, a pine martin loping across the track.

    Into the Lake District

    The calming waters of the Lake District.

    It’s scenery with the drama and scale of the Scottish Highlands – who knew that existed 90 minutes north of Manchester?

    I was worried the Lake District might mean busy routes. Actually, you’re paying for experts who have winkled out alternative rides: things like a beautiful flowing section through copper-coloured beech forest, a lovely route beneath a fist of fells, or a tranquil backcountry valley snaking towards Tilberthwaite.

    The Lakes is the ideal follow-up to Galloway: intimate where Galloway is broad, its bosky valleys like self-contained worlds, its village shops stuffed with delicious gingerbread. I’ve spent entire weeks walking here without experiencing as much variety.

    In the end, we only pass one other group of cyclists. The next time someone tells you the Lake District is busy, tell them to get on a gravel bike.

    For more inspiration and tips on exploring this stunning part of England, check out our Lake District Travel Guide.

     

    Should I Go on a Gravel Bike Trip?

    Do you like to cycle? Are you relatively fit? Then it’s a hard yes from me.

    Before my trip, I’d read die-hard mountain bikers and road bikers dismissing gravel biking online. I’d also seen passionate discussions of expensive gravel bikes. Ignore it all. For us amateur pedallers, gravel biking provides the best of both worlds—the adventure of mountain biking and the freedom of road biking, all packaged into an experience that celebrates the life-affirming joy of being outdoors.

    There’s just one catch. Afterwards, I have caught myself eyeing up gravel bikes online a few times already. This could be the end of my amateur credentials.

    Explore Galloway & The Lakes

    Meet the Guest Author: James Stewart

    James Stewart is a travel journalist whose work has appeared in The Times, The Sunday Times, The Financial Times and National Geographic Traveller.

    Renowned for his vivid storytelling and sharp insights, James has explored destinations far and wide. Though a fan of life on two wheels, he’s only been on two cycling holidays! Always searching for authentic experiences, James brings a fresh perspective to every journey he writes about.

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