Galloway Forest Gravel Epic

Setting out from just north of Newton Stewart, this glorious route starts with a bang with the toughest climb of the day coming straight away – 3km at 5.5% on the gravel.

You then descend down to Clatteringshaws Loch where the long route splits from the other options at 18km.

The extra 53km loop in the long route is pretty punchy, containing an extra 750m of elevation. This section heads to the East of Galloway Forest to catch a glimpse of the Water of Fleet viaduct through deep forest and past a number of pretty lochs. You rejoin the others back at Clatteringshaws Loch for a stunning 25km section rolling past Loch Dee & Loch Trool before finishing with a flatter section through Kirrough Forest, down into Newton Stewart and back to the finish line for a beer.

Almost all of the route is off road on excellent gravel. One of the highlights of the season!

The medium route deviates from the short route 18km in to take a loop around Catteringshaws Loch, upping the milage but with little in the way of additional climbing before rejoining the short route to finsh the ride.

Almost all of road with a beautiful section past Loch Dee & Loch Trool, this is one of the best 75km routes in the UK. Quite challenging but suitable for riders of most abilities.

A beautiful short route. The route splits from the others after the first climb (3km at 5.5%) and after a great view over the forest, it’s time to descend north towards the lochs.

The best section of the route is the rolling terrain past Loch Dee & Loch Trool and then back through Kirrough Forest. This option has over 1,000m of elevation so it’s not easy but the hardest section is at the beginning with fresh legs.