Scottish Borders
Time to read 2 min
Fresh off the back of The Gralloch's demanding gravel course, Nat, Pat and Vlad weren't quite ready to head home to London. Instead, the trio rolled straight into a three-day bikepacking adventure across the Scottish Borders, trading race-day adrenaline for the steady rhythm of loaded touring.
From the coastal town of Kirkcudbright to the urban sprawl of Newcastle, their route would take them through ancient forests, over unforgiving moorland climbs, and across the invisible line that separates Scotland from England - a journey that perfectly captured the wild beauty and brutal honesty of the Borders landscape.
I did this trip with two good mates, Pat and Vlad. The three of us ride together regularly back home in London - everything from early morning laps in Regent’s Park to long days out on the loose stuff. We’ve done a few of these before - everyone’s on the same wavelength: happy to lean into a bit of type 2 when it kicks off, but mostly it’s about good company and a solid bit of adventure.
Why Scotland?
There’s something grounding about riding through a place that already feels familiar. With family ties and time spent in Scotland over the years between us, the Borders felt like the right place to map out a route. We’d already signed up for the Gralloch, but wanted to turn it into an extended trip, so we decided to bikepack the Frontier 300 route in the days following the race.
The Gralloch
The Gralloch delivered on all fronts. It was full gas from the gun, with sweeping views of Lochs and fast fire roads cutting through dense forest. Despite the scenery, the route was unforgiving - Riders peppered across the course either fixing mechanicals or walking to the nearest road. You’re always going to roll the dice in gravel racing.
We somehow made it round the course in one piece - No mechanical or crashes, just a face full of dust and stomach full of gels.
In terms the kit I used:
- Chroma Short Sleeve Jersey
- Chroma Bib Shorts
- Arm warmers
- Mono Mitts
Heading East
Our bikepacking route: Kirkcudbright to Newcastle
- Day 1: Kirkcudbright - Moffat (98km 1400m elevation)
- Day 2: Moffat - Kielder Forest (112km 2127m elevation)
- Day 3: Kielder Forest - Newcastle (100km 1292m elevation)
With legs feeling a bit heavy from The Gralloch, we rolled out of Kirkcudbright towards Moffat, breaking up the day with a lunch stop in Dumfries. The route wound through stretches of forest before opening out at a wind farm, where the turbines towered above the trees, casting rotating shadows across the track.
Day two hit harder. The climbing kicked in straight out of Moffat with no warm-up and before long, we were on the aptly named ‘Wamphray Horror Push-Up’ - an 800-metre hike-a-bike averaging 26%.
After dropping into open moorland and grinding up a few more rough climbs, we crossed the border into England. From there, a long descent took us through Kielder Forest, looping around the reservoir, before finally rolling into the Pheasant Inn.
The home straight took us through Northumberland towards Newcastle, where the gravel finally gave way to some welcome smooth tarmac. Then it was straight onto the train back to London.
Home time.