Gallovidian Gravel: map and GPX file
Named for the traditional term for a native of Galloway, Gallividian Gravel starts in the market town of Dumfries, nicknamed Queen of the South by poet David Dunbar.
A mix of traffic-free gravel tracks, forest trails and quiet road sections provide stunning cycling through some of Scotland’s most beautiful landscapes. You’ll experience Mabie Forest with its views across the Solway Firth, the unspoilt coastline of Rockcliffe, the pretty fishing port of Kirkcudbright, the breathtaking remoteness of Loch Dee, and much more.
The three-loop format is designed to give you the chance to create your own itinerary, allowing you to complete the route in sections or in one big push. There are towns and villages along the way where you can stay for a night – or two! – and you’ll find plenty of pubs, cafés and restaurants so you won’t go hungry.
Don’t be fooled into thinking it’ll be too easy, though. The Galloway terrain can be rugged with some challenging hills, including Mid Hill of Glenhead, one of the highest hills in southern Scotland. The route has something for everyone from bikepacking beginners to gravel gurus.
Please note, due to flood defence work happening through the local council there will be diversions in place at the start of this route soon.
Gallovidian Gravel guidebook
Our comprehensive guidebook will give you a thorough introduction to the richly storied and spectacularly scenic character of this stunning southern Scottish adventure.
The guide contains everything you need to plan your ride. The route is broken down into eight parts, with detailed maps, navigation and what to look out for along the way. It also includes practical advice so you can make the most of your ride.
Buying the guide contributes to Cycling UK’s vital work in improving cycling for everyone and allows us to create more great routes for you to enjoy.
The Gallovidian Gravel guidebook and art print are available now. Plus buy any guidebook and receive £6.99 off a poster, applicable across all guidebook and poster combinations. Discount automatically applied at checkout.
Right to roam
Scotland’s ancient tradition of universal access to land means the country has some of the best access rights in the world. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code states that everyone can access most land and inland water in Scotland for recreation, education or going from place to place – provided they act responsibly.
This means that we could always pick the best options from the different possibilities on every section of the route. If we weren’t sure which that was, we’ve ridden them all ourselves to make sure you’re on the right track every time.
You can find out more about Scotland’s access rights in our handy guide.
Terrain
Galloway is an absolute gift in terms of riding terrain for many reasons. For a start, while there are a few short sections of the route that can get soggy, even they still have a hard rock base a centimetre or two underneath.
Otherwise, you’re either on quiet back roads, forestry fire roads and scenic drives, railway trails, sandy smuggler routes behind beaches or old military and mining tracks that run quick and clean whatever the weather.
While there’s a lot of climbing on the route, the gradients are relatively gentle so you can cruise most of them rather than cursing them. This means average speeds should be a higher than some of our other routes you might have ridden.
You won’t want to hurry, though, as the real beauty of Galloway is its incredible diversity of scenery. From pretty and pastoral farmland, dense forest, rocky shorelines, sandy beaches, woodland waterfalls and lochs in epic mountain crucibles. The area will stun you with its incredible range of terrain, giving you a true taste of Scotland’s islands and highlands just over the border from England.
Bike choice
As the name suggests, this route has been designed specifically with gravel bikes in mind.
Apart from a couple of kilometres of old military road out of Gatehouse of Fleet, there’s nothing here that requires an MTB level of grip or gearing, and that’s easily avoided with a back road option if you don’t want to potentially push in places.
There are also more back roads and genuine gravel tracks in this route than others, making it more suitable to gravel bikes, hybrids or even tough-tyred touring bikes.
We’ve also tried to make the route as accessible for adaptive bikes and trikes as possible; we’ve highlighted where issues might arise and alternative route suggestions where applicable.
Navigation
Gallovidian Gravel is not formally way marked. However, it does follow parts of the National Cycle Network; these are highlighted in the route guide, along with any potentially complex navigational issues.
Using a GPS computer or smartphone loaded with the GPX file of the route which you can download from the Cycling UK website is the easiest way to stay on track. We’d always recommend taking a pre-marked physical map in case of an electric hiccup though.
Facilities
The route starts and ends in Dumfries, where you’ll find a host of bike shops, cafés, restaurants and places to stay. There’s also a train station.
Towns and villages along the way offer plenty of options for overnight stays as well as food and drink. There are several bike shops on route.
Kit and safety
How much kit you take with you and whether you camp or check into accommodation depends on the experience you want to have. Like any coastal or mountain area, the weather in Galloway can change very quickly and can be wetter than average too, so make to pack extra layers and waterproof trousers as well as jackets.
Bring plenty of spares (including bike lube and brake pads), a puncture repair kit and a first aid kit and make sure you know how to use everything. Always have more food and drink than you think you’ll need, just in case. That’s particularly important between Newtown Stewart and Gatehouse of Fleet where you’ll potentially be away from food stops for 80km in the off season.
While phone coverage is generally good, be sure to let someone know your itinerary and likely timings if you’re travelling solo, and we’d always suggest sharing the journey with others for safety and social reasons.
The official Facebook pages for our routes are always a place to find up-to-date information on how various sections are running as well as recommendations on kit, itinerary and other advice from people who’ve recently ridden the route.
Top tips for a great ride
- Ride responsibly: Show respect for all other users and take care of the environment.
- Leave no trace: Practice low-impact cycling. Don’t skid, follow existing paths, ride through puddles rather than widening tracks and avoid muddy trails where possible. Never leave litter and clear up rubbish from other users too. Follow the Trash Free Trails mantra.
- Control your bike: Stay focused, check your speed and think about other people.
- Avoid disturbing animals: Farm, pet and wild animals can all be startled by sudden noise. Always be considerate, give them a wide berth and leave gates as you find them.
- Plan ahead: Know your bike, your equipment, your ability and be aware of the terrain you’re riding on. Be prepared for severe weather and potential mechanical issues.
- Be Nice, Say Hi! Always let people know you’re coming with a bell, whistle or cheery hello. Approach blind corners and descents carefully and only pass when there’s plenty of room. If in any doubt stop rather than squeezing through and if anyone gets grumpy point out politely that you’re entitled to be riding the route.
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