Half and Half
The Road and Gravel cycling holiday - Imagine being on Scotland’s quietest roads and best gravel tracks!
A unique 7 day adventure - Galloway Cycling Holiday trip on gravel bikes in the Home of Gravel in Scotland.
OVERVIEW
A unique opportunity to ride and explore the remoter parts of Galloway’s stunning landscape - researched and organised for you by Galloway Cycling Holidays.
Gravel bikes are amazing: they take you into wilderness, and are perfect for our less than smooth rural lanes.
You stay in only two locations Thornhill - up in the Galloway Highlands, and Gatehouse of Fleet, down by the coast with perfect access to Galloway Forest ( home to the UCI Gralloch Gravel Race ). In Thornhill you can ride the Alpine style passes up to Scotland’s highest village. Ride to Gatehouse, and experience the world famous gravel of Galloway Forest.
Special indeed - we think this is a unique package for the ‘ gravel curios ‘.
Rides can be leisurely, enjoying the landscapes, or big day-long challenges. There are so many options here. A picnic by the coast, even go to a gallery or two, or challenge yourself to reach the highest village in Scotland (Wanlockhead), or the highest tarmac in Scotland if you want to go harder. Loops are around 40 miles, or more if you want. You will have only one transfer day to ride - a remote moorland cycle of tarmac and gravel down to the coast.
Whatever you do, you will relax in comfortable 4* rated hotels with great food, hospitality and a dram or two perhaps.
Duration: 7 days / 6 nights
Cycling Style: Self-guided, Gravel, off-road and road cycling, luggage transfer provided
Extras: Gravel bike rental - guiding if you want
NOT ENOUGH TIME!, we can easily shorten the duration. Just let us know.
Tour details
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7 day schedule:
From: £990 per person, based on shared accommodation
SINGLE (part of a group) from: £1290
SOLO: £1340
Gravel Bikes are an Extra @£40 per bike per day.
There is a 5% discount per person for groups of 4 or more people. Please ask for a code when ready to book.
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Most suggested routes are around 40 miles on quiet rural roads and gravel tracks. But remember Gravel-miles are double-miles if you are not used to them.
The transfer day from Thornhill to Gatehouse of Fleet is 41 miles on quiet country roads with long gentle ups and downs - we can put in a bit of gravel if you like!
We call the terrain undulating and rolling: some hills, but nothing too serious unless you ask for a challenge. You are in a cycling paradise here, with so many options, you get to pick and choose.
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Day 1: Arrive in Thornhill, settle in and get your bike fitted. We will do the introduction to navigation with ridewithgps and make sure all is well.
We have two short rides for you to test the bikes and get a feel for the area, including a loop to see the grave of the inventor of the bicycle - how amazing is that!
Day 2 & 3 - Thornhill : Explore the area and hills of the Galloway Highlands and Lowther Hills. This includes a visit to Wanlockhead, highest village in Scotland and the amazing Mennock pass - this is our Alpine riding - Want more? - you can ride the highest tarmac in Scotland.
Other routes let you explore the rolling hills to Ae Forest with grand views when returning to Thornhill, and a loop through the almost hidden and “awesome” Scaur valley.
Day 4 - This is over 40 miles, and is exposed to the weather in places. The good thing is, that it is down hill to the coast at Gatehouse of Fleet, but there are a number of short climbs early on in the ride and one long-ish one just before Gatehouse.
Day 5 + 6 - Gravel Heaven, Your gravel routes are a mix and match and can be customised to suit you. But a flavour would be: tracks that are part of the UCI World Gravel Series event The Gralloch that loops back to the iconic Gatehouse of Fleet Viaduct, or a loop to the quirky town of Kirkcudbright and off-road tracks along the coast back to base. Or choose the routes to Clatteringshaws Loch with the grand views across to Merrick, our highest hill.
Day 7 - Departure : We bring you back to Lockerbie or Dumfries (or as discussed)
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Staying in 4*- rated accommodation with breakfasts.
The prices include:
Pickup from Lockerbie or Dumfries and bringing you to the first accommodation.
Luggage transfer .
Transfer from Gatehouse of Fleet back to Lockerbie or Dumfries train/bus station
If you arrive by car, we can arrange safe parking and bring you back to it.
Tour duration can be shortened (or extended), but require a minimum of two nights in one location.
If you are unfamiliar with using GPS navigation in remote, non-signed territories, we would strongly recommend to have at least one guided day with us. This will also have the benefit that you will learn more about the in-depth local stories and cultures.
Hub 1: Thornhill
A small town in the Galloway Highlands, bordering the Scottish Borders. An important junction of the old trade routes into the interior of the southern hill ranges and on to Edinburgh.
Sheep, cattle, castles and unexpected gems in architecture and culture, several castles, an Anglo-Saxon Cross, an old Roman Road - and it is also the and place of invention of the pedal bicycle by Kirkpatrick MacMillan. For such a small place, Thornhill has a remarkable number of good cafes.
Sites to see on your journey
Apart from extraordinary landscapes, you could see a variety of sights.
Thornhill: Morton Castle, Drumlanrig Castle and Estate, The Queensberry Marbles in Durisdeer, public sculptures by Andy Goldsworthy, and of course the place where the first modern pedal bike was invented by Kirkpatrick MacMillan, Wanlockhead and its highest pub in Scotland.
Gatehouse of Fleet: Gatehouse Viaduct, Castramond Wood, Rusko Castle, Cardoness Castle, the oldest Football Field in the world, Cally Woods, Carrick Coast, Kirkcudbright
Hub 2: Gatehouse of Fleet
Gatehouse of Fleet is a small picturesque town (it does like to be called a town, though more of a village in size ) in the south of the UNESCO Biosphere.
The town is set at the heart of the Fleet Valley National Scenic Area –a nationally outstanding landscape – which encompasses the Fleet Valley from the wild moorland at the top of the valley to the estuary with its fine beaches and rocky shores. Gatehouse is an 18th century planned town and is remarkably well preserved with most of its historical features easily viewed. There are several great cafes to sit and watch the world go by.
