Raiders Gravel 2023
1st September
Why Book This Trip?
Raiders Gravel is a truly Scottish gravel cycling adventure ride held over four days in the heart of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, in South-West Scotland.
Three stunning routes take riders on a challenging adventure though the Galloway Forest Park, witnessing it’s stunning beauty and wildlife, with almost every kilometre off road. You’ll ride up gruelling climbs, through deep forests and alongside stunning lochs, and all in one of Scotland’s most beautiful areas. And while each of the three stages is different, all will touch Raiders Road, a 16km gravel trail running east to west which lends the event its name.
With a social ride the day before the action begins, and the accompanying festival, Raiders Gravel has the optimal mix of adventure, exertion, culture and relaxation making for an unforgettable cycling event in one of Scotland’s unspoilt gems.
If you prefer to be your own boss a solo entry for Raiders Gravel is the best option, but if two’s company pick a team entry. Both solo and team entrants will ride all the stages in full.
Expect stages between 65km and 85km with 900m to 1200m of climbing. Full routes to be unveiled in Spring 2023.
Spread your payments: Our payment plan is an interest-free payment method where you will have the opportunity to spread payment for your booking.
Hotel in Castle Douglas: Hotel previously used by Team Ineos. Breakfast and evening meal included.
Transport : Transport to and from the event start and finish in Gatehouse of Fleet..
Three epic stages of Scottish gravel: Featuring an adventure into the wilderness of the Galloway Forest Park, you will race three stages over three days.
What's Included?
Accommodation
Hotel in Castle Douglas
Meals Included
Breakfast and Evening meal
Transfer
To and from the event
Guided Warm up ride
On Thursday
Mechanic
Mechanical assistance
Additional Extras - Sportive Entry
Available
Itinerary
Day To Day
Please arrive at our hotel today. We will have a mechanic available on arrival at the hotel to support with bike building and any last-minute mechanicals.
At 14.00 we will lead a guided ride in the area that takes in parts of tomorrow’s race route.
Evening meal at the hotel
Settle in and enjoy evening meal at the hotel.
We will provide you with transport from the hotel, with your bike, to the start of the race in Gatehouse of Fleet, which is about a 20 minute transfer. We will have a shuttle service to get you back to the hotel after you finish today’s stage, where there will be mechanical assistance available.
Full details of Stage 1 will be announced in Spring 2023. At the 2022 edition of the Raiders Gravel, Stage 1 was a flatter, faster stage of 73.5km. The route took the riders north east to the western edge of Loch Ken before heading west and onto the Raiders Road, which gives its name to the event. After reaching the southern tip of Clatteringshaws Loch they headed south and back to the Big Water of Fleet viaduct, where the real action had begun hours earlier.
You will be able to refuel with an evening meal at the hotel.
We will provide you with transport from the hotel, with your bike, to the start of Stage 2 in Gatehouse of Fleet. We will have a shuttle service to get you back to the hotel after you finish today’s stage, where there will be mechanical assistance available.
Full details of Stage 2 will be announced in Spring 2023. In 2022, Stage 2 was the longest stage of the Riders Gravel, with 80.7km of hilly gravel with stunning views.
You will enjoy an evening meal at the hotel.
This morning we will provide transport to get to the start of Stage 3 of the race. A shuttle service is available to get back to the hotel after you finish.
Full details of Stage 3 will be announced in Spring 2023. Stage 3 in 2022 was the Skerrow stage – the shortest of the three stages, with riders tackling 63.8km in a figure of eight north of Raiders’ hometown of Gatehouse of Fleet.
You can celebrate finishing the Raiders Gravel event with an evening meal at the hotel.
After breakfast, please check out and we will look forward to welcoming you again in the future to another Sportive Breaks event.
More About the Event
Join the Sportive Breaks team in Scotland from 31st August until the 4th of September for the Raiders Gravel event. You will be staying in a hotel in Castle Douglas, just down the road from the event village in Gatehouse of Fleet, which includes breakfast and a two-course evening meal. The hotel is popular with cyclists and has previously hosted the Ineos team. The hotel will provide secure bike storage and an area for working on your bike with our mechanic.
We will provide transport for yourself and your bike from the hotel to the Event Village each day, including a shuttle service to get back to the hotel after each stage of racing.
The Raiders Gravel event can be ridden either solo or in a team of two, and all stages can also be undertaken on an e-bike. The event includes a social warm up ride on the Thursday arrival day, followed by three exciting gravel stages into the Scottish wilderness of the Galloway Forest Park on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each stage will be between 65km and 85km with up to 1200m of climbing.
The Raiders Gravel starts and finishes each day in the small town of Gatehouse of Fleet, in Dumfries and Galloway in South West Scotland.
Each of the three stages take riders from the Event Village into the Galloway Forest Park, each day riders will travel along the Raiders Road which lends it’s name to this event.
The Event Village is a lively hub with a festival feel, providing a social base for riders for the duration of the event.
Our hotel for the event is located in Castle Douglas, a short journey from the Event Village. Castle Douglas is an 18th-Century market town, which is also a designated Food Town with more than 50 local independent businesses producing and selling high-quality food and drink.
Included with all packages:
Hotel in Castle Douglas for 4 nights
Daily breakfasts
Daily evening meals
Secure bike storage at the hotel
Guided Warm Up Rides with ride guide
Transport to the start of each stage in Gatehouse of Fleet and transfers back to the hotel in Castle Douglas
Mechanic support available all weekend
Area at the hotel to resolve any bike issues and to clean your bike
You're in safe hands
We have a team of highly experienced professionals who have been organising cycling trips for over 25 years. We are members of ABTA and ATOL so book with confidence.
Plenty to choose from
Did you know we offer the biggest selection of European Gran Fondo and Cyclo-Sportive events.
Spread your payments
Our payment plan is an interest-free payment method where you will have the opportunity to spread payment for your booking. *Selected products. Terms and Conditions apply
Logistics covered
We know the routes, we know the roads. We know how the event works and the best hotels for the start and finish. We organise everything for you; transfers, bike transport, additional feed stops, rep support and more.
