Gravel riding has become increasingly popular across the cycling world and I must admit that personally, I hadn’t quite got what all the fuss was about. Things changed after testing out both the Coast to Coast route as well as our new King Alfred’s Way ride. Two very different rides – but enough to give this roadie an appetite for more!
Away from it all
The traditional Coast to Coast route is already well crafted to ensure that traffic-free paths and quiet country lanes dominate; the off-road sections act to add a little spice and adventure to the ride with another layer of escapism from the rest of the busy world on top. Day 2 is dominated by some exquisite “top of the world” tracks across the open moorland of the Pennines. There is some serious elevation change to get high up on top of the hills but the expansive views and isolated feel take you to what could be another world from the hustle and bustle of England’s cities (and roads, for that matter!).
It is amazing how all of a sudden you realise that on a doubletrack gravel road you feel freer to ride side by side, gaze around to take it all in and ride with verve that sticking to the left hand side of even the more idyllic country lane can’t quite replicate. And the King Alfred’s Way route has that in bucketloads. Without the height of the Pennine moors but with plenty of ripples in the south of England countryside to rack up the elevation change, it was genuinely astounding that I was riding so close to major population centres whilst in my own little world following byway and bridleway.
Want to have a bike ride where you get to explore somewhere you would never have gone otherwise? Want to have a bike ride where you have hours of time riding without the buzz of traffic? Want to experience a completely different type of cycling? Then come and dip your tyres off-road with us this summer!
Time flies when you are having fun
I bit off more than I could chew when I went to check out the first part of the King Alfred’s Way route. With an ambitious plan to cover possibly even up to 2/3 of the total route in a single day and no real option shorter than 100 miles it was going to be a long day on my mountain bike. In the end, 100 miles was still enough that it got dark (I was riding in October…!) before I reached the train station but it was a 12 hour bike ride and then some. And yet, genuinely, it bore none of the drudgery of a long winter road ride (despite the fact over six hours of it was in the rain).
A combination of factors meant that I had no time to be bored: the added concentration needed to pick the best line through the mildly technical off-road sections; the extra gazing around at the forests, moors, hillsides and open fields; the extra precision needed in spotting the hidden entrance to a byway diving off down some ancient sunken lane; deciding which spot needed a photo and which was best to stop for a snack – all these and more were just a little more dynamic than on a road ride and the time passed quicker for it.
Can you have too much of a good thing? I am a roadie at heart after all. Well, both the King Alfred’s Way and our off-road route for C2C dip in and out off the rougher stuff – mixed in with sections of country road to click some speedier kilometres by. Mountain bikers might shudder at the thought but I found that after a while off-road I would feel like a bit of smoother riding would be just nice… and along came a section on the road. Then, after a while I would think “wouldn’t it be nice to change things up?” and then here comes a turn onto the dirty stuff. Everyone has their own blend of what they want from a bike ride – can we call this one an “all you can eat buffet”? Perhaps.
And so, looking for challenge, adventure or training (or perhaps all of the above)? Then skipping off the asphalt and into the dirt might just be a better way of doing so that you have ever tried before.
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail
I put my mountain bike cleats in my bag. I brought my bike with me. What I didn’t do was put my SPD pedals on my bike… So, with the first open bike shop on a Sunday morning 60km into the route it was a good job that the first part of the King Alfred’s Way route was easy going. Otherwise my inappropriate footwear perched precariously on the pedals would have been a nightmare to propel across the rougher sections. As it was, things just worked out fine and I was very glad that my compatibility issues were solved as the going got tougher after lunch.
Personal gaffes aside – going on an off-road adventure might be an alluring prospect for you but the unknown that hides around the bend of the bridleway might be enough to put the brakes on any such exploring. That is why we run our trips like we do. It is your ride, to enjoy in the way that you want to. But our Route Leaders are never far away to provide assistance.
That includes in the build up to the trip as you get everything in order. You can learn from my owns mistakes, plus those of the hundreds of riders who have donned the Bike the UK for MS journey and set out across the country before you. If you have wanted to take the leap and go on adventure then let us be there right behind you helping you go where you wouldn’t otherwise quite feel ready to.
I will be putting together some more detailed notes about the off-road routes on offer in 2025 for those of you who wish to have a proper idea of what awaits around the corner on your adventures – stay tuned for those updates.
