Gravel, Road & Trails - cycling heaven
Image courtesy of South of Scotland Destination Alliance
Start your Dumfries and Galloway cycling holiday at Auchenbrack
Discover some of the region’s best routes, just a stone’s throw from your cottage.
Bike packing, gravel biking and rural road riding have surged in popularity in recent years and we couldn’t be more excited! The Auchenbrack Estate cottages offer the perfect base for exploring Dumfries and Galloway by bike. Before we get into local routes and rides, we’ll just let you know that all of our self-catering cottages are fully equipped with everything you need from a cycling base! Each is in a quiet, remote location with plenty of off-road parking and space to store your bikes. The cottages all have central heating and woodburning stoves to help dry off that kit at the end of the day. And, of course, there’s plenty of hot water for a great shower at the end of the day. Our cottages are really close to Drumlanrig Castle and some national cycle routes as well as a few roads less-travelled.
Forests & Trail Riding
If mountain biking and trail riding are your thing, then we’re in the perfect spot! Our holiday cottages are really close to the Drumlanrig Estate which has a huge and fantastic network of cycle trails, covering acres of woodland, tracks, lochs, moors and private lanes. Many of the cycling trails were closed following Storm Arwen, which caused a huge amount of damage in the area with thousands of trees blown over. The trails are slowly being lceared and re-opened and there will be a great choice of terrains, routes and difficulty levels available this season. With lots of gentle green and blue routes, there are plenty of child-friendly cycling trails for those little legs. The blues and greens also offer more gentle terrain for the beginner mountain biker and those who want to take things a bit easier.
Some of the longer trails offer incredibly scenic routes, taking in the high points of the Drumlanrig Estate, including lochs and viewpoints that are well worth stopping at for lunch or a photo opportunity. Drumlanrig is pretty famous for it’s bike trails, you’ll be able to find loads of information about routes and trails on their website.
While you’re there - Pay a visit to Rik’s Bike Shed in the Stableyard, he knows the trails like the back of his well-weathered hand and will be able to assist you with routes and maps, as well as repairs, cycle servicing and spare parts and kit.
Our top tip - take a packed lunch and find somewhere beautiful to stop for a while and take in the scenery. You can always swing by the Larchwood Cabin at the Castle car park on the way home for a hot drink and a snack.
Gravel Biking
If gravel biking is your thing, then you’ve come to the right place. Shinnel Glen has great access directly to some great forestry tracks. Remember, the Scottish access code also extends to cycling, so, in theory, you can g anywhere you like. As a general rule, cycling on hard tracks, dirt roads and wide paths is generally not a problem and causes very little in the way of damage to the ground and environment. Forestry tracks are great for exploring on your gravel bike as there is almost never any traffic and the surfaces are generally quite reliable.
A ride from the door of your cottage, up the Shinnel Glen can take you right up into the hills and onto the network of trails leading to the Striding Arches.
The keen gravel riders out there may already be familiar with the Raiders Road, an incredible, 10 mile long forest track which winds its way through the spectacular Galloway forest Park. There’s a beautiful stopping point for lunch, halfway along the road at the Otter Pools. Its a great place to cool off too in the summer months. The road is closed to vehicles during the of-season but is open again in the summer so it’s worth keeping in mind that traffic can be coming from both directions.
If you’re seeking some self catering accommondation for the Raiders Gravel Event in August 2023, we definitely recommend booking early to secure your spot. This ever-popular, four day gravel riding adventure, attracts a huge crowd and spaces can fill up fast. Our cottages are around a 30-40 minute drive to the start point.
Road Biking near Thornhill
There are plenty of quiet, country lanes surrounding the Auchenbrack Estate. Cycling from your doorstep can take you in multiple directions and to a different place every day. From our cottages, you’ll have quick access to the main road that links up Thornhill, Moniaive and St John’s Town of Dalry. There are plenty of smaller, quiet etstae roads leading over through the Drumlanrig Estate towards Sanquhar and, for the keen explorer, the Mennock pass and Dalveen Pass both offer spectacular scenery, albeit quite a climb!
In the other direction, you can head over some delightful back-lanes out toward Dumfries and join up with some of the national cycle routes. Dumfries also offers some great, and reasonable flat, cycle lane routes along the river Nith and out to the coastal villages.
Heading South, a ride through the musician’s village of Moniaive gives you a direct route to the Galloway Forest Park and Loch Ken. For a caollection of fantastic cycling routes, visit the wonderful Scotland Starts Here website.
