Gravel, Road & Trails – Cycling Heaven
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 situated in a quiet, remote location with ample off-road parking and space to store your bikes.
The cottages all have central heating and wood-burning stoves to help dry off after a day’s activities. And, of course, there’s plenty of hot water for an excellent shower at the end of the day. Our cottages are conveniently located near Drumlanrig Castle and several national cycle routes, as well as a few lesser-travelled roads.
Forests & Trail Riding
If mountain biking and trail riding are your thing, then we’re in the perfect spot! Our holiday cottages are conveniently located near the Drumlanrig Estate, which boasts a vast and fantastic network of cycle trails spanning acres of woodland, tracks, lochs, moors, and private lanes. Many of the cycling trails were closed following Storm Arwen, which caused considerable damage in the area, with thousands of trees blown over.
The trails are being slowly cleared and re-opened, offering a great choice of terrains, routes, and difficulty levels 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 well-known for its bike trails; you can find extensive 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 a beautiful spot 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 excellent access directly to some great forestry tracks. Remember, the Scottish access code also extends to cycling, so, in theory, you can go anywhere you like.
As a general rule, cycling on challenging tracks, dirt roads, and wide paths typically causes minimal damage to the ground and environment. Forestry tracks are great for exploring on your gravel bike, as there is rarely 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 that 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. It’s a great place to cool off, too, in the summer months. The road is closed to vehicles during the off-season but reopens in the summer, so it’s worth keeping in mind that traffic can come from both directions.
If you’re seeking some self-catering accommodation for the Raiders Gravel Event, which is held each year, we recommend booking early to secure your spot. This ever-popular, four-day gravel riding adventure attracts a considerable 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 estate roads leading 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 fantastic, reasonably priced 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 Galloway Forest Park and Loch Ken. For a collection of fantastic cycling routes, visit the wonderful Scotland Starts Here website.
Book your cycling holiday in Dumfries and Galloway at Auchenbrack.