Looking for a UK gravel race in 2025? These are the best events to enter

Gravel riding is big and becoming bigger each year. We may not have the high-profile gravel races in the UK that are so popular in the USA, such as Unbound Gravel, but there’s a wide range of gravel rides available. 

Many are non-competitive gravel grinders. The Grinduro-like format of gravel race with timed segments during an otherwise non-competitive ride is also popular, with Grinduro itself heading back to Scotland this year. 

From accessible taster rides to huge, challenging adventures, the breadth of choice is now massive. Many UK gravel rides are multi-day events, with camping available onsite or bikepacking required.

Take a look at our pick of the best UK gravel rides and gravel grinders in 2025 and see if you’re tempted.

UK gravel race calendar 2025

Our pick of the best UK gravel races and rides

Here's our choice of the best gravel races, grinders and events to ride in the UK in 2025.

Rapha's A Day In Hell – 12-13 April

• Key features: Road route with bridleway excursions
• Date: 12-13 April 2025
• Locations: Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, London, Leeds, Manchester
• Distance: Varies
• Price: £TBA
• More info: rapha.cc

Rapha’s homage to Paris-Roubaix, A Day In Hell will take you through the back lanes with excursions onto bridleways and farm tracks emulating the real thing, although mostly with mud in place of pavé.

You should be able to return to the finish in time to watch the French race’s finale on a big screen, complete with beer and chips. If you're not in the UK, there are events worldwide.

Southwold Roubaix Sportive – 13 April

• Key features: On-road route with optional gravel sections
• Date: 13 April 2025
• Location: Southwold, Suffolk
• Distances: 40 / 80 / 120 / 160km
• Price: £25 / £30 / £35
• More info: thepedalrevolution.co.uk

If you don’t want an entirely off-road ride, the Southwold Roubaix Sportive heads out into the Suffolk countryside and offers the option to hit its ‘Roubaix’ sectors, which it says are suitable for a gravel bike.

You can pass on one or more of them if you prefer to stick to tarmac, although the organisers say they're passable both on gravel bikes and road bikes.

Dirty Reiver – 25-26 April

• Key features: Huge gravel event through remote Kielder Forest
• Date: 25-26 April 2025
• Location: Kielder, Northumberland
• Distances: 65 / 130 / 200km
• Price: £70 / £85
• More info: dirtyreiver.co.uk

The Dirty Reiver winds through the Kielder and Wark Forests over remote, well-surfaced forest roads with spectacular views and feed stations along the way. The 200km loop includes more than 3,000m of climbing.

Although non-competitive, the event is timed and there are cut-off times at intermediate checkpoints on the two longer courses.

Friday includes off-bike events, a product show and registration, with rolling start times on Saturday morning. There's a waiting list for places.

North Wales Gravel X – 3 May

• Key features: Mix of flatter sections around reservoirs and steep climbs 
• Date: 3 May 2025
• Location: Ruthin, Denbighshire
• Distance: 55 / 80km
• Price: £59
• More info: gloriousgravel.com

The North Wales Gravel X is a varied route, taking in a ride that’s 75 to 80 per cent off-road around remote reservoirs in the Welsh backcountry.

It starts flat and on the tarmac, then there are some big climbs and descents, as well as a 40km flat section around remote reservoirs on the long route. The day is capped off with a final descent back home.

The short route bypasses some of the flat riding. 

The Gralloch – 16-18 May

• Key features: UCI World Series event in Galloway Forest Park
• Date: 16-18 May 2025
• Location: Gatehouse of Fleet, Scotland
• Distances: 53 / 111km
• Price: £62 / £82 / £87 per entrant
• More info: grallochgravel.com

The Gralloch is part of the UCI Gravel World Series, although there's a sportive ride, too, for the less competitive. The event takes the whole weekend, with camping, shakeout rides, food and drink, music, guest speakers and more.

The day after the UCI event, the sportive covers the same route, although there's also a shorter option available.

Shimano Rebound – 31 May

• Key features: DIY gravel ride on the same day as Unbound
• Date: 31 May 2025
• Location: You choose 
• Distances: 25 / 40 / 80 / 160 / 320 / 570km 
• Price: Free
• More info: rebound.cc/uk

Shimano bills Rebound as the largest gravel event in the world. It challenges riders to put together their own gravel rides on the same day as Unbound takes place in Kansas, starting at 6am to coincide with the US event.

Better still, log your ride on Strava and you'll be eligible for Shimano's draw, with prizes including entry to the real thing in 2026.

Grand Old Dukes – 15 June

• Key features: Large loop over varied tracks in the Trossachs National Park
• Date: 15 June 2025
• Location: Aberfoyle, Stirlingshire 
• Distances: 80km / 180km
• Price: £40 / £75 per entrant
• More info: dukesweekender.com

The Grand Old Dukes is a gravel ride that takes place in Aberfoyle, Scotland.

The route is predominantly off-road and takes in 3,000m of climbing through the Trossachs National Park. It features a mix of fire roads, flowy trails, technical singletrack, punchy ascents and big descents. You can ride solo or take on the course as a multi-person relay (different prices apply).

There's also an 80km loop available.

Gritfest – 20-22 June

• Key features: Enduro-style three-day ride with seven timed segments and prizes
• Date: 20-22 June 2025
• Location: Rhandirmwyn, near Llandovery, Carmarthenshire
• Distances: 127km
• Price: £120
• More info: gritfest.co.uk

Taking place over three days (including the optional prologue), Gritfest offers a route that’s 70 per cent off-road, with seven timed enduro-style segments, along with overnight camping, prizes and plenty of partying. Around 40 per cent of the route is timed.

Lake District Gravel Epic – 28 June

• Key features: Off the beaten track through the Lakeland fells
• Date: 28 June 2025
• Location: Coniston, Cumbria
• Distances: 50 / 66 / 90km
• Price: £59
• More info: gloriousgravel.com

See the parts of the Lake District the tourists don’t with this ride out into remote areas of Grizedale Forest, over fire roads, bridleways and singletrack.

The Lake District Gravel Epic route takes in climbs over four Lake District fells, with great views and more than 2,000m of climbing, with lunch near Hawkshead on the long route, only 20km from the finish. The route is approximately 70 per cent off-road.

South Downs Century – 5 July

• Key features: Iconic route, almost all off-road.
• Date: 5 July 2025
• Location: Winchester, Hampshire
• Distances: 100 / 160km
• Price: £55, £65
• More info: trailbreak.co.uk

With 160 kilometres, 4,000m of climbing and 90 per cent off-road along the South Downs Way to Eastbourne, the South Down Century is one of the UK’s must-try gravel rides along the chalk ridge, with spectacular views south to the sea and north to the wooded hills of the Sussex Weald.

There’s a 100km event, finishing at Truleigh Hill above Steyning, if you don’t fancy the whole distance.

Gravel Rocks – 11-13 July

• Key features: Grinduro-style with timed segments and riding over two days
• Date: 11-13 July 2025
• Location: Helmsley, Yorkshire
• Distances: 102km
• Price: £75
• More info: gravelrocks.cc

Gravel Rocks looks to emulate the Grinduro style (see next entry) with timed segments on longer loops. It starts on the Friday with a 10km night-time ride (bring charged bike lights) with two short timed segments, then proceeds on the Saturday to a timed morning loop of 52km and afternoon loop of 40km, with five timed segments in total. There's a final social ride on Sunday.

There's on-site camping and access to catering and a bar, plus showers. Most of the riding is within the North York Moors National Park and the grounds of the Duncombe Park venue.

Grinduro Scotland – 18-20 July

• Key features: Off the beaten track through the Lakeland fells
• Date: 18-20 July 2025
• Location: Kingussie, Scotland
• Distances: 50 / 100km
• Price: £140
• More info: grinduro.com/scotland

Grinduro is back in the UK this year, with its format of four timed segments for the main event on the Saturday, each of which takes around 5 to 10 minutes, with a mass start from Kingussie.

It's more than just the ride though, with events throughout the weekend, starting with a warm-up ride on Friday evening. Post-event, there's a big party on Saturday night, followed by a mix of self-led riding on the Sunday. Some meals are included in the entry fee.

Struggle Borderlands Gravel – 14 September

• Key features: Tough route through the Yorkshire Dales
• Date: 14 September 2025
• Location: Reeth, Yorkshire
• Distances: 50 / 100km
• Price: £59
• More info: ridethestruggle.com

Billed as an epic test of fitness, Borderlands Gravel takes in a variety of Yorkshire trails, with plenty of gnarly climbs and descents in Swaledale and Wensleydale. The 50km route option enables you to opt out halfway.

There's an optional road event on the Saturday over 180km/100km if you reckon you'll need a warm-up for the Sunday gravel ride.

Dunoon Dirt Dash – 27-28 September

• Key features: Two-day event north of Glasgow
• Date: 27-28 September 2025
• Location: Dunoon, Argyll
• Distances: 135km
• Price: £95
• More info: dirtdash.cc

The Dunoon Dirt Dash is a two-day, self-supported/self-navigated ride around the rugged Cowal Peninsula, between Loch Fyne to the north and Loch Long to the south, starting in Dunoon.

The first day is 80km, followed by a 50km second day, with around 2,500m of climbing. Camping (bring your own tent) and food (but not the plate or utensils) are supplied, before riding back to the start location.