UK Gravel Races and Bikepacking Events 2027

Written by James Frost, founder of Flaming Phoenix and the maker of Phoenix Bars. Updated October 2026.

Gravel in Britain has split into two sports that share a bike: timed mass-start races where you chase a number plate for a day, and self-supported bikepacking ultras where you chase nothing but the route and your own decisions for a week. Most calendars only cover the first. This one covers both, month by month through the 2027 season, with a note on what each format does to your eating, because I spend my working life making high calorie protein bars for people who ride these events, and the same food mistakes come up every season.

Every event below was checked on its organiser’s own site in October 2026, and the list only includes events confirmed there. Dates shift year to year, so where a 2027 date is not yet announced the 2026 date is given as a guide to the usual slot; confirm on each organiser’s site before booking travel. If you are after riding routes rather than events, our long distance cycling routes guide is the page you want. Flaming Phoenix is not affiliated with any event named here.

What are the biggest gravel races in the UK?

The three with the biggest fields and reputations are the Dirty Reiver (Kielder Forest, 23 to 25 April 2027, up to 200km of forest road plus a new 280km Epic ridden in pairs), The Gralloch (Gatehouse of Fleet in Galloway, 14 to 16 May 2027, listed by its organiser as the UK’s UCI Gravel World Series round), and Grinduro Scotland (Drumlanrig Castle, late June, the party-meets-race format; 2027 date not yet announced, 27 June in 2026). Dirty Reiver is the one that reliably sells out: its 2027 places went within hours of entries opening.

The 2027 gravel race season, month by month

March. The season traditionally wakes up in Wales and the Midlands: Battle on the Beach at Pembrey (weekend of 20 March 2027) mixes long stretches of hard sand with forest tracks into the strangest season opener in Britain, and Cannock Chase Gravel X, a 44 or 74km sportive (21 March 2026; 2027 date not yet announced), gives the Midlands an early hit-out.

April. The Dirty Reiver, Kielder Forest (24 April 2027), is the closest thing UK gravel has to a monument: 65, 130 or 200km of remote forestry roads from a castle start (plus the new 280km Epic for pairs), borderline weather guaranteed. North Wales Gravel X, a 53 or 78km sportive from near Cerrigydrudion (25 April 2026; 2027 date not yet announced), is the same month’s rawer, hillier cousin.

May. The Gralloch turns Gatehouse of Fleet into Britain’s gravel capital for a weekend, with UCI Gravel World Championships qualification on the line in the 110km race, and distances from a 53km sportive to an ultra of about 320km (the 2027 ultra route is not yet published). At the other end of the month, the Grand Old Dukes (31 May 2026; 2027 date not yet announced) brings a 111-mile gravel challenge to Aberfoyle.

June. Dalby Grit (19 to 21 June 2026; 2027 date not yet announced) races 110km through Dalby Forest in the North York Moors, and Grinduro Scotland (27 June 2026 at Drumlanrig Castle; 2027 date not yet announced) closes the month with its four-timed-segments, everything-else-is-a-party format.

July. The South Downs Century (4 July 2026; 2027 date not yet announced) follows the old chalk highway of the South Downs Way east from Winchester, 100km or 100 miles and about 90% off-road; this is the month heat becomes your main rival.

September. The Gravelfoyle Weekender at Aberfoyle (12 to 13 September 2026; renamed from the Dukes Weekender) is a social gravel enduro for all ages and abilities, and Struggle Borderlands Gravel takes 50 or 100km of tracks from Reeth into the northern Yorkshire Dales (13 September 2026, sold out). 2027 dates for both are not yet announced.

Add the British National Gravel Championships if you want a national title: the 2026 edition was at Ae Forest, Dumfries and Galloway, on 22 and 23 August, and the 2027 date and venue are not yet announced.

The bikepacking ultras: the other half of the calendar

These are unsupported, mostly self-timed, and measured in days. There are no feed stations or route arrows: you navigate from a GPX file, buy food in village shops and make your own calls on sleep and weather.

Highland Trail 550 (8 May 2027). The benchmark. Roughly 550 miles of Highland tracks, bothies and hike-a-bike, self-supported from a group start in Tyndrum limited to 60 riders; applications for 2027 open for one day only, on 7 November 2026. Finishing at all is the result.

GBDURO (August). Land’s End to John o’Groats, roughly 2,000km of road, gravel and singletrack, fiercely self-supported. The 2026 edition started on 15 August as a single stage rather than the old four timed stages; 2027 date not yet announced.

Pan Celtic Ultra (10 to 20 July 2027). Self-supported, on a new route each edition: 2026 looped Wales and Ireland from Conwy, and 2027 starts from Conwy again before heading into the north of England, with the full route reaching Holy Island. The full 2027 route is about 2,425km, with 1,587km and 736km options.

Great British Divide (every other year). About 2,000km, around 70% off-road, from Canterbury to near the top of Great Britain, with a 1,400km short route. Unsupported, and the organiser is clear it is not a race. It now runs every other year and the latest edition was set for summer 2026, so check before planning around 2027.

How do you fuel gravel races and bikepacking events?

Races are a carbohydrate-per-hour game: 60 to 90 grams an hour, mostly from your pockets because feed stops cost race time. Ultras are a total-calories game: 5,000 to 8,000 a day, from whatever village shops exist, which makes the food you carry the only part of your diet you control. Put your own speed and hours into the cycling calorie calculator for a personal figure.

The shared failure is sweetness fatigue. Gels and sweet bars work for three hours, then your mouth refuses them. Kevin’s review after his 100 mile Solstice Century: “They gave me plenty of energy on my 100 mile cycle and they meant I didn’t have to eat much other food.” And Janet’s, from London to Brighton: “I did not want to take lots of food with me so this bar was perfect. Compact, easy to eat, lovely taste and calorie dense.”

The practical trick riders have taught us: chop a bar into chunks in a top tube bag before the start, so eating never needs two hands. One bar carries up to 557 calories in only 120g, with up to 66g of carbohydrate, which makes it denser than almost any other bar you can fit in a frame bag; see how it compares in the best energy bars for long distance cycling, go deeper with the gravel cycling nutrition guide, and plan multi-day food strategy with the bikepacking nutrition guide. Riders chasing hard training blocks also use them as high calorie bars for weight gain between events, because big gravel seasons eat body weight.

FAQ

When do UK gravel race entries open? Often in the autumn before. Dirty Reiver’s 2027 places went within hours of opening in September 2026, The Gralloch was taking 2027 entries by October 2026, and Highland Trail 550 applications open for one day only, on 7 November 2026. Sign up to the organisers’ newsletters now for 2027.

Do I need a gravel bike to enter? No event checks. A rigid mountain bike or a cross bike on 38mm or wider tyres finishes everything on this page; the Highland Trail is the one where most riders choose a hardtail.

What is the difference between a gravel race and a bikepacking event? A gravel race is a timed, supported, single-day mass start. A bikepacking event is multi-day and self-supported: you carry or buy everything, outside help is against the rules, and most are individual time trials rather than races with podiums.

How much food should I carry for a bikepacking ultra? Enough to cover the longest gap between shops plus a reserve, usually 1,500 to 3,000 calories of carried food in Scotland’s remoter sections. Weight matters, which is why calorie density per gram, not pack size, should drive what you pack.

Phoenix Bars are rated 4.9 out of 5 from 391 reviews. Hand-packed by James in London.