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10 UK bikepacking events to pit yourself against in 2020
Not content with one day’s racing? Turn your bike into a multi-day rig and hit the road (and trails) on the UK’s best ultra-distance rides that include a stopover (or two!).
There’s been an explosion in the popularity of bikepacking events in the UK over the last decade. Plus, thanks to the rise of gravel bikes, it’s no longer seen as a specialist pursuit, with every day cyclists opting to take on some of the new and exciting formats alongside the well-loved classics.
Bikepacking refers to multi-day riding that is usually self-supported (which means carrying all your own kit – from tools to camping gear – from start to finish). Although it traditionally refers to off-road tours and races, it is beginning to broaden out to include road riding events.
This list includes some of the best bikepacking races and events you can do in the UK in 2020, and ranges from beginner-friendly feet finders to mighty 2,000km epics, road-based to off-road races, and relaxed to competitive. One thing’s for sure – at each, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in the camaraderie and community that comes with pushing yourself to your limits alongside like-minded riders.
1. Route Beer Ramble
Looking for an easy introduction? This London-Bristol event is just right
© Pannier.cc
When? March 28-29 2020
Where? Richmond Park, London | MAP
An early season weekender hosted by the slow touring expert Pannier.cc, the Route Beer Ramble is a fun and accessible 230km led group ride from London to Bristol via the Wessex Downs and the Kennet & Avon canal. A gravel bike will be perfect for this ride, which takes in towpaths, bridleways, quiet country lanes, country parks, and even a few Swinley Forest MTB trails!
You’ll spend Saturday night at a campsite next to a pub that has an excellent country inn menu and roaring fire, and be fed a hearty breakfast by Dave and Stef of Pannier.cc before setting off again on the second day. The course enters Bath via the Two Tunnels path en route to the final destination of Bristol. Here, the ride ends at Tapestry Brewery with a celebratory dangle mug of its own ‘Route Beer’ and a brewery tour.
This is the perfect introduction if you're new to bikepacking, as you can even hire bikes and kit from the team and the terrain is pretty mellow.
2. Dales Divide
A GPX file is provided before setting off from the Irish Sea...
© Chris Ellison / Dales Divide
When? April 10 2020
Where? Arnside Pier, Cumbria | MAP
Inspired by the mighty Tour Divide in North America, the 600km Dales Divide crosses the breadth of England not just once, but twice. The route takes riders from the Irish Sea at Arnside Pier, over to the midway point of Scarborough on the North Sea and back again, along a different-but-no-less spectacular and tough off-road route.
Held over the Easter weekend, this is an early season ride not to be underestimated, with some 9,800m of elevation gain along the way. Passing through the breathtaking Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, the route boasts some of the best of British single- and doubletrack, but be warned that the event offers no support or prizes. It’s the perfect practise event for more serious endurance athletes and a great challenge for aspiring bikepacking racers.
As you’re not there to race, you can take as little or long as you like. And with plenty of tearooms and amazing views, what’s the rush?
3. TransDevon
Set off from Plymouth’s cobbled streets, a hat tip to the legendary TCR
© Rockets and Rascals
When? May 1 2020
Where? Rockets and Rascals, Plymouth, Devon | MAP
Described as a reliability trial rather than a race, and inspired by the late Mike Hall’s Transcontinental Race, the TransDevon is the perfect weekend challenge for aspiring and experienced bikepackers alike. Starting out on the cobbles of Plymouth Barbican on a Friday at 9pm, there are three manned checkpoints located cross Devon to reach in a set order, but your route between them is down to you (bar some excluded dangerous main roads). Expect a route of around 320km, featuring beautiful coastlines, the rugged trails of Dartmoor and everything in between!
Devon is a wonderful setting for such a ride and you’re never too far from a corner shop or tea room for refuelling. Pair or solo, local or from afar, it’s a really inclusive and friendly event put on by local bike shop Rockets and Rascals, encouraging riders to get more adventurous with their free weekends in the beautiful South West. Don’t forget to enjoy some beers at the shop and cafe with your fellow riders at the end!
4. All Points North
Have you got what it takes to tackle 1,000km of non-stop riding?
© All Points North
When? May 22-25 2020
Where? The Heeley Institute, Sheffield, South Yorkshire | MAP
All Points North is an event not only for the most hardy endurance road riders, but also for the mapping enthusiasts. Given 10 checkpoints scattered across the north of England, riders are challenged with ticking off them all as quickly as possible before returning to race HQ in Sheffield. Depending on your route, expect to cover around 1,000km.
You can choose to tackle All Points North as a solo rider or in a pair, and it’s probably one where local knowledge will come in pretty handy. It’s certainly not a flat part of the country and when the wind howls up there, it can make a big difference to how bearable it is – the most cunning of riders will take this wind direction into account when plotting their options.
Whether it’s racing for first place or simply ticking off as many checkpoints as you can, this is a great orienteering-style format that celebrates the friendly and welcoming UK bikepacking community with a big cook-up meal at the end of the event. New for 2020 is the Rookie Rider category, where you can opt for a handicapped start that gives you an extra eight hours of daylight.
5. Highland Trail 550
Riders use the Highland Trail 550 as prep for the Silk Road Mountain Race
© Alan Goldsmith
When? May 23 2020
Where? Tyndrum, Stirlingshire, Scotland | MAP
You’ll definitely need a mountain bike rather than a gravel bike for the legendary Highland Trail 550, a world-renowned annual 560-mile self-supported bikepacking race through the best of the Scottish Highlands. Limited to just 40 places, the first challenge is proving your experience and getting a place – this is not one for beginners.
Even if the weather is kind to you (hint: it probably won’t be), the terrain is hard-going and hike-a-bike will be a common feature. Yet the wild remoteness of the Highlands makes for the most perfect setting for a multi-day race, testing not only the legs but rider’s self-sufficiency, resourcefulness and grit. Bothies are a common feature along the route and can provide great shelter, but the standards are somewhat variable...
If you can’t join the main event, why not consider doing the loop at some other time as an individual time trial, and see how you rank against the riders who have gone before you?
6. Salsa Frontier 300
The Frontier 300 is a coast-to-coast, but not as you know it
© Dan Monaghan / Cadence Images @cadenceimages
When? June 13 2020
Where? Colvend Public Hall, Dalbeattie, Scotland | MAP
Just like LEJOG, the Northern coast-to-coast route is another staple of the British cyclist’s bucket list. Although on the face of it the Frontier 300 – hosted by Salsa Cycles – might seem like just more of the same, it’s really quite unique.
Riders will face a 300km ride from the southwest Scottish coastline near Dalbeattie in Dumfries to Druridge Bay on the east coast, just north of Newcastle. Oh, and there’s a 30-hour time limit. The route is a mix of forestry roads and quiet lanes which help make up some distance, although be warned there is one hike-a-bike section. And, after this gargantuan effort, riders will be rewarded by brunch on the beach.
If you’re considering tackling the Salsa Frontier 300, then the ideal steed would be a gravel bike, but don’t let that stop you if you’d rather ride a mountain bike instead.
7. GBDURO
Prepare to channel your inner Lachlan Morton as you attempt this wild LEJOG
© The Racing Collective/ Philippa Battaye
When? June 27 2020
Where? Land’s End, Cornwall | MAP
The ultimate British bikepacking challenge, GBDURO was created by The Racing Collective to test the hardiest and most determined of riders along the whole length of the UK. The road route is well known, fairly direct and is a common pilgrimage for riders aiming to test their legs. This new route, coined the GB Divide, is anything but straightforward. Instead, it zig-zags across the country, taking in the very best of long-distance trails along the way, and totalling just under 2,000km with 30,000m of elevation gain (that's more than three Everests).
The race format is in four stages, punctuated by checkpoints where the clock stops. This encourages riders to be more sociable and rest well between the brutal legs covering England, Wales and Scotland. The inaugural 2019 edition was really put on the map when the WorldTour pro Lachlan Morton competed and, unsurprisingly, won the race, bringing an unprecedented level of coverage and hence interest in the second edition.
8. Trans Alba Race
The route takes in the best of Scotland’s Highlands and Islands
© Jack Driver
When? June 28 2020
Where? Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland | MAP
Back for its second edition, the Trans Alba race is a self-supported lap of Scotland’s finest roads, starting and finishing in the capital city of Edinburgh. Like many other rides of this ilk, there are no prizes for the first placed rider back after the mighty 1,738km loop (with some fearsome 23,000m climbing), although the highly coveted finisher’s hip flask will be a source of motivation for many.
Alba is the ancient Gaelic word for Scotland, and whilst this ultra-endurance ride isn’t exactly ‘across’ the country as ‘trans’ would suggest, it pays homage to the races that inspired the event, including the near-7,000km Trans America race, which the race organiser himself completed in 2018.
9. WalesDURO
Warm the legs up for a GBDuro attempt with an A-to-B of Wales
© The Racing Collective
When? July 4-5 2020
Where? Bangor, Wales | MAP
If you like the idea of A-to-B rides instead of circular loops, how about tackling an end-to-end of Wales in two days? The same group behind GBDURO, The Racing Collective, has hosted this mega 300km self-supported ride for a few years now. It’s free to enter and you simply turn up under the Menai Bridge in Bangor, Wales and ride the route to Cardiff, stopping off at Tymawr Farm halfway to camp together and enjoy some homemade Welsh cawl.
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not – be prepared for the tyre-slashing slate mines of Dinorwig, the desert of Wales, boggy hike-a-bike, river crossings and the famous ‘Gap’ MTB trail before descending the Taff Trail down to Cardiff city. As if that wasn’t enough, you can also choose to race the 10 timed segments en route, calculated as Strava segments. Looking for something a bit closer to home? Check out the others in the series too, including ScotDURO and PennDURO.
10. Yorkshire Dales 300 & 200
There’s something for everyone in Yorkshire, whether you prefer MTB or road
© Stuart Rider
When? August 1 2020
Where? Riders Cycle Centre Bicycle Workshop, Skipton, North Yorkshire | MAP
There are numerous ITTs in the UK – that’s Individual Time Trial routes – for mountain biking typically that can be tackle at any time, letting you put yourself against the clock and to see how you stack up on the route leaderboard.
The Yorkshire Dales 300 is one of the few of these that you can also ride as an event, just like the Highland Trail 550, with many riders starting out on the first of August. There are two options; a 300km mountain biking route, or 320km (200-mile) road cycling route. Whether you choose to blast these in one go (good luck) or take a few days over it, they’re both super hilly routes that will test even the best climbers. As those that are already acquainted with the Dales will know, what they might suffer in the legs will be more than compensated for with the delightful Yorkshire countryside.
