With an OS, A-Z or now even Google maps, the world is your oyster when it comes to road cycling. Keen on mountain biking? Simply head to your local trail centre and follow the arrows. Yet when it comes to the youngest sibling in this biking family – gravel riding – there’s no real unifying direction about where to start.

I’m forever being asked for routes – and whilst I’m happy to share, it’s the teach the man to fish principle. Give a person a gpx, and they’ll have one loop to do. Teach a person how to find ‘gravel‘, and they’ll have gravel for life.

And as knowing where to head seems to be one of the biggest barriers to getting off road, here’s my full, unashamedly detailed and UK-biased guide to finding it for yourself. There are three ways you can do this;

1. Mapping
2. Advocates
3. Exploring

If you find this useful, please share it with someone that you know who’d like to try more off road riding, or anyone that could do with some handy tips on how to discover the very best trails going.

1. Mapping

Digital Maps

There are loads of online mapping tools for plotting routes – here are a few of my favourites. They’re certainly not mutually exclusive – and the best tactic often involves using several simultaneously for their respective best features.

Ride With GPS

Having used this extensively to plan cycling tours for guided groups in areas I didn’t know at all, I can only say that this is a really great tool for route plotting. The standard version is free and has some great features that you should know about:

• Google Streetview – pick up the ‘peg man’ in the bottom right to drop into your route with streetview – perfect for assessing road quality, local facilities and trailheads.

• Map Layers – choose from a large array of mapping options, including Google Maps (with bike paths toggle and terrain toggle), Satellite View, RWGPS Map, OSM, OSM Outdoors, OSM Cycle, Esri Topo, USGS Topo & USGS Scans.

What is OSM? I hear you ask. OpenStreetMap is a global, open-licensed mapping system, built and updated by the community. OSM Cycle is the cycling edition, and OSM Outdoors also features contour data.

OSM Cycle is super handy, featuring National Cycle Routes, bike shops, bike parking etc. Here’s the handy map key. Toggle between this and OSM Outdoor/OSM for full track details, such as footpaths/bridleways/tracks etc – here’s the key for those.

It’s worth mentioning here that off-road cycling in the UK is only permissible on bridleways and tracks, not on footpaths. It’s not a criminal offence to do that, but a civil one – which can result in a maximum fine of £30. Handy to know. Meanwhile in Scotland, the ‘freedom to roam‘ legislation means that you can hike/cycle etc. over all land and inland water areas, with certain exclusions. Find out more about that here.

Also check out the Ride With GPS – Advanced Mapping Features (monthly subscription) – Divide your route up into chunks (great for planning multi day rides), and add POIs (points of interest) for camp spots, food, emergency access points etc.

komoot

Komoot is an ace new-ish mapping platform for adventurous people. It uses OSM base maps and community contributed data to help you plot routes based on your activity types; hiking, road riding, touring, gravel riding and mountain biking – each with specific algorithms which help find the best route for that activity. This is where OSM comes in handy again – as well as track type (way types), community members also rate the track surface quality (surface types), which gives komoot another tool to help you plot great routes.

You can also use komoot in conjunction with other apps to make use of this great feature. You can even upload a GPX file to assess just how much off road there is; and what it is like.

Update 1.11.19: komoot has now released their Premium model, which for an annual fee includes intelligent multi-day route planning, collections, dynamic weather assessments for your routes and specific mapping. This means that you can toggle between different map types based on activity  – for example MTB maps highlighting major MTB trails, cycling maps showing national routes and hiking maps showing major walking trails. All of these are super handy when it comes to plotting brilliant gravel routes.

If you’re less into plotting and would rather just pick up a ready-made off road route, check out the komoot collections near you here.

Strava

One of the most universal technologies amongst cyclists is Strava. A go-to for the data-loving road cyclist, it also has a really cool mapping tool – heatmaps. They’ve plotted ride data from everyone globally on their app to give you an idea of popular routes – and lesser used ones.

Try honing in on an area that you’re interested in exploring, and see where others have previously ridden. If it’s obviously an off-road link with a lot of ‘traffic’, then it’s likely to be a really good one! Make sure you toggle cycling only, not running – you might end up in a pickle…

Online Resources

There are loads of other online resources for route plotting, and some more specifically for gravel riding. Here are just a few – please let me know of others I’ve missed!

Sustrans – The UK cycling charity’s map of our National Cycle Network, includes quiet lanes and traffic-free routes. Worth a look for longer distance inspiration and traffic-free ways of connecting dirt trails.

Bikepacking.com – Global collection of beautifully documented routes, plus news and advice. Great for inspiration! Recommend the Exmoor route.

RideFar – Global coverage of long distance events both on and off road.

MTB Project – More handy in the States but an amazing example of the value of user-contributed route sharing. MTB orientated but a great gravel tool too. App is ace.

Trailforks – More global, community contributed trail information plus pumptracks and other features.

GPXeditor.co.uk – A really handy site for overlaying multiple GPX files to display different route options.

gravelmap.com – Not one I’ve used personally, but recommended by others. User contributed sectors of trail or routes are displayed.

Paper Maps

I admit, I am a huge cartophile – lover of maps – and adore pawing over metres of printed paper maps. But unless you’re planning on confining yourself to one local area, or are flush enough to fork out for all the map tiles in the country, they can be quite limiting. Not to mention the disadvantages of paper maps ‘in the field’ when combined with the best of British weather…

If you’re keen to stay old-school, opt for the OS Explorer series, which have a scale of 1:25,000, the most detailed map. Here, each 4cm grid square represents 1km, so there’s plenty of detail with bridleways, tracks, walls, contours and waterways all included. Even better, opt for a laminated version.

2. Advocates

Events

Meeting up with other grit loving riders at organised events, especially if on new turf, is a great way to expand your very own route horizons. You’ll usually be treated to the best of the trails too, as these events will most likely be organised by locals.

Here I’ve pulled together all the gravelly events (as currently listed in January) in the UK for 2019. If you know of any more, please get in touch so I can add them in!

Of course this excludes MTB rides which are often great for gravel bikes, too. Don’t count them out!

Groups

You may be lucky to have a local group or club that organises regular off road rides, or even just a bunch of mates that get together every now and then. If this isn’t you, remember that there is nothing stopping you from going ahead and starting your own.

Facebook groups like The UK Gravel Collective can be great places to start when searching for new groups to ride with – there are even some local rides in the planning now which you can tag along to. Try asking if there are any groups local to you – and if not, why not make your own? I did here – join the Bristol & Area Graveleurs if you’re near here. The thread is now filled with ride offers, routes and kit advice – perfect!

Enthusiasts

Another great way of finding new gravel routes is befriending your local off road enthusiasts! I’d find it hard to believe that they wouldn’t want to share their local gravel hotspots with you, especially in return for a coffee & cake/pint or two.

Have a google if you’re heading somewhere specific – often people will share good routes on their cycling websites/blogs etc too. Don’t be afraid to get in touch with them and ask for more info or recommendations!

3. Explore

The final, and perhaps most rewarding way of finding new trails is to discover them for yourself, whether by design or accident. There’s no harm in heading out to an area and simply trying out the offshoots of the trail that entice you. Be warned – you will find dead ends, horrifically unrideable climbs and near-deadly cliffside hike-a-bike (sorry Steve) but equally you could find an absolute gem of a new trail!

Don’t think that you have to go big to find great new trails either. Sure, a National Park or AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) will likely provide some ace riding – but there’s so much joy to be had from inner city connecting paths hidden in local parks or disused railway lines.

The very best time of year for getting a little intentionally lost is undoubtedly winter, as with no leaves on the trees you can more easily see existing trails carved through woodland – although maybe not so good for bog-prone areas! Remember those mud tyres…

On Safety

One last point that’s definitely worth mentioning. Riding off road can lead to spectacular but remote places, so when you’re planning where you’re going it’s worth bearing your safety in mind. Think about where your emergency access points could be – the nearest road etc. You might not have phone signal either, so its a good idea to let a friend know where you’re going and what time you expect to be back, especially if you’re riding alone.

Thank you

Finally, we are indebted to the many individuals and businesses that are working to make off road riding more accessible for all, whether that’s new online initiatives to help route planning and sharing, or those that tirelessly work to put on events and get-togethers to spread the off road love. Support them!

I really do hope that this has been useful – if you have any tips that I will have undoubtedly missed, let me know and I can add it in.

Thanks for reading & happy shredding!