Had such a great time at this event. As someone relatively new to gravel riding, I was honestly a bit nervous beforehand, but it turned out to be one of the most welcoming and well-organised cycling events I’ve done. The routes were beautiful, especially through Glentress and the forestry sections, and most of the terrain was far more accessible than I’d expected. A lot of it was wide forestry track rather than super-technical riding, which made it really approachable for newer gravel riders. There were a few more challenging sections, but nothing that felt unmanageable, and there was always the option to hop off and walk short bits if needed. I also loved the atmosphere. There were loads of women riding, lots of families around camp, and generally just a really friendly and supportive vibe all weekend. The organisation was excellent too, from the route planning and food stops to the showers, campsite setup, and rider briefings. You could tell a huge amount of thought had gone into making it run smoothly. If you’ve been curious about trying a gravel event but worried it might be “too hardcore,” I’d genuinely recommend this one.

I really enjoyed the challenge of the route, particularly the climbing aspect. The Borders is always a tougher day out compared to the likes of Kielder. The feed stops although small had everything required. Only a couple of negatives. The 3rd feed stop appeared to be missing, which wasn’t ideal when needing water. And I thought the descent of the final big climb was unnecessarily dangerous. Very loose with big stones. Unsuited to gravel bikes. But those didn’t detract from a great day out.

An absolutely incredible event. What a showcase of the borders. I had raced a single day last year but getting the full festival experience with camping on site really converted this into a weekend I'll want in my calendar every year. Fantastic amenities and location with a really friendly atmosphere. A real community feel to it and fantastically organised across some of the most remote and demanding terrain.

Well organised and good communication. The first day was fantastic for the 40km route but the 70km route had serious problems for adapted riders. Two of them toppled sustaining small injuries but needing help from other riders to complete the route safely and to cross the river, which would not have been possible without help. The second day was not so good for the short route for the adaptive riders, myself being one of them. The section of the black run was impossible to navigate without the help from my support team, some of which also found that section difficult and challenging despite being able bodied. There was also a section of a blue run with many cambered turns which I found impossible to navigate. I fell and rolled over at the 3rd turn and had it not been for my son who managed to launch himself from his bicycle, still in motion and grab me and stop me, I would have crashed at high speed and likely sustained serious injuries . Finally there was another section with also some quite steep parts and very large gravel, which made this section very bumpy, painful and exhausting. This three sections made the second part of the route not enjoyable at all and really spoiled my day. I feel that if you advertise the event as “accessible for disabled people” sections like this should be taken into account and either not have them or have an alternative section to avoid the difficulty ones. Thank you for your consideration.