Dirty Reiver

The Dirty Reiver started with one ride in America. Organiser Paul Errington rode the Dirty Kanza in 2012, came home hooked, and wanted the same mix of long miles and sociable gravel culture on the forest roads around Kielder, the place he calls home; the 'Dirty' in the name is a nod to that. More than a decade on it is still a challenge rather than a race, with no podiums or prizes, and the results are there so riders can compare notes with friends.

The riding is on the vast network of hard-packed forestry roads through Kielder and Wark Forests, along the border between England and Scotland in old Border Reiver country. The classic loop crosses the Kielder Dam wall, drops back towards the lake on fast descents, climbs to the exposed high point of Blakehope Nick and rolls home along the shoreline and over the Kielder viaduct. It is properly remote, with patchy phone signal and big shops the best part of an hour away, and the routes are redrawn every few years so returning riders find new ground.

Everything is based at Kielder Castle, where the event village runs a gravel expo, barista coffee, a finishers' meal, hot showers and a bike wash. Focal Events also works to leave the forest as it found it: the event is a 1% for the Planet member, partners with Trees for Life, refills bottles at the feed stations, uses compostable serveware and sends a team out to sweep the trails afterwards.