“Starting at dawn on the 24th June from the historic hilltop fort of Old Sarum, the epic 215km route will pass the iconic landmark of Stonehenge as participants embark on this monumental adventure through Druid Britain. The challenge is to race the solstice sun and finish before night falls.” We were hooked before we had even read to the end of the first sentence of Hotchillee’s press release!
The UK’s gravel riding scene is phenomenally diverse and we suspect this is mainly down to our varied gravel trail network. If you were to gaze down from high above the planet you would find moorland singletrack, woodland trails, ancient stone-paved drovers’ roads, forest fireroads, urban cut-throughs, cobbled streets and post-industrial landscapes littered with 'desire-line' trails.
What you won’t find in general is any significant quantity of smooth, vehicle width gravel roads in the same way that you might find in the Midwest of the USA or covering the rolling hills of Tuscany. The one exception to that is in Wiltshire, which is liberally covered with a network of ancient rights of way, criss-crossing the chalk landscape.
It’s here, on Saturday 24 June 2023 that Hotchillee are basing their “Stone Circle” event. They are offering two route choices – 135kms or 215kms and both start and finish close to the cathedral city of Salisbury. They describe the event as a “monumental adventure through Druid Britain, with the terrain promising to be similar to iconic US style gravel races”.
Entries open at 12:00 GMT on Tuesday 17 January 2023 and it costs from £65. For more information and entry details, head over to the event website.