Gravel Rides Northumberland

Jordan Matthews has been riding and racing bikes in the North East all his life. He has devised hundreds of routes in the region, and has become something of an expert in gravel cycling in Northumberland and the North Pennines. There aren’t many roads, bridleways or tracks he hasn’t ridden in the area. He has worked in the bike industry since he was 16, as a bike builder in a shop, a mechanic at Recyke y’Bike, a cycling charity, and then for an adaptive cycling charity, working with people with disabilities. In 2024, Jordan worked with a gravel cycling events company as events manager for the north of England and Scotland, organising and running over 20 events. Jordan is currently Cycling UK’s Cycling Development Officer for the North East region, working to get more people on their bikes through the Big Bike Revival and Community Cycling Club programmes. In 2026, Jordan will take over the route coordination roles for the Sandstone Way and Reivers Off-Road route from Ted Liddle. His writing has appeared in Cycle magazine and he contributed routes and advice to Huw Hennessy’s book Cycling in Northumbria (Bradt, 2023). Gravel Rides Northumberland is his first book.

• IntroductionAcknowledgementsHow to use this bookRights of wayBikepackingThe bikeRecommended kit listGeneral safetyIn the event of an accidentWildlifeRules of the (off) roadPlanning your rideMaps & symbolsSection 1 – Easy routes 01 Reiver Trails: Bull Crag Trail – 10.3km02 Belford & St Cuthbert’s Cave – 17.4km03 Hexhamshire Common – 21.9km04 South Tyne Trail – 47.8kmSection 2 – Straightforward routes 05 Redesdale – 30.3km06 Derwent Reservoir & Slaley Forest – 34.2km07 Tyne & Derwent Valleys – 40.7km08 Bellingham & Wark Forest – 43.4km09 Kielder North & Monkside – 51.7km10 The Coquet Valley: Rothbury, Harwood Forest & Carriage Drive – 65.9kmSection 3 – Challenging routes 11 The Breamish Valley & Salter’s Road – 25.5km12 Kidland Forest – 33.2km13 North Pennine Mining Circular – 64.6km14 Kielder South: Wark Forest & Cross Crag Reiver Trails – 83.1km15 Cheviot Orbital by Gravel Bike – 104.3kmAppendix