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Notes from the dirt roads: planning, packing, camping and the stages themselves, every Sunday.
Autumn on the Golden Hills Loop, stage by stage
All fourteen stops of the loop, the two places where it forks and what the autumn light does to the hills.
Nov 5, 2026 · 12 min readRead: Autumn on the Golden Hills Loop, stage by stageStage six: the long gravel day
The longest day on the loop: seventy miles of gravel, one climb and where I stop for water.
Nov 4, 2026 · 10 min readRead: Stage six: the long gravel dayWaking up at camp: a slow morning
How I get up, boil water and pack a wet tent without hurrying or leaving anything behind.
Nov 3, 2026 · 8 min readRead: Waking up at camp: a slow morningPacking a repair kit you can use
A small kit, a short list of fixes and the three things I practise at home before a trip.
Nov 2, 2026 · 11 min readRead: Packing a repair kit you can useGravel or the valley road: choosing a variant
The high gravel way and the low valley road: what each costs in climbing, and why neither is a shortcut.
Nov 1, 2026 · 13 min readRead: Gravel or the valley road: choosing a variantWhere to fill your bottles on a dry stretch
How I count the miles between taps and creeks, and how much to carry when the map says nothing.
Oct 24, 2026 · 9 min readRead: Where to fill your bottles on a dry stretchA first night in a tent beside a creek
Where to put a small tent, what to do about the wind and how to leave the spot as you found it.
Oct 17, 2026 · 10 min readRead: A first night in a tent beside a creekReading the stage numbers on a route
Distance, climbing, hours and rest: what each number on a stage means and where they disagree.
Oct 10, 2026 · 12 min readRead: Reading the stage numbers on a routeWhat goes in a frame bag
What goes where: heavy things low, soft things on top and the things you need before lunch.
Oct 3, 2026 · 9 min readRead: What goes in a frame bagHow far a loaded bike goes in a day
Why a day of sixty miles can be easy on a road and hard on gravel, and how to plan for the difference.
Sep 26, 2026 · 8 min readRead: How far a loaded bike goes in a day
Newsletter
Loose Gravel
A short letter every Sunday: one stage, one packing tip and one thing to plan this week.
“The one email I open the day it lands.”