Yorkshire Divide

adventures by bike

Every river rises and flows within a ‘basin’ where a ridge of high ground ‘divides’ the river from its fluvial sisters.

A new map by Robert Szucs shows every river in the British Isles set within its river basin with a different colour showing the divide of one network of rivers from another.

Within this swirl of colours is the Humber Basin. A divide where 25 major rivers rise and flow to give life to the landscape of Yorkshire.

Yorkshire has over 4,000 miles of bridleways that were originally trading routes placed on the ridges of high ground where our rivers rise and so we look to these tracks on our moors and valley slopes to create one day and multi rides rides.

Join us as we connect bridleways, greenways and lostways on gravel, peat and stone on an adventure by gravel bike or mountain bike.

This is not a wild landscape. Meadows, pastures and farms remind you that it is a working landscape with tracks set between high stone walls and fields of corn.

But its not a tame landscape either. The trails on the Yorkshire Divide are ‘off-road’ between swathes of heather, blocks of limestone and furrows of peat on the moors and valley slopes where 25 of Yorkshires finest rivers rise and flow.

Each of our trails take you into villages, towns and, on our two long trails, through the center of York and Leeds.

We ride past our industrial heritage with its mills, canals and reclaimed railway lines

and then back out onto the hills and moors where our green open spaces can be explored

across a diverse landscape.

Calder Divide Trail

The Calder Divide Trail connects moorland singletrack, bridleways through woodland and urban greenways around the area of land that drains the River Calder.

There are 4 routes, 2 designed for gravel bikes on well maintained tracks and 2 designed for mountain bikes as these route goes over rough and steep tracks on the moors. All riders are welcome to stay over on the Saturday night at the campsite at the half way point.

At the finish line on Sunday all riders are welcomed back with an embroidered cloth badge, certificate and the all important pie n peas supper. In aid of Overgate Hospice with our aim being to raise £2,000.

Date: 20th - 21st September 2025

Starting line: Mytholmroyd Community Center, Calder Valley

Distance: 151km (100 miles) / 236km (160 miles)

Headwaters Trail

The Headwaters Trail takes you to the source of the River Calder, River Aire and River Don whose waters powered some of the first mills and forges of the Industrial Revolution.

The trail is 320km long (200 miles) with a 250km option and takes you from the South Pennines, north into the Yorkshire Dales and then south to link with tracks in the Peak District. It is 80% ‘off-road’.

On the event weekend we have an Event HQ with bag store, showers, pie n peas and car park. The route can be enjoyed as either a self-supported bikepacker or a supported rider with two campsites, luggage transfer and evening meal + breakfast together with a GPS tracker from ‘Follow My Challenge’ aka ‘dot watching’.

Date: 3rd - 5th May 2025

Starting line: Mytholmroyd Community Center, Calder Valley

Distance: 320km (200 miles)

Source to Sea Trail

The Source to Sea Trail takes you on an epic ride on every imaginable grade of trail across three National Parks and the remote moorland where ten rivers emerge.

In 2025 the route will be 730km and 9,000 meters (450 miles / 30,000 feet). Whilst the distance is demanding the challenge lies in negotiating the mix of tracks over the varied terrain.

In broad terms a mtb would suit the western half as we cross the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors whilst a gravel bike would relish the long eastern leg on the broad floodplain from Pickering to York, along the Humber estuary and around to Castleford. The final 50km over rough tracks on the Pennine moors is the sting in the tail!

In aid of ForUs Tree a community habitat restoration group in the Calder Valley.

Date: 3rd - 7th May 2025

Starting line: Mytholmroyd Community Center, Calder Valley

Distance: 730km