Calder Divide Trail 2024

Join us on the 3rd Calder Divide Trail as we tackle the only route in the British Isles to trace the watershed of a river. For the bikepacker that means you weave your way across ‘12 valleys, 6 moors and 1 floodplain’ on paths of gravel, peat and stone that were once trading routes for coal, lead, salt and wool and have been part of the landscape for over 800 years.

The event will have four circular routes along the high ground along the River Calder and its three main tributaries the River Spen, River Holme and River Colne. There are route options for gravel riders and mountain bikers ranging from 100 miles to 160 miles. As each route is approximately 70% ‘off-road’ those miles will take you much longer than you think. As a general rule one mile ‘off-road’ is equivalent to three miles on tarmac. Each route will start from Mytholmroyd Community Center with a camping village at the halfway point.

Each route starts by taking you through the park in Hebden Bridge, up through the oak woods and then wave after wave of Pennine moor. Each route passes over the dam head at Ogden. along the ace Spen Valley Greenway, over to Shepley then onto Marsden with its many cafes and pubs. The routes differ in the trails used to get you back to MYCC but all riders get to enjoy the long descent down the gravel trail in Wessenden Valley.