Source to Sea Trail 2026

The Source to Sea Trail is a 730km adventure by gravel bike or mountain bike into the heart of Yorkshire on old tracks set in the folds of the hills and on the moors where 10 of Yorkshire’s finest rivers rise. There is approximately 9,000 metres of climbing.

The trail connects bridleways across the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors, the northern edge of the Peak District and the South Pennines. The trail is 70% ‘off-road’ with farmers double track across millstone grit, singletrack across limestone and greenways on canal towpaths and reclaimed railway lines.

This is the only bikepacking trail in the world that traces the watershed – the ridge of high ground – of a single large scale basin where rivers such as the Aire, Calder, Derwent, Esk, Nidd, Swale, Wharf, Ure and Don have their source and follows their flow to the sea.

To the west we cross the rolling hills of the South Pennines, enter the limestone country of the Yorkshire Dales as we climb up Cam Fell and then its across the Vale of Pickering to climb onto the heather expanse of the North York Moors. This leads us into Whitby, a push up to the Abbey and then a fine stretch of coastline as we travel south to Scarborough.

After a traverse of the moors above Pickering we cross the Vale of York and through the old gate to pass directly in front of one of the finest Cathedrals in Britain if not Europe – York Minster. A long flowing greenway takes us SE to the marvel that is the Humber Bridge across the Humber where the peaty waters of 25 rivers merge and flow onto the North Sea.

The long journey back is across the little known Alkborough Flats and the Southern Washlands before we ride the millstone grit of the Peak District and back to the Calder valley.

May 2026 sees the 3rd event take place from Mytholmroyd Community Centre a short distance from the services – rail, BnB, campsites – of Hebden Bridge and Halifax.