Yorkshire Divide: Headwaters Trail 2024

The Headwaters Trail is a new circular route that connects bridleways and quiet lanes along moors and valleys shaped by three rivers.

The trail takes you over Pennine hills and along limestone ridges, through two World Heritage Sites and several historic market towns, onto a thriving city centre and across the broad floodplain on traffic-free greenways, descents on woodlands trails and long climbs over moorland plateaus of millstone grit.

We’ve called it the Headwaters Trail as the 350km circular route takes you to the ‘head of the waters’ – the source – of the River Calder, the River Aire and the River Don high up on the Pennine moors or what locals call ‘the tops’.

The route takes you on every type of trail imaginable. From smooth gravel on reclaimed railway cuttings to weather beaten slabs of millstone grit on drovers lanes and twisty moorland singletrack.

Into villages, towns and through the centre of Leeds, past our industrial heritage of mills and workshops and back out on the hills and moors.

There is an Event HQ where riders sign on, receive and activate their GPS trackers and sort out any last minute questions and logistical issues.

Participants will receive a 24 page printed ‘Guide to the Trail’ with OS maps and a field tested gpx file. The real adventure begins as riders head out along the Calder Valley towards the first trails.

The event starts from Mytholmroyd on Saturday 4th May with Monday 6th May as the final day. Registration is via SiEntries and there are two options (1) Traditional Bikepackers ticket or (2) Ride and Camp ticket.