The Calder Divide Trail is a long distance circular route that connects the old network of packhorse routes that exist along the watershed of the River Calder in West Yorkshire.

The watershed of the Calder is not a fixed line, permanently marked on a map. It is a broad divide that separates rivers along a ridge of high ground. In this corner of Yorkshire the watershed is criss-crossed by bridleways, causeways and greenways etched into the landscape over the last 700 years as farmers, labourers and merchants went about their day-to-day lives.

Bikepacking Yorkshire gravel trail on the Calder Divide Trail

This has gifted us one divide but many trails you can take to explore this diverse landscape:

  • The Calder Divide Trail is a single fixed 145 miles route for rider, runner or walker

  • The Calder Divide Trail bikepacking event has four route options from 100 to 150 miles

 
 

calder divide trail - GPX

The 145 mile route is open for anyone to ride, run or walk at any time in any direction from any starting point. The route is best described as a ‘trail of two halves’.

The western section towards Todmorden is on bridleways and causeways across open moorland and steep valley sides suitable for a mtb. The eastern section towards Castleford is on traffic-free greenways, minor country roads, towpaths and trails on the floodplain suitable for a gravel bike.

On the two day weekend event the trail shown below is the ‘black’ grade mtb route with the addition of a descent down Whirlaw Common and Rodwell End to the event HQ in Mytholmroyd.

GPX of the 145 mile route of the CDT ---------------------

GPX of the 145 mile route of the CDT ---------------------

 

The Event

Taking time to camp at two farms and making time to ride on the moors where the Rivers Calder, Aire and Don rise and across the valley floors where the 3 rivers flow were equally important to a happy bunch of gravel and MTB riders on this weekends He
Clear skies at the campsite outside Skipton 6am were a welcome sight and the smell of breakfast across the farmers field made for an eager queue at the food van 125km today as riders head along the Aire Valley, into the Southern Washlands and on th
Riders on the Headwaters Trail event started their ride this morning at Mytholmroyd Community Centre in the Calder Valley. After fuelling up on porridge, tea and toast the riders set off in their own time as there was no mass start. A handful of
Local bike shop. Three words that mean something to many of us. Online shopping can deliver any bike part or clothing accessory with minimal investment of time, effort and yes money. But a LBS can give you the same services and so much more. It&r
 

Tracing the watershed

The word ‘watershed’ was originally a geographical term describing the edge of an area of land that captures and drains rain water into streams and onward into a single river that eventually flows into the sea. From that, watershed came to mean dividing line. 

The watershed of the River Calder is so much more than this. It is where the wild spaces are. Those bits of the landscape that are still green. Places such as Crimsworth Dean with a bridleway through oak woodlands managed by the National Trust, the Southern Washlands with gravel trails set amongst alder, sedges and willow that thrive along the river edge and Whirlaw Common with its packhorse lane set between high stone walls and heather clad moors.

 

2024 bikepacking event

The next multi-day bikepacking event will be held on the 14th-15th September 2024. There will be four route options for the bikepacker on the weekend each of which traces the watershed.

For the majority of the trial all rides are on the same trail but the routes differ in how far downstream you go and whether they a route goes over or around Midgley Moor.

Each route starts in the Calder Valley and passes through Shepley where the camping village is located at the end of Day 1. On Day 2 all routes go through Marsden and over Marsden Moor.

 

Any of the routes listed above can be ridden on either a gravel or mountain bike but if in doubt follow the guidance which draws upon many riders experience. Each route is approximately 70% ‘off-road’.

Each route is also graded by the colour system used at trail centers: ‘blue’ is moderate, ‘red’ is difficult and ‘black’ is severe.

 

  1. ‘blue’ grade GRAVEL route

160km / 100 miles and 2,600 metres / 8,800 feet of climbing.

Highlights include: Crimsworth Dean, Bob’s Tearooms, Spen Valley Greenway, Coxley Valley, Wessenden Valley, Piethorne Valley, Heights Lane, London Road.


2. ‘red’ grade GRAVEL route

216km / 148 miles and 3,220 metres / 10,600 feet of climbing.

Highlights include: Crimsworth Dean, Bob’s Tearooms, Spen Valley Greenway, Southern Washlands, Wessenden Valley, Chelburn Moor, London Road.

3. ‘blue’ grade MTB route

160km / 100 miles and 2,800 metres / 9,200 feet of climbing.

Highlights include: Crimsworth Dean, Midgley Moor, Coxley Valley, Wessenden Valley, Marsden Moor, Chelburn Moor, Callis Wood.

4. ‘black’ grade MTB route

235km / 146 miles and 4,000 metres / 13,200 feet of climbing.

Highlights include: Crimsworth Dean, Shackleton, Midgley Moor, Judy Woods, Millennium Bridge, Coxley Valley, Wessenden Valley, Marsden Moor, Watergrove, Naze Lane, Flower Scar Moor and Whirlaw Common.

 

Three levels of Trail

(1) ‘Blue’ grade trails: Moderate

The two ‘blue’ routes - one gravel, one mtb - use bridleways with rough surfaces covered by stone, grass and gravel. Both ‘blue’ routes also cover 14 miles on the traffic-free greenway with its smooth tarmac and section of trails with features such as water bars, cattle grids and stream crossings.

A number of tracks have steep ‘off -road’ climbs and long descents, for example down Wessenden valley with its loose gravel and stone surfaces, but there is always the option of ‘hike-a-bike’. After all it is a bikepacking route!

 

(2) ‘Red’ grade trails: Difficult

A number of the trails on the ‘red’ graded routes are well maintained for example along the towpaths, gravel trails through the Washlands and on the greenway but many others are not maintained but rather left to the onslaught of winter rain and frost and so you will encounter many miles of exposed moorland trails with rough and uneven surfaces.

In addition the 216km route cross remote moorlands and farm tracks. There is a well established ‘rule’ that off-road miles count as double. This is certainly true when riding the CDT.

 

(3) ‘Black’ grade trail: Severe

The 240km / 150 mile route is graded a ‘black’ mountain bike route because it crosses six remote Pennine moorlands with long sections of trail that have deep ruts, steep drop offs, rock gardens and sharp descents. In addition there are 4,000 metres of elevation often on very steep terrain with and loose surfaces. Gravel bikes can cope with such terrain but the ride will be very strenuous.

There are three long, technical and very steep descents 120 miles into the ‘black’ MTB route. They are Naze Lane, Whirlaw Common and the Rodwell descent. The 15 minute film (link above) titled ‘A Bikepacking Adventure in Yorkshire’ has full footage of the first two ‘black’ grade descents.

The ‘black’ MTB route is the ‘original’ Calder Divide Trail that has evolved into different routes to suit different riders.

Descent down the Medieval packhorse route called Naze Lane with fine views of Todmorden.

Three Types of Trail

(1) Bridleways

Bridleways are open access trails that are wide enough for the farmers tractor and hard packed with cobbles, gravel and soil. On the two GRAVEL routes they are well maintained trails as shown on the video clips below of the wooded slope up to Jack Bridge and the long climb up Springs Road. On the two MTB routes many of the bridleways cross exposed and weather beaten moorlands where the trails have deep ruts, large drop off’s and loose rocks.

 

(2) Causeways

Causeways are stone paths made of cobbles or flagstones. Wool merchants in the 1600’s needed hard wearing paths to get ‘pony trains’ loaded with valuable cargo to market and so paid good money to lay down causeways over the tops of the moors. The Calder Divide Trail links miles of these tough Yorkshire trails.

 

(3) Greenways

Greenways are traffic free trails with tarmac surfaces laid on top of old railway lines. Greenways give you a safe and easy way to cover many miles along the urban fringe. The Calder Divide Trail links the Pennine moors in the west to the level floodplain in the east via the Spen Valley Greenway and the Ossett tunnel. Each of the five bikepacking routes takes you along the greenway shown below.

 

Signage

There is no signage saying ‘Calder Divide Trail’ out on the hills, moors and valleys. The routes of the CDT are on bridleways, Sustrans greenways along the urban fringe, open access moorland, restricted-by ways, sections of the ace Pennine Bridleway and public roads.

 

Funding

We don’t have corporate sponsors. The CDT is sustained by the time and energy of a few volunteers but still needs funds to pay basic costs. Any donation received will go towards promoting the event along the ‘12 valleys, 6 moors and 1 floodplain’.

 

Inspirational Bit

“Every trail has its history. It is not there by accident, and every twist it makes once had some historical meaning which we can decipher today, but not often”.

W.G.Hoskins ‘The Making of the English Countryside’