Gravel route creators and event organisers all look for that one “thing” that makes their route/event stand out from the crowd. The team behind the Source to Sea Trail bikepacking event, scheduled for the end of May 2026 have used a geographical feature as the design impetus for their creation. Read on to find out more. 

“The Source to Sea 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.” While a geographic feature like a watershed might not be the first thing you would consider when designing a new route, if that feature then makes your event unique in the world of gravel bikepacking, then that has to be a good thing.

The event, which is being held for the third time next May, takes participants around the watershed of the 10 of Yorkshire’s finest rivers. The route includes the moors and ridges of the South Pennines/Yorkshire Dales/North York Moors, the coast between Whitby and Scarborough, the flatlands of the Vale of York, a crossing of the iconic Humber Bridge and a traverse of the Southern Washlands, ending up back in the Calder Valley. The total route is 730 km (450 miles) and includes around 9000m (30,000 feet) of climbing. 

The route is described as being 70% off-road and includes everything from “double track across millstone grit, moorland singletrack across limestone, country lanes across the floodplain, canal towpaths and greenways on reclaimed railway lines.” Anyone considering signing up for the event is expected to follow the “seven principles of self-supported bikepacking.”

Early bird entry into the event (before January 2026) costs £75 and rises to £95 after that. The entry price includes the following:

• Event Hub - Mytholmroyd Community Centre is our where riders sign on from 6am and fuel up on porridge pots, flapjacks, tea, coffee etc.  The Centre has toilets, showers and a large free car park for the duration of the event whilst Mytholmroyd train station, on the main line between Leeds and Manchester, is 5 minutes away. 
• GPX file - A field tested gpx file for the 730km route will be sent to your email address two weeks prior to the event.  This will be split into two parts, an 'outward' and a 'return' leg.
• GPS Trackers - Riders will be issued with a tracker from Follow My Challenge to enable friends, family and of course event officials to see riders progress on an event page on the FMC website.
• Starting line - Group start at 8am 
• Parking - your car / van can be parked at Mytholmroyd Community Centre for the duration of the event from Friday through to the following Saturday. Prior to the event on Saturday the car park is a safe space to kip if you have a camper van. The parking cost is included in your sign on fee.
• Train - The event hub is a 2 minute walk from Mytholmroyd train station which is on the main line from Leeds to Manchester.
• Pie n Peas - In the Event Room on Monday to Thursday riders can enjoy pie n peas from 10am-6pm as these are the hours the kitchen is open.  All diets catered for.  If you arrive back to Mytholmroyd at 1am then its unavoidable that there'll be no pie n peas in the Event Room the Center is closed.  
• Badge - All finishers receive an embroidered cloth badge with the StS logo
• Friday Social - At a local venue there will be a pre-ride social (6pm - 8pm)

You can find extra information about the event and sign up, here.