Calderdale Mountain Biking

Calderdale Mountain Biking

Calderdale is a sprawling network of moorland bridleways and valley trails across the Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, rather than a single trail centre or graded venue. Riding falls into three main areas: Hebden Bridge and Todmorden, the two established heartlands, plus a smaller network on Norland Moor to the south near Sowerby Bridge. Expect natural, mostly ungraded terrain, rocky moorland tracks, old packhorse routes and bridleway loops rather than purpose built singletrack.

The Trails

• Hebden Bridge: the busier of the two main areas, with bridleway loops climbing onto the surrounding moors and connecting into the wider Calder Valley network. Cycle Calderdale's route guides list a dozen or so rides from here, from easy valley spins to longer moorland circuits.
• Todmorden: bridleways around Sagar Lane and Whirlaw Common link into the Pennine Bridleway National Trail near Mankinholes and Lumbutts, giving access to longer moorland routes towards the Lancashire border.
• Norland Moor: heather moorland above Sowerby Bridge. Cycling here only became formally permitted in 2023, on a specific set of permissive routes agreed after a local consultation, so stick to the waymarked permissive routes rather than the wider footpath network.

None of this is graded or waymarked in the way a trail centre would be, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off.

Gravel Riding

The bridleway and byway network that carries Calderdale's mountain biking also works well on a gravel bike. The Pennine Bridleway National Trail clips the district's western edge around Mankinholes and Lumbutts near Todmorden, a waymarked stretch of the trail that runs the length of the Pennines, and connects into the same bridleway network used by the mountain bike routes above.

Local Organisation

Ride Calderdale is the area's mountain bike advocacy group, representing riders on the Calderdale Local Access Forum and working with the council, National Trust and other landowners on trail access and maintenance. Recent work has included resurfacing the Sagar Lane bridleway near Todmorden and running trail clean up days with Trash Free Trails.

Getting Here

Primary parking is New Road Car Park in Hebden Bridge (HX7 8AY), a short ride from the bridleways above town.

For the Norland Moor network, use the car park off Shaw Lane or the smaller parking area on Moor Bottom Lane, Sowerby Bridge. For Todmorden, town centre parking gives access to the Sagar Lane and Whirlaw Common bridleways.

Hebden Bridge and Todmorden both have mainline stations on the Calder Valley line between Leeds and Manchester, a short walk from the trailheads.

Beyond the Trails

The nearest purpose built trail centre is Lee Quarry and Cragg Quarry, just over the Lancashire border.

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