Tor Divide was born out of the desire to have an off-road route that would cover most of the Peak District and show its diverse landscape. A challenging route that would test bikepackers’ physical and mental skills, but without the demands of multi-day races, and in a location with plenty of resupply and bail-out options making it a low-risk event for first time bikepackers. Because of its challenging nature, when entries to Tor Divide opened it just made sense to set the minimum age for participants to 18 years.

We admit we were a bit sceptical and fairly anxious when Natasha got in touch asking if she could ride the Millstone route with her 13years-old daughter Rowan. But if an 11years old can ride the HighlandTrail550 who are we to deny the opportunity to mother and daughter to try bikepacking together: the very same reason why Tor Divide was conceived.

And so after learning more about Natasha and Rowan previous experience and taking care of the necessary paperwork, they signed up to the event and started training for it.

It was great to see them at the start on Saturday morning, with bikes and gear ready for any eventuality and fully prepared to ride the event unsupported. We won’t tell you how their ride went as Natasha has been so kind to write an amazing recap so keep reading to find out!

[Valerio]

“It's been over a week now since Rowan and I finished our epic mother & daughter adventure, a 100 mile unsupported off-road bike packing event, the Tor Divide. A figure-of-8 route, starting, finishing and mid-waying in Edale, in the Peak District, where an overnight camping option was available. We aspired to camp there (or further on), but had all our camping gear with us anyway. From the other, gravel bike participants that we saw overtaking us as they carried their bikes past us on the hike-a-bike sections, it appeared that we were in the minority with our fully ladened panniers. More of that later.

Rowan and I opted to start towards the end of the staggered start. Having stopped overnight at a youth hostel, we wanted to fill up on their hearty breakfast first. A couple of miles warm up back to Edale Village Hall, collection of the tracker and numbers and we were off!

The route started up the road route to Mam Tor then along the bridleway, and we overtook gravel bikers along both. Then for the first fun bit - the downhill to Nether Booth, passing a few more gravel bikers, feeling pleased at our bike choice.

That smug feeling started to disappear as we started up the next hill, which quickly ascended into the first hike-a-bike struggle with the weight of our full, back country camping kit exerting a backward force on us, and the gravel bikers wheeled their machines back past us.

The downhill was another fun section, through the woods to Ladybower - and the same gravel bikers overtaken again.

The pit stop at Ladybower cafe was just what we needed at this point, and an opportunity to refill our emptied water bladders and bottles - this unfamiliar, uphill load carrying was proving to be thirsty work, particularly in the equally unfamiliar 16-18 degree heat. Chat amongst the other Tor Divide riders at this point was of the impending Cut Gate Lane, another hike-a-bike section.

Pre-warned, but somewhat naive, we started off, enjoying the views of the gargantuan reservoir walls and across the water. Again, once the terrain started getting a bit rough, we overtook some gravel bikers. But then came an ascent that was barely even walkable without bikes. We got into a step-push-brakes-recover routine for the next half hour or so, covering about 200m (vertical and horizontal), while the gravel biking duo (with local knowledge) passed us on an alternative less steep route up the valley side.

With the steps completed, we had to have a snack stop. We still had another couple of miles of hike-a-bike until the gradient was shallow enough for us to cycle again. The unspoilt beauty of this section was a sight to behold, with no human noise, until the whir of an eMTB sailing up the hill made us envious of e-bikers, for the first time ever.

The gentle heat and barren beauty made for a delightful rest - but we needed to crack on as we were well behind schedule (& nearly out of water again). There was a little bit of rocky trench-paths to endure on the tops, then some gorgeous downhill to Langsett Reservoir.

With time against us, we couldn't stop at the spotty cyclist cafe (one of my favourites) but continued to the next steep hill in what was now blistering sunshine. And of course we ran out of water. Then, over the brow of the hill appeared a campsite - with a water standpipe and toilets. Rowan hid in the cool dark toilets while I replenished our hydration. With gentle coaxing, she was persuaded to come out and put her head under the cool running water. Then we were ready to make up some time along the TPT from Bullstone to Hadfield. Familiar with this part of the route, it should have been uneventful. There was a lovely surprise as we reached the start of the descent at Woodhead Road, when we saw our car, and then Dan and Leo with a bowl of apples and some water. Then followed all 3 of our accidents... a twisted ankle, which happened when I jumped over a stile, desperate for a wee; Rowan choking on a peanut when she laughed in one of our many shared moments of hilarity; and a more traditional biking accident near the bottom of the hill, wiping out on gravel.

We met Dan and Leo again at the bottom of the hill, where they were handing out more water, electrolytes and biscuits to Tor Divide riders. Then through the Glossop and Charlesworth streets and onto Lantern Pike. We were too tired to ride all of the uphill and recognised, through the beautiful golden light and purple hues, that we weren't going to get across Kinder Scout to Edale this evening.

Decision 90% made, we enjoyed a dinner stop at the Italian in Hayfield, along with a lot of other participants...and Dan and Leo. There was a lot of chat about how hard the route was, some people were looking to pull out, and many were going to hike-a-bike the 4 or 5 miles to Edale by head torch, of which even the downhill was allegedly unrideable.

With dinner finished around 9pm, I knew that we (I) risked sprained ankles if we were to continue to Edale. So we stopped at Hayfield campsite, who thankfully welcome bike packers and backpackers at any time. Another camper kindly lent us an air compressor, which sped up putting up the tent. And Rowan had a reasonably good night's sleep.

The next day, we started early, and met another Tor Divide contestant in the campsite backpackers' hut, and gave him breakfast (chocolate and peanut butter wraps) before starting up the biggest hill of the event. Demoralised and hot, even at 7.30am, it took a long time and a lot of encouragement to get to the top...then Edale was in sight! After walking round the first rock drop, most of the downhill was cyclable, especially at that time of the morning when there were relatively few walkers...a highlight of this adventure...rock drops that were just about at my limit, followed by fast gravel back to the ride HQ.

At HQ, the croissants, coffee and chat with other competitors was perfectly timed. We met with Hannah, a rider whose dot was just in front of ours for most of day 1. She had retired from the event, sadly, although we did meet a couple who we had seen a lot the day before, who had already completed the full course. Armed now with the knowledge that the next loop was predominantly rideable gravel and tarmac, we set off with renewed vigour, into the hottest day of the year so far, determined to get the hike-a-bike up Mam Tor done before 11am.

The route down to Castleton was via the Broken Road, a spectacle to behold. A former road, that has fallen off the hill in some parts and rucked up in others. Rowan wanted to read the signs but we'd no time for that, we were on a mission!

In Castleton, after an ice cream and water refill l stop, we met up with our campsite buddy, and crossed some dodgy looking gates at the back of the cement works with him and his new ride buddy - saving us all time, as we'd probably otherwise have faffed about looking for alternative possible routes.

We lost them on the next rough uphill (Brough Lane), when we stopped in some shade for our next break. We had been stopping every hour on day 1 for a snack stop (which will have affected our times), but by now, we were attuned to our physical needs, and also recognised the need for a shady stop to manage in the heat.

Today's route definitely passed more quickly, the next point of note being a stop at Hathersage pool, where we met Dan and Leo, refilled our waters and had a quick bite of second lunch.

A long road uphill ensued, followed by a bit of gravel, then up onto Froggatt Edge. The heat was intense and shade a rare occurrence up here, we snatched breaks at whatever shade we could, then continued til we reached the Monsal Trail, a shaded oasis of about 5 miles. This is where we started motoring, completing this impressive converted railway of gorge, tunnels and bridges in less than half an hour.

A short but steep hike-a-bike section changed the mood (aka necessitated a final snack break) - and a time to chat strategies if we wanted to finish the next 15 or so miles within the 36 hour window. We positioned our next snack in easy-to-reach pockets and replenished our electrolyte drinks, so that we wouldn't have to stop again. Our rests would become more frequent but shorter - i.e., every downhill bit - a fact that we reminded each other of with comedy effect, on each occasion. Our camaraderie got us through the final miles. We were plenty fit enough and had stayed well-fuelled and hydrated - we'd got this!

It was gone 7pm on a Sunday evening by the time we got to Mam Tor, so there was no traffic on the road...a free pass to introduce Rowan to the best bit about road cycling - the fast mountain pass descents! We maintained the speed into Edale and got back to ride HQ with over half an hour to spare!

We were delighted to see Dan and Leo there, and Valerio and his wife had stayed to cheer us in as well. A fab end to an epic weekend out!“

It was really moving to see Natasha and Rowan arriving at the finish line after what was without a doubt a tough weekend of riding.
We did our best not to weep!

We have decided to have a Pair category for next year’s edition based on their experience as well as feedback from other riders.
We hope their story will encourage even more people to try a friendly bikepacking event, whether alone or with friends or family.

[Valerio]

Tor Divide 2024 - Natasha & Rowan’s ride

Redshift ShockStop PRO Endurance Suspension Seatpost

Rigs of the 2024 Tor Divide