We think this is the ultimate bikepacking adventure in southern England. Take the lesser-traveled route from Land's End to London, passing through World Heritage sites, National Parks, and AONBs.

By road, what we really mean is ancient byways, mining trails, woodlands, coastal cliff tops, national trails and a bit of single-track, all joined together with a few bits of tarmac.

With around 670km of roads & mixed terrain trails with 9,000 metres of climbing, you will ride from one side of the country to the other. A Southern Divide from the Atlantic to the Kent Coast.

There are two ride options for you to choose from.

The EPIC Adventure pace – 88 hrs
The CHALLENGE Adventure pace – 134 hrs

*It’s a huge challenge
*You will need to be self-sufficient
*It will be beautiful
*It will be an amazing adventure

*Dotwatcher commentary for family & friends

EPIC Adventure

When: 6:30 am Thu 16 May – 10:30 pm Sun 19 May (88hours)

Challenge Adventure

When: 6:00 am Thu 16 May – 8:00 pm Tue 21 May (134 hours)

Entry Fee: includes tracker & camping at the start

Adventure Guidelines

The Epic Adventure

This is our toughest option. You will be prepared to keep riding and ride at night with minimum sleep. You are likely to bivy in a field, rather than relax in hotels.

This is not an option for the faint-hearted. It will appeal to experienced bike-packers, ultra-riders or fast tourers who want an early-season adventure, and ride either a hardtail MTB or a well-equipped gravel bike with big tyres and low gearing.

The Challenge Adventure

The route is spectacular, and you won’t want to miss the scenery by being too tired or riding at night, so for those who want time to enjoy the views, the Challenge pace is for you. It gives you more time to complete the adventure, but you will still need to keep moving.

This option gives you more time to soak up the scenery, find campsites or take advantage of accommodation with walls & a bed if you prefer. You can still camp with all other riders at the start, receive rider packs, be tracked, and be added to our finishers board if you finish within the time limit. Be under no illusions though, this is still a significant challenge. This will appeal to newer bike-packers, and more leisurely ultra-riders who don’t relish too much night riding, those who prefer to take things a little slower, enjoy the scenery or get more sleep. This option is perfect for those who want to ride with a small group of friends.

With regards to bike choice, we still suggest a bike with the biggest tyres you can fit and a wide range of gears. It is gravel bike rideable but a few modifications for comfort are highly recommended. The route is not too technical, but it’s tough, rocky in places, very hilly and there will be plenty of hike-a-bike.

Our inaugural event in 2023 was a huge hit with riders and we hope it will soon become a calendar favourite. It is possibly the toughest-timed route across the South and has been created to showcase the spectacular scenery the South has to offer. This new route was introduced in the Autumn of 2023 and includes parts of the South & North Downs Ways finishing on the Kent Coast at Rochester Castle.

Encouraging Diversity

As a woman led event, I am very keen to see more women riders undertake our challenges. I am encouraged that women are beginning to take on ultra rides, but there are still barriers for many women, especially for those of colour. In 2023 we have teamed up with the Women of Colour Cycling Collective and Niel Copeland of Turn Cycling to offer supported places. If you are interested in taking part and want to know what support is available, then please contact us directly for more details.

What our riders say

“What it gave was a more intimate ultra challenge without endless rules or a deliberately brutal course but where the terrain would push you hard and most importantly an awesome shared experience."

"We may have been riding alone but the atmosphere you created was one of us all being together. That aspect I really enjoyed.” - Niel C

“Friendly event where participants are encouraged to support one another. Marcia has created a classic route across the southern divide of the UK mixing in Cornish heritage, Dartmoor national park and the outstanding areas of the South and North Downs” – Alli H

“Oh wow, what an event” - Colin D

“The terrain is hilly the views are spectacular highlighting the best the south has to offer. The off-road sections are top quality a mix of singletrack, double track, woodland, rocky and smooth gravel” - Steve W

“Bumpy, Breathtaking, Adventure” - Nat S

“A ride where you never know what is around the corner but can be sure it will be beautiful” - Sam W

 “A great friendly group of people and lovely organiser make for a supportive feel when spending long hours out on the trails and roads” – Stuart C

Format

The format is similar to other self-sufficient rides you may be familiar with, where you cannot accept any outside assistance that isn’t available to all other riders. You are responsible for your own sleeping and eating arrangements, but we do allow you to book accommodation along the way if you are not looking to camp/bivvy. However, time is limited, so if you are not a fast rider, there won’t be too much time to relax in hotels!! What is interesting to note however that in 2022 riders who didn’t ride with any camp kit all scratched early on in the ride – this may just be a coincidence, but it’s worth considering. A mixed approach worked well for most with some nights in hotels and some camping. Even if you are riding solo, you are never truly alone. A lively What’s App group keeps riders in touch with each other, sharing their tales from the road.

There are 4 control points along the route, and all our riders have trackers linked to Map My Challenges so your friends can follow your progress.

There are no prizes for coming first, but riders can savour a beer at the end, in the pub overlooking Rochester Castle. There are also some extra special goodies that could come your way thanks to our amazing partners, Tailfin and Faction.

This is an ADVENTURE, not a RACE. It will be a tough journey, but we hope you’ll have fun too.

We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously, and due to the linear nature of the ride, suggest that riders use public transport to get to the start and from the finish. Land’s End is close to Penzance which has a fast train service from London, and Rochester is on a mainline rail route just a short hop to London. There are some hotels close to the finish point. If you are travelling from outside the UK, our nearest ferry option is from Roscoff to Plymouth, with a mainline railway to Penzance.

Camping will be available at the start and is included in your entry fee. We very much hope that riders will get to know each other by camping together on Wednesday night. With a pizza van on site too you can be sure you’re well-fed the night before

THE SOUTHERN DIVIDE no-group

• 16/05/2024, 06:30

  The Epic - 88 Hours To Finish

  Closed £155.00
• 16/05/2024, 06:30

  The Challenge - 134 Hours To Finish

  Closed £155.00

Location

Directions

We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously, and due to the linear nature of the ride, suggest that riders use public transport to get to the start and from the finish. Land’s End is close to Penzance which has a fast train service from London, and Rochester is on a mainline rail route just a short hop to London. There are some hotels close to the finish point. If you are travelling from outside the UK, our nearest ferry option is from Roscoff to Plymouth, with a mainline railway to Penzance.