First stage of the 2027 Tour de France, starting at Edinburgh Castle and finishing at Carlisle Castle, with the Côte de Melrose.
The Tour de France starts in Edinburgh on Friday 2 July 2027, with Stage 1 running from Edinburgh Castle to Carlisle Castle over 185 kilometres. It's the first time the peloton will travel through Scotland, England and Wales in a single opening, which race director Christian Prudhomme describes as a 'British triptych'—the route starts in Edinburgh, crosses England and finishes in Wales. Great Britain is hosting the Grand Départ for only the fourth time, following London in 2007 and Leeds in 2014.
From the castle, the road heads south through Midlothian and the Scottish Borders, along the Tweed Valley and Liddesdale, and dips into Dumfries and Galloway before crossing the border into Carlisle. Along the way, the Côte de Melrose, on the slopes under the Eildon Hills, will decide the first polka-dot jersey of the Tour. Edinburgh also competes with Copenhagen for the title of the Tour's northernmost host city.
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Britain's Tour legacy is a long one: three Yellow Jersey winners—Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas—and six more British riders who've worn it. Stage 1 is the start of a Grand Départ that takes the race from Edinburgh, through England, and on to Wales. The first stage runs 185km from Edinburgh Castle to Carlisle Castle on Friday 2 July.
