Event guide · Jul 2–Jul 25, 2027
A flat 185 km from Edinburgh through the Scottish Borders to Carlisle opens the 2027 Tour, and the winner should take the first yellow jersey.
Stage 1 of the 2027 Tour de France covers 185 km from Edinburgh to Carlisle on Friday, July 2. ASO rates it flat, and with a single categorized climb on the way it points to a sprint and a first yellow jersey for the winner.
The race leaves Edinburgh from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, goes up the Royal Mile past the Castle esplanade and heads south through Midlothian. Most of the day is spent in the Scottish Borders, through Innerleithen, Galashiels, Melrose, Hawick and Newcastleton. The one categorized climb is above Melrose, in the Eildon Hills. From Newcastleton the route follows the border country into Cumbria and finishes in Carlisle, outside the medieval castle.
ASO lists Edinburgh and Carlisle among nine places that appear on the Tour map for the first time, and calls this the northernmost Grand Départ in the race’s history.
Britain’s last Grand Départ, in Yorkshire in 2014, also opened with a sprint: Marcel Kittel won stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate and took the first yellow jersey. Time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds go to the first three riders at the finish of every road stage, so the sprint in Carlisle also decides who wears yellow on the road to Liverpool. Stage 2 is the next day.
| # | Climb | Position | Length | Average | Altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Côte de Melrose | km 64.0 (120.0 to go) | 2.2 km | 6.7 % | 247 m |
| Kilometer | Place | Altitude |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Edinburgh | 70 m |
| 18.0 | Broad Law Heriot | 407 m |
| 36.0 | Innerleithen | 155 m |
| 53.0 | Galashiels | 157 m |
| 64.0 | Côte de Melrose | 247 m |
| 90.5 | Hawick | 142 m |
| 124.5 | Newcastleton | 106 m |
| 150.5 | Longtown | 12 m |
| 168.0 | Brampton | 65 m |
| Finish, km 184.0 | Carlisle | 21 m |
Scotland's capital runs along a ridge from Edinburgh Castle, built on the plug of an extinct volcano, down the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where the council says the stage starts. The Tour has never raced in Scotland. In 2023 the men's road race at the UCI World Championships started in Edinburgh and finished in Glasgow, where Mathieu van der Poel won.
Carlisle is a border city in Cumbria, where the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril meet. Its castle, begun in 1093 on the site of a Roman fort, stands beside the finish, according to Cumberland Council, and Hadrian's Wall runs through the surrounding country. No Tour stage has finished here before.
Course figures: Organizer's profile, as reproduced by TourdeFranceParcours.fr, read 2026-10-22. Distances and altitudes may change when the route is homologated.
