It’s now become an annual tradition, Ewan and I going on a three day cycle tour each summer. So far we’ve done:

  • 2019 – Market Harborough to Bicester (via Northampton and Milton Keynes) – 78 miles (aged 8)
  • 2020 – Stafford to Coventry (via Burton on Trent and Tamworth) – 90 miles (aged 9)

As you can see we’ve stayed localish thus far, but this year our plans take us a little further afield . . . over the border into Scotland.

2021’s Planned Route

We’re planning to cycle from Inverkip to Dunbar, so from the West to the East coast of Scotland across the central belt. Mostly following the Forth & Clyde and other canals we pass through both Glasgow and Edinburgh on our travels.

Getting There and Back

We try to keep our trips “low carbon” and so we’re using Avanti trains to take us from Coventry to Glasgow and then back from Edinburgh, with local trains to get us to and from the end points. This wasn’t easy to book trying to find trains with two bike spaces at times that I could afford was challenging and not made easy by the booking process for bikes.

We’re upping the distance this year

Our tour milage this year is a big increase on previous years with 130 miles planned, a 44% increase, with day two having 50 miles to ride, Ewan’s first “half century”. You can view our overall planned route on Komoot.

We’re also not just staying in Travelodges this year, we’re trying camping! Ewan didn’t want to go the full-hog of wild camping so we’ve booked stays at two campsites.

Our Itinerary

If you’re around and fancy meeting us on the way or even riding a bit with us, here’s our planned route and stops:

Day 1: Monday, 30 August 2021

Day 2: Tuesday, 31 August 2021

Day 3: Wednesday, 1 September

Then on the Thursday we will get a a train back to Edinburgh from Dunbar to explore a bit more and then travel back to Coventry on Avanti Trains.