For one Saturday next July, the fells above Thirlmere and Grasmere will host one of the world’s greatest sporting spectacles. Stage 2 of the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ runs from Keswick to Liverpool, carving a 223km line through the heart of the Lake District National Park before dropping toward Morecambe Bay and the Lancashire fells.
The route, confirmed by Cumberland Council, takes the peloton south from Keswick alongside Thirlmere, Grasmere, Rydal Water and Windermere, then via the A5074 through the Lyth Valley, before continuing on the A590 and A6 through Milnthorpe and Beetham on the way to the finish on The Strand in Liverpool.
With that comes disruption. Tour de France Grand Départ GB, the official organizer, has confirmed that extensive road closures will run the full length of each UK stage, with diversions and other temporary traffic management put in place for alternative routes. Detailed closure timings will be published on letourgb.com and communicated directly to residents and businesses along the route.
Pedestrians and cyclists will generally be able to use the roads until around 30 minutes before the race’s publicity caravan arrives, after which the course closes for the riders.
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Stage 2’s climbs and coastline
Stage 2 includes the Côte de Jubilee Tower among its categorized climbs and skirts Morecambe Bay before heading inland via Lancaster. It is one of three men’s stages across Scotland, England and Wales: Edinburgh to Carlisle on Friday 2 July, Keswick to Liverpool the following day, and Welshpool to Cardiff on Sunday 4 July, which will mark the first time Wales has hosted a Tour stage.
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift follows later in the summer, with stages from Leeds to Manchester on 30 July, Manchester to Sheffield on 31 July, and a London stage on 1 August.
A Yorkshire legacy to live up to
The last time the Tour started on British soil, in Yorkshire in July 2014, Cyclingnews reported a roadside crowd of 3.5 million spectators across the Grand Départ. The images of yellow bunting on Buttertubs Pass and over Holme Moss shaped a decade of British cycling marketing.
The Lake District now gives organizers a similar visual canvas, this time with Windermere, Grasmere and Rydal Water as the backdrop. Westmorland and Furness councillor Helen Chaffey said the council was “delighted to welcome the men’s Tour de France to Westmorland and Furness next summer,” calling the race an opportunity to showcase the area to a global audience.
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Westmorland and Furness Council is planning public drop-in sessions in spring 2027, with the full closure schedule for the Keswick-to-Liverpool stage due to appear on letourgb.com during the second half of this year.
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