SW Scotland Easter Cycle Epic Day 1 (The Solway Coast)
2 people attending
10 places left
The first leg of a four day trip from Carlisle to Glasgow the 'long way round'. Over 200 miles, taking in the delights of Dumfries & Galloway and Ayrshire. Much of the route will be on quiet minor roads or designated cycle paths, following part of the National Cycle Network Route 7.
Day 1 will take us from the historic border city of Carlisle through Gretna, the wedding capital of the UK, and along the northern shores of the Solway coast and the Nith estuary to the market town of Dumfries, once home to Scotland's national poet Robert Burns.
For maximum flexibility each day is planned as a separate event. Both Carlisle and Dumfries have easy rail access so Day 1 can, if wished, be easily done as a standalone day trip. If you are joining us for more than one of the days, you should make your own accommodation arrangements. The suggested accommodation for Friday evening is the Premier Inn located just to the east of Dumfries, but there are plenty of alternative options in the immediate area in or around Dumfries.
A map of the proposed route for day 1 can be found here.
Please sign up separately for the other legs of this epic trip: -
Day 2 (Dumfries - Newton Stewart)
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Photo Credits
Old Blacksmith's Shop, Gretna Green
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Alexander P Kapp - geograph.org.uk/p/573063
Caerlaverock Castle and Moat
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Archie Cochrane - geograph.org.uk/p/193737
River bridge, Annan
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Richard Dorrell - geograph.org.uk/p/3536087
High tide at Kingholm Quay
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Hugh Close - geograph.org.uk/p/3797282
Burns' Statue and Greyfriars Kirk, Dumfries
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Billy McCrorie - geograph.org.uk/p/4699083
What to bring
Pack light!
BIKE: a road bike, 'gravel/adventure bike' or touring bike - i.e with with drop bars. This event will be mostly on roads or well-surfaced paths so taking your best road bike is recommended.
STORAGE: panniers or a specialist bikepacking bag
CLOTHING: If joining the trip for two or more days, we suggest you bring two changes of cycling clothing and wash it at the hotels / B&Bs. Bring one set of casual clothes for the evening, we suggest thin walking trousers and walking top. If you use SPD-SL or Look pedals you'll probably also need some very lightweight shoes. For those of us using SPD-MTB we don't need them, this is where they come into their own!
LIGHTWEIGHT LOCK: not a D lock!
Plus the usual:
Helmet: OutdoorLads requires you to wear one
Footwear: suitable for your bike and pedals
Gloves: cycle gloves help avoid blisters
Punctures: spare inner tube, bike tyre pump and tyre levers
Tools: any special tools that your bike needs
Small snacks: such as chocolate or energy bars
Plenty of water: in bottle/s on your bike or in a daysack/bladder
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Eye protection: avoid getting grit or insects in your eyes, sunglasses are OK if they are not made of glass and not too shaded
Sun cream: yes, even in April, we may get an early taste of summer!
Bike lights: be seen and safe
Mobile Phone
Food & drink
There will be plenty of opportunities to purchase food and drink along the route so it should be possible to travel light. We may include a lunch stop in either Gretna or Annan.