Cycling in Yorkshire & Beyond
Cycling in Yorkshire & Beyond
Stage 2 of the Tour de France 2027 is a 223km hilly stage from Keswick to Liverpool.
The opening kilometres are in the Lake District National Park, passing along the shore of Lake Windemere. The route then passes through Carnforth, Morecambe and Lancaster.
Next, the Forest of Bowland provides some categorised climbs, including the Côte de Trough of Bowland.
Then Stage 2 goes through Clitheroe and Blackburn; there are a couple more climbs before the riders reach Liverpool.
There's a descent around 1km before the finish line in Liverpool.
Race Details | Poll | Map & Profile | Timings | Videos | Food & Drink | Route Notes | Favourites
| Date | Saturday 3rd July 2027 |
|---|---|
| Stage classification | Hilly |
| Distance | 223km |
| Intermediate sprint | TBC |
| Climbs | Côte de Jubilee Tower Côte de Trough of Bowland Côte de Waddington Fell Côte de Belmont Côte de Parbold |
| Total climbing | TBC |
Vote for one of the main contenders to win Stage 2 (to be added later).
This is a map of the route of Stage 2, Tour de France 2027.
This is the profile of Stage 2 Tour de France 2027.
| Caravan | Fast Schedule | Slow Schedule | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start Time (départ fictif) | |||
| Start Time (départ réel) | |||
| Intermediate Sprint | |||
| Climb | |||
| Finish Line (223km) |
This is a video of the route of Stage 2 Tour de France 2027.
Stage 2 is a race down the west coast of England, from Keswick to Liverpool. It goes through Lancaster.
Lancashire hotpot is a local speciality. It is lamb and onion topped with sliced potatoes and baked slowly on a low heat.
Potted shrimps are a favourite at nearby Morecambe.
The race grazes the edge of Greater Manchester. Manchester Caviar is actually mushy peas, often eaten with fish and chips.
Eccles cakes are flaky pastry cases filled with currants and topped with sugar. James Birch first sold them from his pastry shop in 1793.
Vimto, originally called Vimtonic, was invented in Manchester in 1908.
There are lots of breweries in Manchester, so the stage is probably best accompanied by beer.
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Liverpool is known for scouse, a meat and vegetable stew that is based on a recipe brought here by Norwegian sailors.
The stage starts in Keswick (départ fictif).
Stage 2 starts in the Lake District town of Keswick.
More information to follow.
The départ réel will be a short way south of Keswick.
The riders set off on the A5271 Penrith Road then the A591 Castlerigg Brow.
The A591 runs along Thirlmere from north to south.
It will be fine for the Tour de France when the road is closed, but is described by one contributor to a Cycling UK forum as 'largely a horrific road' for cycling.
Next Stage 2 passes Grasmere (the village and the lake).
Grasmere is a village and lake in the Lake District.
It is famous as the home of William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy; they lived in Dove Cottage. Wordsworth and his wife are buried in the graveyard of St Oswald's Church.
Grasmere is known for its gingerbread.
Just after Grasmere, the race passes Rydal Water and Rydal village.
Rydal is a village in the Lake District by Rydal Water.
The village is a cluster of houses, a hotel and St Mary's Church.
William Wordsworth lived at Rydal Mount from 1813 to 1850.
The route continues to Ambleside.
Ambleside is a village in the Lake District.
The Roman fort of Galava was sited here.
Ambleside got a charter to hold a market in 1650, and Market Place became a place for trade, including the sale of wool.
Ambleside is a base for walking in the fells. There are also 'steamers' - ferries from Ambleside's Waterhead area to Bowness-on-Windermere, and other places around Lake Windermere.
There are two Michelin-starred restaurants in Ambleside.
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Now the race continues on Lake Road, along the shore of Lake Windermere to the town of Windermere.
Windermere was called Birthwaite before the railway came. It grew after the railway came to town in 1847, and the Windermere Hotel opened.
Next Stage 2 takes the A5074 to Bowness-on-Windermere.
Bowness-on-Windermere isa town on the shore of Lake Windermere.
It grew during the 1800s from a small fishing village to a holiday town. The railway reached Windermere in 1847.
After passing Windermere Marina, the riders take the B5284 Longtail Hill, then the A5074 Kendal Road up Barker Knott hill.
The road passes through Winster, then meets the A590 near Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve. Here, the race goes left, then right on the A6 to Milnthorpe and Beetham.
The A6 continues past Pine Lake to Carnforth, on Morecambe Bay.
Carnforth is a market town that falls within the City of Lancaster, Lancashire. Its name comes from Keerford, a ford of the river Keer.
In the 1800s, it expanded due to the railway and its ironworks (established 1846). Local limestone, used in the smelting process, meant that Carnforth was a good location for the ironworks.
Later, Carnforth was a railway depot, at the junction of three railway lines.
The railway station was the location used to film the David Lean movie Brief Encounter in 1945. there is now a Brief Encounter Refreshment Room and Bistro, made to look like the film set.
Stage 2 continues through Bolton-le-Sands and Hest Bank to Morecambe.
The fourth inlet north of Wales has been called Morecambe Bay since Roman times, but the town itself is an amalgamation of three hamlets that came about in 1889.
Morecambe's railway history began in 1848, and the railway was key to a hundred golden years as a holiday resort for the masses.
In recent decades, Morecambe has undeniably been in decline.
It's future could be as a nice, calm seaside resort with attractions including the restored Midland Hotel and the planned Eden Project North.
It looks as though the race turns left on the A589 Broadway, rather than going to Morecambe proper.
It then either stays on the A589 or takes the B5321 Torrisholme Road. Either way, it seems to come back to the A589 and cross the river Lune on Skerton Bridge.
The race is now in Lancaster.
Lancaster is a city on the river Lune and the Lancaster Canal. It has a population of around 52,000 in the city itself.
It started out as a Roman fort, and the castle on that site has remained important over the centuries.
The Port of Lancaster thrived from trade in spices and slaves.
My interpretation of the route map is that in Lancaster the race takes the A6 North Road, East Road, Wyresdale Road past Williamson Park and under the M6, then Langthwaite Road/Wyresdale Road to Quernmore.
After Quernmore, the riders tackle the first categorised climb of the stage, the Côte de Jubilee Tower.
The Côte de Jubilee Tower is 3.8km at 6.1%.
The road descends to cross the river Grizedale and the Tarnbrook Wyre at Lee.
At a hamlet calleed Marshaw, the race joins Trough Road. After following the Marshaw Wyre, it ascends to the Trough of Bowland.
The Trough of Bowland is a U-shaped high valley in the Forest of Bowland.
The Côte de Trough of Bowland is 1.9km at an average 5.2%.
There's a descent by Langden Brook to Dunsop Bridge.
From Dunsop Bridge, the riders head east along the river Hodder to Newton. There they turn right, going south on the B6478 Hallgate Hill towards Waddington Fell.
This is the next categorised climb, the Côte de Waddington Fell.
The Côte de Waddington Fell is 3.4km at an average 6.4%.
The race continues south on what is now called Slaidburn Road to Waddington and Clitheroe.
Clitheroe is a town in the Ribble valley of around 16,279 people.
It has a Norman castle keep, one of the smallest in England. Jet engines for aircraft were developed and tested by Frank Whittle in Clitheroe during World War II.
The quarry and cement company Heidelberg is one of the biggest local employers.
The race leaves Clitheroe on Whalley Road, heading for Whalley, where it crosses the river Calder.
Still on Whalley Road, Stage 2 goes through Billington and Langho to reach Blackburn.
The race seems to take the A666 in Blackburn. It crosses the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and the river Darwen.
The riders leave Blackburn/Ewood going south on Heys Lane/Tockholes Road, up to Bog Heights, then down to Ryal Fold near Upper Raddlesworth Reservoir.
Stage 2 joins the A675 Belmont Road which goes along the side of Belmont Reservoir and through Belmont.
Then there's a right turn on Rivington Road, up the Côte de Belmont.
The Côte de Belmont is 2km at an average 4% gradient.
The descent on Sheep House Lane takes the peloton over Rivington Reservoir.
The race then seems to join the A673 Chorley Road to Chorley.
From Chorley, the riders are on the A581 Dawber's Lane, then the B5250 Lydiate Lane across the river Yarrow to Eccleston.
Now the race is approaching the next climb, the Côte de Parbold.
This climb appears to be from Parbold on the A5209 Sparrow Hill.
The Côte de Parbold is 1.8km at an average 5.6%.
Next the riders are on the B5375 Appley Lane North to Appley Bridge, over the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and the river Douglas, and on Appley Lane South to Bank Top and Roby Mill.
It then goes through Upholland and Higher End before taking Crank Road to Crank, Millbrook Lane through Windle and Eccleston, and passing Knowsley Park.
Now the race goes through Prescot and Huyton, and is approaching the finish in Liverpool.
The Stage 2 finish is in Liverpool.
The route appears to be past Sefton Park, then perhaps on the B5175 Princes Avenue/Princes Road, left on the A562 Upper Parliament Street, and right on the A5040 Wapping to finish by the docks.
Stage 2 is hilly, but with the last climb 40km before the finish. It could be a day for a breakaway.
Who do you think will win Stage 2 of the 2027 Tour de France?
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