STAGE PROFILE

From Edinburgh the opening stage will head through Midlothian and the Scottish Borders, tackling the day’s sole king of the mountains climb on the Côte de Melrose amidst the Eildon Hills. Tracing the Scottish / English border along Liddesdale, the route briefly dips into Dumfries & Galloway before crossing into Cumberland, where the opening stage finish awaits in Carlisle, outside the city’s medieval castle.