Ride to the Sun 2026

Ride to the Sun. The event is free to take part, you just have to start from Carlisle and make your way to Cramond in Edinburgh by sunrise, a journey of just over 100 miles, BUT it's through the night!

I was very lucky! On the morning of 20th June I was able to book a 4pm slot on the bus down to Carlisle due to a last-minute cancellation. It cost me £55 and meant that I could get myself and the bike down to the start point. It was organised by the Scouts and not-for-profit so any money earned was going to a good cause!

I was following the chat for several weeks on my club's long-distance cycling WhatsApp group chat about the "Ride to the Sun" event. I'm not entirely sure why I didn't sign up months ago, as I've been meaning to do it for years! I've heard from multiple people how great an experience they've had.

People make their way down via different means. Some take the train down, some drive down, then fetch their car the following day, some like me take the Scout bus down, and others, the fittest and craziest, ride the whole way down, 100 miles to warm up the legs.

I didn't have it in me to ride down, I need to do a bit more riding over the summer to comfortably do 200 miles, so I got the Scout bus down.

Registration was straightforward and everything very well organised - I must say there was a lot of waiting around for the bus to leave - I had to wait about from about 2pm-4pm to register, load up my bike then wait on the bus departure, but it was a nice day to sit outside, chill, and chat with the other Ronde members taking the bus down. The Scouts organised 3 buses, so that's roughly 150 people and 150 bikes!

Think about food. You likely won't be starting until after you've had your dinner. So bring something with you on the bus like I did (some pesto pasta with chicken) or buy something down there.

There was a very large group of Ronde members departing from Carlisle together. We were all together as one long train for the first 35/40 miles or so until Moffat. We stopped at a petrol station to stock up on some food, put on warmer layers and go to the toilet. Cycling through Moffat, we saw what looked like 100 people waiting outside the chip shop! I'm glad we didn't stop there.

The Devil's Beef Tub climb was the highlight of the night for me. It was a lovely gradual climb. The whole night we experienced a tailwind so I felt like I was being gently pushed up the hill. It was really spectacular to see many 100s of red lights blinking in the distance, with a beautiful orange glow on the horizon. It got pitch black for only a few hours during the night, and there was also no cloud cover, so there was decent visibility, although front lights were definitely required in the depths of the night.

The descent from the Devil's Beef Tub down to the Crook Inn was FAST! The Inn had a CycloRave, or at least I think that's what they called it. Wonderful atmosphere! The loud dance/rave music definitely gave me a bit more energy, and it was nice to be served hot drinks and bananas. However, it was bitterly cold here! I would have liked to hang around a bit longer but we had to warm up, so we left after maybe 20 mins or so.

The last stretch was a lot more fractured. Smaller groups of people. Many riding along. There's something magical about riding through the night. No cars, no wind, no rain, just you and 1000s of others heading in the same direction. I put on my music, got into a nice rhythm and rode alone for the last 20 miles or so.

I reached Cramond for about 2.30/2.45am. Well before sunrise. However, there were plenty of people around. The Scouts and a charity had use of a community hall at the finish point, so there was a large area inside the building, with tables and chairs for people to sit and have a bacon roll, soup and a hot drink. Ronde people were rolling in so we got a table and chatted about the night's adventure until sunrise.

My partner woke up early and joined me for the sunrise at 4.26am. It was beautiful and perfectly clear at the horizon so we got an excellent view. I was also very glad not to have to cycle home at half four.

All in all it was well worth it. I would urge anyone who has it in them to take part, you won't regret it! My biggest worry was cycling tired, but I didn't feel tired once throughout the night. There was so much stimulation, so many other cyclists and enough pauses to regain energy.

Things to remember:

• Scout bus makes you take everything off your bike, all bags, lights etc, so make sure you bring a plastic bag or something to carry all your stuff onto the bus.
• It gets cold at night. I brought a lot of additional clothing, a thin puffer, winter cycling jacket etc, and I used it all. It was freezing in the middle of the night, despite being over 20C at the start. I saw so many people in summer cycling gear when it was 5-10C. Don't make that mistake.
• It's hard to get lost. There will be a red taillight ahead every couple 100 metres.