We are a group of cyclists travelling to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, where countries of the world will come together to set out their targets for reducing carbon emissions and tackling the climate crisis.

This sounds great – but it’s not enough.

At the last summit in Paris in 2015, countries agreed to limit the global temperature increase to 2 degrees celsius compared to the pre-industrial era. But if we continue on our current path, we’re on track for 3-4 degrees of warming.

At just 1.2 degrees warmer, we’re already seeing more severe extreme weather events and wildfires, and more unpredictable rainfall patterns leading to droughts and flooding.

This is already affecting people across the world with food shortages, loss of homes and livelihoods, and forced migration. 3 degrees of warming would be catastrophic.

We can still turn things around.

Boris Johnson likes to say that technology will save us. But we don’t have to wait for new technologies – we already have the solutions we need. Renewable energy, home insulation, nature-friendly farming, bikes and public transport are just a few.

Along our journey, we’re showcasing some of the amazing community groups across the country who are getting stuck into climate solutions. This is what we need – but on a much bigger scale!

We’re also hosting climate quizzes, inviting people to unleash their inner Attenborough and get talking about climate and nature solutions in their area.

We can’t wait for someone else to save us. We are the people we've been waiting for.

Below you’ll find information on the route and how you can meet us along the way as we travel to Glasgow. Once the ride starts, we won’t be able to coordinate new joiners, so all the information below can be used as a blueprint for anyone who wants to join along the way to help make their own plans.

Route

We’ve planned a route from #BrightonToGlasgow which other people are welcome to use all or part of. Please bear in mind it has been planned using maps and Street View to connect existing cycle routes and hasn’t been test-ridden, so there may be a few niggles.

It uses a mixture of quiet lanes, cycle paths, and National Cycle Network disused railway trails. There are a few short stretches of more busy roads. It is quite hilly in places, especially in the Pennines and Scottish Borders.

The route planning has been done on a basis of riding around 60 miles a day, which is what the ‘core group’ starting from Brighton will be doing to complete the ride in 9 days.

*The core group will probably agree on break stops along the way each morning before setting off. If you want to join for the day, you can obviously adapt the route and cycle at whatever pace suits you! Just bear in mind that you should bring your own map/gps and that this won’t be a guided ride.

Which bike would be best?

The route is mostly surfaced, but some of the cycle trails could be a bit muddy with puddles so don’t bring your fanciest road bike! Likewise, a mountain bike will feel a bit heavy and slow on the roads. A standard hybrid/city bike with medium width tyres will do absolutely fine. Several people are planning to bring e-bikes, but bearing in mind the distance you might want to carry a spare battery.

Your bike should be fit for purpose, so make sure you check your bike before setting off and remember other useful kit like your lights, snacks, waterproof, extra layer, spare inner tube....

Accommodation & food

The accommodation for the core group is now organised so if anyone wants to join you’ll need to organise that individually. We recommend checking out https://www.warmshowers.org/  if local accommodation is fully booked.  Same goes for food, no meals will be provided so it’s each to their own to make sure you eat enough!

How disruptive is it going to be?

The vast majority of the ride is not planned to be disruptive. We want to make it to COP after all without incident! That’s why we are proposing to split into smaller groups to ride during the day, to be courteous to other road users and try not to cause an obstruction especially on small rural lanes. There will be a mass participation bike swarm in Glasgow itself which will be the more disruptive part.

Liability

Anyone joining the ride must accept that their participation in the tour is at their sole responsibility.

Follow our journey on social media - #cop26cycle #brightontoglasgow

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