The celebration of all things cycling will take place on Silloth Green from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, September 11 – just one day after the Tour of Britain has raced through Cumbria. 

Organised by Allerdale Borough Council, the event is being supported by a number of partners who will be involved on the day, including Carlisle Cycling Association, Solway Coast AONB, Carlisle Community Cycle Hub, The Adventure Syndicate, The Outdoor Partnership Coastal Cumbria, Lake District Calvert Trust, Love My Beach and the Solway Coast Business Group.  

The festival will be an opportunity to explore the beautiful Solway Coast by bike on a guided ride or go into the town centre and enjoy the many activities on offer, which include:

• Free 30-minute bike check & fix (must be booked in advance)
• Free 45-minute E-bike taster session (must be booked in advance)  
• Free kids cycling skills sessions  
• Smoothie bikes  
• Way-marked cycle routes  
• Free guided cycle rides (must be booked in advance)  
• Free web-enabled exercise bikes  
• Watch the fast-paced action of grass-track bike racing   
• Free play and craft activities for younger children  
• Climbing wall and bungee trampolines  

A full list of the activities, times and how to sign-up to any bookable sessions can be found on the Visit Allerdale website at https://visitallerdale.co.uk/solway-coast-cycling-festival/.

The council has also recently completed work on a new stretch of cycleway between Silloth and Allonby, which joins onto the successful Allonby to Maryport route which has also just been resurfaced.

A new promotional video has been created to showcase the route and its construction. It can be viewed at https://visitallerdale.co.uk/things-to-do/solway-coast-by-cycle/ along with five downloadable cycle routes on the Solway Coast.

Cllr Tony Markley, the council’s Executive member for leisure and tourism, said: “The Solway Coast is a perfect place to explore by bike and we’re really keen to continue to promote this area as a visitor destination that everyone can enjoy.

“We’re really excited to be hosting the first-ever Solway Coast Cycling Festival this year and we’re sure it’ll be a really fun event for residents and visitors and will also bring people into the town to support the local economy.”