Clitheroe
The market town the race drops into after Bowland, under one of the smallest Norman keeps in the country and the whaleback of Pendle Hill.
Coming off the fells, the road out of Bowland heads for Clitheroe, and Lancashire County Council names the town on the Stage 2 corridor. It arrives in the middle of the day and in the middle of the county, which makes Clitheroe one of the natural gathering points of the whole Lancashire stretch.
The town does this sort of thing well. It has a castle keep on a limestone knoll above a working market town, Pendle Hill watching over everything from the north east, and a food and drink scene that is the best reason in the county to stay the night rather than drive home. If you want the race and a proper weekend rather than the race and a long drive, the Ribble Valley is the answer.
Book early and book wide. Clitheroe, Whalley and the Ribble Valley villages hold country inns, boutique hotels and village bed and breakfasts rather than large chains, so the rooms nearest the route go first. Staying one town back is a perfectly good plan as long as you have checked the closure list, which is not published yet.
Nearby
- Clitheroe Castle, one of the smallest Norman keeps in the country
- Pendle Hill and its far-reaching summit views
- The Ribble Way and riverside walking through the valley
What is not confirmed
- The exact roads through Clitheroe
- Road closure times, and when they reopen
- Official fan zones, parking and park-and-ride
- The timetable for the caravan and the peloton
The organisers, the police and the local councils publish these closer to the race. This page says what is known and nothing more.
Plan the day around Clitheroe
The full corridor, the practical guidance for race day, and where to put your head down afterwards.