The start of the Tour de France 2027 route through Edinburgh city centre revealed

The first Tour de France stage to be held in Scotland will start at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and take in the Royal Mile and Princes Street, organisers revealed on Thursday.

The men’s race will take in North Bridge and the Grassmarket as part of the opening sections of the “Grand Depart” on Friday July 2 next year before heading south for Carlisle.

The stage one route from Edinburgh to Carlisle | Tour de France

Full details of the 114-mile route will be revealed at noon.

The largest free sporting event in British history will include three stages in Britain before it continues across France.

After leaving Edinburgh, riders will head through Newtongrange and Gorebridge in Midlothian, then Innerleithen, Galashiels, Melrose, Selkirk, Hawick and Newcastleton in the Borders.

Paul Bush, managing director of Grand Depart UK, told Radio Scotland Breakfast: “The start of the Grand Depart will be at Holyrood Palace, which is one of our iconic venues in the city.

“The peloton will travel up the Royal Mile, down North Bridge, along Princes Street, through the Mound, into the Grassmarket and then wend its way out of the city.

“This is what they call a neutralised section, of about 13km (8 miles), but they are still travelling at some pace so there’s the opportunity for people in the city to see the peloton up close and personal.

“The major roads on the route will be closed, as one of the most important things in road cycling is to deliver a safe environment.

“There will be some inconvenience but the capital is well suited to that - it has hosted many major events.

“This is about a celebration - an opportunity - it’s the third biggest sporting event in the world.

“It’s a free-to-watch event, which is unique and you will see the very best riders in the world.

“I really hope people will come out and celebrate the fact we have got this amazing event, and really get some community spirit behind it.”

Mr Bush said Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme “had always had Scotland on his target list”, with the UK stages going “castle to castle” - Edinburgh to Cardiff.

Mr Prudhomme said in January when the outline UK route was announced: “Edinburgh for me is a magical city” amd Arthur’s Seat “just unbelievable”.

He said: “We want huge crowds but we also want the best landscape and outstanding scenery. All three stages will be gorgeous”

The Scottish stage will also include a “king of the mountains climb on the Côte de Melrose” in the Eildon hills.

Riders will then travel through Canonbie in Dumfries and Galloway before crossing the Border near Longtown in Cumbria.

Stage two, the following day, will start at Keswick in Cumbria and finish in Liverpool, with stage three on July 4 between Welshpool in mid Wales and Cardiff.

Crowds totalling 2.5 million lined the route when the first two stages of the Tour were held in Yorkshire in 2014 and organisers are expecting a similarly spectacular turn out next year.

Three stages of the women’s race - the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift - will be held in England from July 30 to August 1 between Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield, and in London.

British Cycling has said 7,000 volunteers would be recruited for the events.