Cockermouth buses shift for Tour of Britain Women on 19 August
Bus passengers and spectators in Cockermouth face a changed travel day on Wednesday 19 August as the Tour of Britain Women cycle race opens in Cumberland. The 158.9km stage will start and finish in Cockermouth, with event-day arrangements running from 4am until 6.30pm.
The race is a free public event and no booking is required. It is open to the general public, but anyone travelling through west and north Cumberland should also plan for temporary bus diversions, relocated stops and rolling road closures. Cumberland Council says delays of around 15 to 20 minutes are possible on some routes.
When and where the Cumberland stage runs
The opening stage of Britain’s biggest professional women’s cycle race begins and ends in Cockermouth. Riders will pass through Whitehaven, Workington, Maryport, Allonby, Silloth, Abbeytown, Wigton, Caldbeck and Aspatria before returning to the town.
Rolling road closures are expected between approximately 10.40am and 4.30pm. Roads will reopen once the riders and race convoy have passed and it is safe to release traffic.
| Location | Expected race passage |
|---|---|
| Whitehaven | 11.43am–11.55am |
| High Harrington | 11.57am–12.07pm |
| Workington | 12.01pm–12.17pm |
| Flimby | 12.12pm–12.25pm |
| Maryport | 12.16pm–12.30pm |
| Allonby | 12.28pm–12.45pm |
| Silloth | 12.44pm–1.04pm |
| Wigton | 1.12pm–1.38pm |
| Caldbeck | 1.30pm–2pm |
| Aspatria | 2pm–2.37pm |
| Cockermouth, first finish-line passage | 2.21pm–3.02pm |
| Cockermouth, race finish | 3pm–3.50pm |
Lead vehicles may arrive around 15 minutes before the cyclists, so spectators and drivers should treat these times as approximate travel windows rather than exact arrival times.
Cockermouth bus stops move to the west side
Services X4, X5 and 600 will not use Main Street or the school stops on the east side of Cockermouth during the restrictions. From 9am until 11.30am, passengers must use the Crown Street stops near Aldi.
Between 4am and 9am, and again from 11.30am until 6.30pm, those three services will use both the Crown Street stops and the Fairfield Junior School stops on Sullart Street. Service 68 will also use the temporary stopping arrangements, with signs directing passengers to the correct boarding points.
The C123 Cockermouth Town Service will not operate at all on Wednesday 19 August.
Five services have amended journeys
Several scheduled journeys will be shortened, relocated or diverted during the race:
- Service 60: the 10.43am departure from Workington will finish at Silloth at 1.35pm instead of continuing to Skinburness. The 11.47am Skinburness departure will begin from Silloth at 11.55am.
- Service 400: the 12.40pm Carlisle departure will terminate at Wigton at 1.15pm. The 1.42pm departure from Silloth will instead leave Wigton at 2.09pm.
- Service 554: the 2pm departure from Carlisle and the 1.15pm departure from Keswick will operate as service 553.
- Service 600: the 1.40pm and 2.40pm Carlisle departures will run via Aspatria to Wigton. The 1.23pm and 2.23pm Whitehaven departures will run via Aspatria to Cockermouth.
- Service 68: temporary Cockermouth stops will apply.
Other buses may still encounter short holds as the race crosses their route.
Road closures and parking for spectators
Main Street and Station Street in Cockermouth will close from 4am until 6.30pm, while South Street will close from 7am until 5pm. Crown Street, Sullart Street and Gallowbarrow will also be closed between 9am and 11.30am for event infrastructure.
The A595 between Bothel and Cockermouth is scheduled to close from 2pm until 3.45pm for the final section of the stage. These are precautionary windows, and the actual closures may be shorter.
Spectator parking is available at the Riverside long-stay and Fairfield short-stay car parks. Cockermouth Rugby Club will serve as an overflow car park. Cumberland Council advises passengers to check the latest race and transport information before leaving, allow extra journey time and direct traffic-restriction queries to its Highways Hotline on 0300 373 3736.
Source: Cumberland Council News
Context & actions About this article
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Event details, bus amendments, closure windows and parking information were matched to Cumberland Council’s published notice.
- Confirmed the event date and Cockermouth start-and-finish location.
- Matched temporary stops and amended journeys to the listed bus services.
- Checked the rolling and fixed road-closure windows.
- Confirmed the named public and overflow parking locations.
- Source
- Cumberland Council News
- Scope
- Cumberland
- Updated
- 2026-08-17 17:19
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