The Route

The route for Molly’s On The Edge world record attempt was a circumnavigation of the mainland coastline of Great Britain*, using paved coastal roads and cycle paths that are safely rideable on a road bike.

Back in 1984 Nick Sanders set the GB Coastline record using a definition that is no longer accepted by record authorities, as it is impossible for them to verify and subject to constant change – ‘to ride the closest roads to the coastline’.

Instead, the record authorities now require a comprehensive set of waypoints that define the outer edge of a circumnavigation, together with a minimum distance to be covered – in this case, the same as covered in the 1984 ride (7730km). It is then for the rider and their team to plot a legally rideable route that connects the waypoints in the correct order.

The waypoints visited in Molly’s attempt have now been adopted by WUCA and GWR as the definitive set for all future GB circumnavigation record attempts.

As road networks evolve, individual record attempt routes will naturally evolve with them. Routes will also differ from rider to rider, as the connecting roads chosen will reflect their personal riding preferences. But the officially registered waypoints and minimum distance for all circumnavigation record attempts will remain fixed.

The definition of the ‘Circumnavigation of the Mainland of Great Britain’, as registered and validated with the World Ultra Cycling Association (WUCA – recognised by Guinness World Records since 2021 as the official authority for ultra distance cycling records), has 118 waypoints and a minimum distance of 7730km.

Starting and finishing on Tower Bridge in London, which is the first legally rideable bridge across the Thames estuary, the On The Edge route was a little over 7730km in length, with 70,000+ metres of elevation gain – the equivalent of eight ascents of Mount Everest.

In mapping the route we tried to remain close to the spirit of the record route of 1984. The road network has changed enormously over the past 40 years. Some roads that were rideable in the 1980’s are no longer either legal or safe to cycle on, while hundreds of new roads have also been built.

One of our aims in plotting the route was to include as many of the coastal towns and villages named in Nick Sander’s account of the ride as possible – and we have been able to include over 95% of them, while skirting the perimeter of the remaining few.

Route Planning

  • The route visited the 118 waypoints that together define the circumnavigation of the British mainland. The full list of waypoints has been approved by WUCA and is available here with grid references – Molly rode the route in a clockwise direction.
  • The route started/finished on Tower Bridge in London, which is the most seaward legal cycle crossing of the Thames estuary by bridge.
  • The waypoints are also mapped here (click on ‘View Full Version’ to open map):

  • All roads used were risk assessed, with dual carriageways and busy A-roads excluded wherever possible, unless rideable bike lanes were in place.
  • Rider safety is the most important consideration, so where multiple route choices exist the safest practical option was adopted. Molly was also be followed by a support vehicle wherever possible for her protection.
  • The roads used were ‘paved’ and safely rideable on a road bike, with no dirt tracks, highly degraded lanes, or gravel roads.
  • The entire route was covered using ‘rider power’ alone – so either by pedalling or walking (for very brief stretches) with the bike.
  • All estuary crossings were made via road bridges or legally rideable tunnels. No ferries, transporter bridges, lifts, escalators or moving pavements were allowed or used.

*The list of waypoints registered with WUCA – and therefore the route Molly followed – included the Isle of Anglesey, in addition to the British mainland. This is to mirror the route outline followed in 1984, which included Anglesey as its single offshore island. The Isle of Skye was not, at that time, connected to the mainland by bridge.

Molly’s final route can be viewed on the Live Tracker page.