On our last day we were eager to reach the finish line of this incredible journey through Scotland. Despite the rain and the cold being our special “guests”, we treasure great moments and remember the warmth and support of all the people we have met along the way.

After riding the last 15km on a bike path next to the river Clyde, we finally reach the venue of the COP26 in Glasgow where we have handed over our manifesto. The delivery of the text to the UNFCCC and COP26 authorities, in which we promote greater ambition between now and 2030, has been charged with emotion.

Today marks the end of our route, but our message remains, in the hope that COP26 marks the beginning of a decade of accelerated climate action, thereby setting the course towards a decarbonised and sustainable future.

Let’s keep Moving for Climate Now!

Today it has been a hard and rainy day, but we keep our moral high as we arrive to Motherwell and get closer to Glasgow, our final destination. Leaving the seashore in Troon behind, we have entered an agricultural and farming area as we rode towards Whitelee, the largest onshore wind farm in the UK, which generates up to 539 MW of electricity, enough to power more than 350,000 households.

Although the bad weather made it impossible to ride through the trails that connect its 215 wind turbines, we were able to appreciate their size and greatness and discover the realities of renewable energies at first hand.

Whitelee is a great illustration of the technological disruption that we are witnessing. Decarbonisation scenarios that a few years ago seemed impossible are now viable, due to technological process which continues to spur competitive and cost-effective solutions in all sectors. In the energy sector, which is responsible for two-thirds of global emissions, solutions needed by 2030 to decarbonise our energy system, both on the generation and demand side, are already available. However, as shown by the World Energy Outlook 2021, worldwide energy emissions increased in 2021, as growth resumed after the pandemic, and scientists alert that this transition is not taking place fast enough to keep warming levels aligned with 1.5°C. Policy and innovation support should thus be reinforced to bring promising technologies to market.

Don´t miss the views of our experts on the technological disruption that is taking place here.

The second stage has taken us from the county of Lanarkshire to the coast, at Troon, at the heart of the Firth of Clyde overlooking the Isle of Arran. Although it has been a challenging route of 72 km in cold and rainy Scotland, it is one of the most spectacular sections of the entire route.

Moreover, it has been a very special day as we were invited to visit the Halo Kilmarnock Enterprise & Innovation Centre. The HALO project is a regeneration initiative aimed at revitalising the towns and cities of the UK involving several partners. HALO Kilmarnock is a groundbreaking urban regeneration project located on the site of the former Johnnie Walker bottling plant. It is being shaped as a multi-faceted brown-field regeneration that will create a unique urban park with a dynamic commercial, educational, cultural, leisure and lifestyle quarter.

It has been a great experience, enabling us to discover a real example of how innovative and sustainable solutions can be implemented through collaborative approaches. This puts alliances in the spotlight of climate action. As the slogan of COP26 reminds, we need to “Unite the world to tackle climate change” through collaboration between governments, businesses, and civil society.

Don´t miss the views of our experts on the importance of working together to deliver here.

Our committed team of cyclists is already pedalling to Glasgow to deliver its message on the urgency and opportunities of moving towards a carbon-neutral economy. And neither the rain nor the cold will get on our way!

South Queensferry next to Edinburgh, on the banks of the river Forth, has been our point of departure. After crossing the beautiful estuary of the river where it flows into the North Sea, we have cycled peacefully along the northern slopes beside the river until we have reached one of the key milestones of our journey, the demolition works of the Longannet coal-fired power station. Located in Fife, Longannet was the last of its kind in Scotland, and an example of the energy transition that needs to take place to reach our climate objectives.

The route has ended in one of the most beautiful cities of Scotland, New Lanark. This 18th century mill village has become a model for the transition from an industrial town to a modern and touristic site, recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Site. This transformation was possible thanks to effective policies, which is exactly what is needed in the climate fight and what has marked the theme of today´s march.

As we start our journey, we stress the need of medium and long-term pathways aligned with reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 that are based on a comprehensive and consistent policy mix (regulations, economic and fiscal instruments, R&D, etc.) that enable an inclusive, resilient, and deep decarbonisation.

We invite you to know the contributions to this one, and other topics of debate, in the section of our web “Our climate action messages”.

Ready for the next stage!