Race Against the Sun
Land's End - Lowestoft
Race Against the Sun is an exhilarating overnight road trip from Land’s End to Lowestoft on the shortest night of the year. The concept is to race against the sun from sunset at the most westerly point of England (Land’s End) to sunrise at the most easterly point of England (Lowestoft).
The 430-mile journey should be completed in 6 hours and 54 minutes and ‘officially’ on the night of the summer solstice, being the shortest night of the year. Summer solstice falls on June 21 on a normal year, however, you’ll find it is June 20 on a leap year; even though, this is the ‘official’ date to complete this challenge, it could be completed a day or two after this date as the sunset and sunrise times don’t change by more than a few seconds.
This road trip was made popular amongst car enthusiasts following Jeremy Clarkson’s attempt on Top Gear in 2011; it is featured in Series 16, Episode 6 if you want to take a look.
The Start
Start point: Land’s End Visitor Centre Car Park (Postcode is TR19 7AA)
Start date: June 21 on a normal year/June 20 on a leap year
Start time: 21:36
If you arrive at the car park prior to 17:00, then there will be a parking charge of £6. If you arrive after 17:00, then parking is free.
Land’s End has plenty to offer, so if you do happen to turn up a little early it’s worth having a wander. Locate the iconic signpost, have a bite to eat and enjoy the view.
The Route
If you’re using a Sat Nav/Apple Maps/Google Maps/Waze, then you will probably be offered a few routes to choose from. My route, as shown above, involved the A30, M5, A303, M3, M25, and A12. This route usually shows at roughly 7 hours and 20 minutes at that time of night, but this is an overestimation. A majority of the roads being used are national speed limit, either 60 or 70, and if you’re able to safely average 60mph then you should make it to Lowestoft in time for the sunrise.
Speeding is definitely not necessary to complete this and it is absolutely possible following the speed limits. Some hold ups you may find include road works, so you should check and plan your route.
Other routes you could use are:
- A30, M5, M42, M6 and A14
The End
End point: Ness Point, Lowestoft (Postcode is NR32 1XQ)
End date: June 22 on a normal year/June 21 on a leap year
End time: 04:30
If you manage to complete the challenge, then not only will you be rewarded with that sense of achievement, but also a stunning sunrise (weather dependant). Don’t forget to look out for the Euroscope at Ness Point which shows the mileage to a number of locations all over the UK.
