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Anyone done it on here and got recommendations or advice.
A long time ago, but:
Cornwall and Devon were the toughest parts of the whole ride, but were lovely.
I followed the old CTC hostels route in parts which mostly worked well.
I didn't have a Garmin at the time, consequently there was more main road and getting lost than I would've liked.
The A82 can be unpleasantly busy. Pick your time carefully or consider the A9 cycle path instead.
Credit card touring ftw. I like a few comforts at the end of a long day's ride. Plus you don't have to carry much luggage.
Think about how you will get back from JOG.
I've been riding it for the last 2 years on a tandem with my wife. Not constantly I hasten to add! We keep chipping away at it, and really enjoying it not being a 'race' to the end, and having time to stop off and do 'touristy' things along the way. So my advice would be don't rush it, enjoy the ride!
We've now done LE - Inverness btw!
Anyone done it on here and got recommendations or advice.
How are you planning on doing it? Solo, small group, organised tour? Any support vehicle? Camping (and therefore a fair chunk of luggage) or lightweight / credit card touring?
What route? Your own concoction, following a guidebook or nicking .gpx files from an organised tour? On road or including some off-road stuff? A straightforward "get the job done" route or a longer and more scenic option?
How long? Less than 5 days and you're kind of committing to either very long days in the saddle or some unpleasant and busy A-roads just to get the job done. More than about 12 days and you start increasing the odds of running into shit weather.
Also have a look at logistics of getting back from JOG, it can be a pain at the best of times. Riding to Wick or Thurso and getting the train back to Inverness is probably the best option but you will need to book your bike on as early as possible.
Its a long way, probably best to do it over a few days rather than all in one go.
Take snacks, you might get hungry
I just completed it as part of the Ride Across Britain a few weeks ago - that's 9 days, camping but heavily supported - so all your kit is moved for you and your tent is erected and food provided - at around 110 miles/day it was really tough (weather wasn't great though) even with all that support, so.......if I was doing it again, and planning to do it alone or in a small group:
- I'd do max 65/70 miles/day to make sure you have plenty of time on your hands at the start and end of the day
- I'd pln it as a credit card tour - so B&B's and hotels - if you're determined to camp, then mix it up - you'll need to get warm/dry at least some of the time!
- eat and drink lots - you will burn a lot of energy as you're not fully recovering after each day - I lost half a stone in the week after the ride even though I was eating like a horse!
RAB was amazing, but was more of an endirance event than a jolly ride across the country taking in the sights - so my tips are based on the latter - if you want to show off to your friends and show how fit/tough you are, then fill your boots with 100+ miles/day and camping!!
Hope that helps!
so…….if I was doing it again, and planning to do it alone or in a small group
Just to add to all of that excellent post, if you are planning on doing it in a small group, make damn sure you're all of similar ability, you all agree the aim up front and you're all capable of the pre-planned daily distance. There is nothing worse than having a group of (eg) 4 where one person is consistently smashing it off the front or consistently trudging along off the back while the other 3 wait at every junction.
Likewise if you have 3 people well up for camping, experienced in it, know what to do, what to pack etc and one person who hates camping, it'll be pretty miserable.
The benefit of a big supported event like RAB is there's always someone of your ability somewhere, groups form almost organically out on the road and it really helps with motivation.
The A82 can be unpleasantly busy. Pick your time carefully or consider the A9 cycle path instead.
For the love of god not the A82! makes me shudder to think of riding up Lomondside or over Rannoch moor at any time of day or year...
The A9 cyclepath / sideroads through Speyside etc is far more civilised or for a leftfield option, ferry hop over to Kintyre via Arran and pick up the Caledonia Way through to Inverness.
I'm looking into the idea at the moment. I kind of started with the idea of how far I wanted to ride each day (roughly) and then figured out how long that would take me at a steady touring pace. At 60-80 miles a day, looking at 12-16 days.
I'm very much a quiet roads and comfy beds kind of guy, so then I started looking at organised tours. Peak Tours, based in Glossop are likely favourites, a few friends have done big tours with them and I did a short C2C with them earlier this year.
I did it, sort of last minute, as a charity ride for Marie Curie. The organisers took care of all the logistics, route planning, food stops, accommodation and so on. They had a van/mechanic backup and a masseur & masseuse at the end of each day. This all made it very easy for me just to ride and meant I had some company when I wanted it (there was 24 of us). The route wasn't one I might have chosen myself and so took me to places I'd not have considered. We were a mixed-ability group and completed it in 10 days at around 100 miles per day.
Thanks STWhive, yes large supported credit card option is the preferred one. I do like the idea of organic groups forming. Will research RAB.
The record is under 44h, you know…
More helpfully there is a whole sub forum devoted to this on the Cycling UK forums - might be worth having a look there as there’s loads of advice?
Good luck!
@MoreCashThanDash - I've handled a lot of bikes for Peak Tours groups. Feedback from their clients was all very positive and they seemed very well organised. I don't know if they still offer a Cape Wrath option as the logisitics of that were often "challenging" due to the wee ferry crossing at Durness.
Member of cycle UK, will have a look. Thanks.
I did it in 10 days with 1 day off, so 9 days riding. Cornwall is hilly so I ditched half my stuff and mailed it home. I follow the fb page lejog and would like to do it again, I live about half way so would probably do it in 2 legs.
I d prebook a few premier inns so I could pitch up whenever I wanted, could get an early start, a few stops and some more miles that evening. In June the longer days maybe could get it down to 7 days.
For return from jog we hired a car from wick.
Not done it but through living (and riding) over much of Britain and having supported a couple young lads over the last few days of a lejog (and living up that end) I'd say I've a reasonable idea of it.....
I’m very much a quiet roads and comfy beds kind of guy
Is where I am at too these days. I've done the whole time trailing on the A1 on a Saturday afternoon thing in the past and what I would say is that the most direct routes for lejog are a bit too much of that and not enough of the quiet roads thing for my liking. Why would you plan to ride on roads that you'd normally look to avoid on a Sunday morning ride and then do it for 12hr+ a day for 7,8 or 9 days? I guess it depends why lejog appeals - do you feel you need to do something that everyone's heard of to get motivated? Or you've heard of for that matter. For me it's a bit like swimming the channel - it's a big achievement and all but a grimmer bit of water to swim across is hard to find.
That's a long winded way of saying these days I'd either choose to do the Lejog by a mega wiggly route that linked to the two up with nice lanes and fine views (and minimal stress) and find twice the time to do it......or I'd find something else. Many years ago my sister 'adopted' an olive tree in Italy for me (you 'adopt' a tree but basically you get a few litres of olive oil from some large refinery that got it's oil for that batch apparently from a particular grove). Riding from the south coast of England to see my tree in Italy was a fun challenge that was totally unique and no one else cared about - which for me made it a little more special. Or getting the ferry to Bilbao and riding home via the La Vélodyssée. In the UK it'd probably be the NC500 (which I reckon is better on a bike than a car - but do it out of campervan season) or something like the Badge Divide.
Will research RAB.
https://www.rideacrossbritain.com/
Used to be annual but what with cost of living, inflation etc, they've now moved it to every two years. Most recent one was as mentioned by @velocipede ^^ just 5-6 weeks ago so the next one is September 2026. Usually about 600 - 700 riders on it, it's kind of like a big Sportive combined with a cycle tour.
Member of cycle UK, will have a look. Thanks.
https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewforum.php?f=22
I've had a mate who was a ride leader on RAB, and another drove a support vehicle. Both have said its a hard way to do it.
For the love of god not the A82! makes me shudder to think of riding up Lomondside or over Rannoch moor at any time of day or year…
It wasn't terrible when I did it, but that was a long time ago, and I've no desire to do it again.
ETA. I saw all the RAB people preparing to leave when I was at LE riding the West Kernow Way. It did look like a lot of faff compared with a self organised credit card tour.
Leftfield suggestion. In my view, the Med to La Manche is a much nicer ride than Lejog. Better weather, quieter roads, better food.
I did it in 6 days after cycling down to lands end via Aberystwyth. 10.3 days in total around 1500 miles. Back in the day when I could ride a bike and 2 weeks after completing 3500 miles cycling around France, Pyrenees and the Alps.
It wasn't the first time I'd ridden to lands end or John o groat's but never in one ride so I knew what I was getting road wise. I rode the major A roads and had a decent tailwind from Inverness to the top. Caught the train home from Wick. Looking back i should of cycled home from jog but I reckon it would have taken me a week with the change in the weather.
I camped, carried all my gear. Dumped the handle bar bag on the way up when I stopped at my house. The lighter bike made a difference. It was a solid performance from the Trek 1000 that I was riding.
If I did it again I'd aim for the minor roads/railways and canals and take a bit more time.
I would say is that the most direct routes for lejog are a bit too much of that and not enough of the quiet roads thing for my liking.
100% this.
I've had two sets of friends who've done it.. Both disliked all the main roads and direct routes.
For me I would be taking a gravel bike and plotting a much quieter route, even if that's twice the distance.
I shudder at how many folk head up A82 / A84 etc and the speed of distracted tourist drivers looking at the view...
Did it in 2015 over 11 days as a self-organised group of 4 (with a family member doing the luggage bit each day), and was a truly memorable trip. There is quite an extensive CTC thread with lots of tips. Some key reflections:
Best to have similar states of fitness across the group and be comfortable riding as a team.
Per the CTC thread...the days through Cornwall and Devon are lumpier than you might think - so don't charge at it for full length days on the first day or two. Conversely, Scottish roads are generally well graded.
The masterstroke by our organiser (BiL) was to go from Gretna to Ardrossan, ferry to Brodick on Arran and depart Arran via Lochranza, thereby eliminating the entire debate about how to get through the central belt of Scotland.
Two small lunches are better than one bigger one.
I'm sure other thoughts will occur to me
There is a book about doing LEJOG off road but it might take a while…
@blackhat Given CalMac’s well-publicised issues on that route, the Arran ferry is a bit of a punt. I think the Heb Isles broke down last week too… On the other hand there are empire biscuits in the ferry cafe which is a win.
The masterstroke by our organiser (BiL) was to go from Gretna to Ardrossan, ferry to Brodick on Arran and depart Arran via Lochranza, thereby eliminating the entire debate about how to get through the central belt of Scotland.
I've always wondered why this isn't a much more popular way of doing lejog.
Is some of the 'fastest and most direct route' a bit of a roadie culture thing? Whereas I would want quality and quantity over speed...
Also think that when the new ferries (eventually) come into service they’ll be sailing from Troon until the Ardrossan harbour is adapted. Think that might cut a bit more of the corner off?
I followed the cycling uk scenic route, it added about 10% on so c 100 miles. Some fab roads up in the borders. I wouldn't do canal towpaths it would take ages and the constant giving way to pedestrians would drive me mad.
I listened to lael wilcox s pod cycling around the world. She was always stopping for food, in the desert she rented a room for the day and cycled through the night. I would deviate to pools or spas, so I could have a swim and a stretch in the steam room.
Someone on the fb lejog group had their bike nicked off the train.
Is some of the ‘fastest and most direct route’ a bit of a roadie culture thing? Whereas I would want quality and quantity over speed…
I think many of the people doing LEJOG are doing it to "do it" (if that makes sense!). It's a box ticking exercise. They're "doing" LEJOG - sometimes for charity, sometimes because it's A Thing that cyclists do. If you ride from LE to JOG, even a non-cyclist knows that you've done A Big Ride. Like swimming the channel or running the London Marathon. If you went out and ran 26.2 miles around your hometown, no-one would care. If you Do the London Marathon, you can put it out there for sponsorship and kudos.
There are a couple of books (notably the Cicerone guide) of suggested / ideal routes so most people are just following the maps and online guides.
There's nothing really wrong with that as such but it kind of turns it into a "going through the motions" ride rather than an "I'll see what's off down here" ride. Again, nothing at all wrong with that, people can tour or do curated rides like LEJOG / C2C / King Alfreds Way etc any way they want, there's no real right or wrong. LEJOG has the advantage though that other than the road out of LE and the road into JOG, there's a million permutations and combinations you can do over anything from 4 to 40 days if you can be bothered to calculate your ideal route.
Is some of the ‘fastest and most direct route’ a bit of a roadie culture thing? Whereas I would want quality and quantity over speed…
For most folk, 2 weeks holiday is all they can manage. Take away a day at each end for travel and that leaves 12 days max.
As regards the Scotland section, we went across Eskdalemuir, the Tweed valley, Kincardine Bridge, Perth, Crieff, Aberfeldy, Trinafour and thence to Aviemore.
Whatever way you do it avoid the A9. I can’t understand why folk intentionally cycle the A9. I recently say a pair on a tandem cycling on the dual carriageway through the Dromochter pass. I have also spotted a cyclist riding up the A9 through the Slochd. They could have easily used the nice back road out of Carrbridge to Tomatin which is closed to cars. Much nicer but I guess the cyclist was unaware. I have often seen cyclists on the dual carriageway at Daviot heading to Inverness. I’m guessing they have either lost their way of are using some crap routing software.
As for the A82 I still remember getting shouted at by a van driver while crossing the bridge at north Ballachullich. Something derogatory about my parents marital status and an old Germanic expression about penetrating.
I’m guessing they have either lost their way of are using some crap routing software.
Komoot tries to send folk up the A9 on a few sections....
Craggie Farm (nr Daviot) to the Inshes roundabout in Inverness is 17.6km following NCN 7. It's 7.9km going along the A9.
When I was working in Inverness I'd regularly see a guy cycling between Inverness and Daviot.
If I ever do it, I want it to be like these guys. Great fun touring vids.
I know two people that have done it. A bloke who did it when he retired and took a fairly leisurely fortnight over it. Also a woman I met who did it a little more briskly - 51 hours 5 minutes and 27 seconds. Hers was not leisurely but she didn't have to mess about sorting accommodation out... I'd go for the first option if I was doing it. Hth.
Also a woman I met who did it a little more briskly – 51 hours 5 minutes and 27 seconds. Hers was not leisurely but she didn’t have to mess about sorting accommodation out…
That was a tremendous effort TBF. I am surprised no-one else has had a go at one of the solo records since though, and the only Notice of Attempt on the RRA website is the ladies' tandem one that went ahead a few weeks ago.
We did it in 11 days on the tandem mainly camping.
Yes Cornwall and Devon are hilly. You're either climbing or about to climb but it's done in ~3 days and A30 is not that bad.
It's not very pleasant around some of the NW of England so think carefully about your route unless you love post industrial decay and frantic traffic.
We went via the Gentleman's excuse me that is Arran. It's slightly longer than the direct but infinitely better than the central industrial belt and the A82.
It does get lumpy again over the last 2 days just as your brain tells you you've cracked it.
Think carefully how you'll get back from JoG as it can be a pain.
Be flexible on accommodation (true for all touring). If you're camping, you'll want a hotel/B&B etc after the second successive wet day to dry out.
Be flexible on schedule if you can. Having the whole thing locked in in advance with bookings can be a bit limiting if you need to vary the planned mileage/day ends (over or under).
Enjoy it, you may never pass through that way again.
Christina was out cheering the Tandemist's on. Good to see that she is able to get out and about after her being hit by the hit and run driver and later suffering from a stroke.
Enjoy it, you may never pass through that way again.
This is a very good point. I occasionally think revisiting some of the more southerly areas but, several years later, I've not done so.
Think carefully how you’ll get back from JoG as it can be a pain.
www.johnogroatsbiketransport.co.uk
@MrSparkle I'd missed that she'd had a stroke. I hope she's making a speedy recovery.
I can’t understand why folk intentionally cycle the A9. I recently say a pair on a tandem cycling on the dual carriageway through the Dromochter pass
There's a tarmaced cycle path running pretty much the full length from Blair Athol to Dalwhinnie...
There’s a tarmaced cycle path running pretty much the full length from Blair Athol to Dalwhinnie…
Just don't tell drivers about that beautiful new tarmac they've laid on the cycle route. 🙂
Folk going for fast times (see above) will always use the main road as it's less involved, has fewer turns etc.
When my wife did it years ago she said Cornwall and Devon almost made her quit but after that it got easier (and less brutally steep), and just had to manage the general wear and tear on her body rather than die on the uphill.
@MrSparkle Ah yes, obviously slipped my mind. Knew about the crash, most days don't remember what I had for breakfast...
Good news that she was able to get out and see the tandem pair though.
Ha ha! I'm much the same. And, yes, it is.
Don't do it North to South "because it's downhill".
Don't do it solo.
Don't do it with a rucksack without checking you can ride with a helmet on, or you'll end up carrying your helmet for 2 weeks completely pointlessly.
I second that comment about the industrial NW...my BiL, route organiser, happened to be working in that area at the time and he has a photographic memory for routes, so he spent a weekend recceying a route that avoided A roads and towns where possible.
I did RAB 7 years ago in absolutely awful weather. It was a great experience and really stress free with everything organised (like bike transport to and from start). I’ve done loads of cycling trips over the years and it was one of the best
2017? Yes, that was pretty biblical wasn't it?! Cav rode a stage of it that - in the pissing rain out of Bath I seem to remember.
Hi
I did this 10 years ago. LEJOG direction, supposedly better for wind assistance!
Honestly, I couldn't wait to get it over with. I'm delighted that I've done it and I still feel that people think that it is an achievement as such, but it is only really other cyclists that will understand what it feels like to get up and do 10 hours on a bike on that 9th/10th day.
My advice would be to give some serious consideration as to what your reasons for doing it are. If it's a charity or a box-tick thing then your aims and methods are going to be very different to if you want any form of enjoyment from it.
Firstly for most people both Land's End and John O'Groats are a hell of a long way from home. Factor in a day getting to the start, and back to the finish on top of the cycling days and decide if the total number of days is a worthwhile use of your annual leave.
In either direction the first and the last day are going to be the worst in terms of hills. If you haven't been before both are an anti climax. Obviously at this point there is only one road out/in.
My advice would be to design a cycling touring type route which just happens to begin and end at Land's End/John O'Groats and makes the most of the best cycling and the things to see along the route. I grew up in Cheshire so the route we took went past the end of my road, but by the end of the first day I'd ticked off Cornwall and didn't go back for another 7 years. That seemed to set the tone for the rest of the trip, in that, you end up cycling past dozens of brown signs indicating fascinating things but don't see anything other than the hedge next to you for most of the trip.
If you decide to 'fix' your stopping points along the route, do it for places you want to spend a couple of hours or see something, this will give you more pleasure and something to look forward to during the ride than dividing the total miles by the days and finding the closest accommodation. We stayed in some shitholes. Establishments and towns.
Choose your companions with care. Train. Don't be the slowest. Have a practice run out a few months before. We did coast to coast in 3 days over the Easter and then the LEJOG at the end of May. Eat constantly, even when you don't feel like it. Eat every 20 mins even after you've gorged yourself on the breakfast buffet. Eat something of a decent quality for lunch. Something that isn't a carvery. Drink beer in the evening. 3/4 pints is the sweet spot between free calories and dehydration. Take ibuprofen with every meal and paracetamol every 4 hours whether you think you need it or not. Wear a mountain bike liner short under your padded bib shorts. Have a garmin, if only to count down the miles each day. Take photos even when you think you can't be bothered
I wouldn't pay too much attention to the actual route you take with regard to the traffic. It'll be a nightmare most of the way whichever way you go. In Cornwall and Devon you may as well stick to the dual carriageways, there is better visibility and the minor roads are steeper. Shap fell is a bitch. For me once you get over the Clyde it gets much better. Alongside Loch Lomond for a while it's almost enjoyable. The road through Glen Coe is at least pretty. Once you get to Wick John O'Groats never seems to arrive.
Practically you can save a bit of time by staying in Penzance and doing the first bit as an out and back on day-1, and the neareast station at the other end is Georgemas rather than Wick or Thurso. If you don't have a support crew sleeper trains are probably the way to cut out a lot of the travel hassle.
Otherwise it is surprisingly easy. It's mainly a trudge rather than an adventure and the riding is not especially spectacular. But you should end up with a few stories.
http://pinkpinarello.blogspot.com/2015/08/
Our trip in 2015 as recorded by my SiL. Some family references in there but a good sense of our experience.
@onetimeews - that's a great summary - especially the ibuprofen and paracetamol advice! - my buddy described me as "rattling" by the time we finished the RAB, but at least I didn't have any aches and pains!
Long time ago I was paid off and flew to Bilbao , this change my view of cycling in the UK. Cycled back to Swindon, thats why i will never do LeJog . Done quite a few Spain and France end to ends. In Europe it's a different culture and cyclists are treated as human beings.
Long time ago I was paid off and flew to Bilbao , this change my view of cycling in the UK. Cycled back to Swindon, thats why i will never do LeJog . Done quite a few Spain and France end to ends. In Europe it’s a different culture
I can see attraction of that, to be fair.
A friend has just retired and decided Lejog wasn't as attractive as she thought. Last year she did France from the Channel to the Med, and she's just finished Munich to Rome, which looks pretty amazing on her photos.
There seems to be a quite good route (that’s part of Eurovelo1) along the French Atlantic coast
onetimeews – that’s a great summary – especially the ibuprofen and paracetamol advice!
Where as for me,that is the polar opposite of my experience and sounds horrendous.
It reads like one those people that take up running ,find they hate it,but persist ,while at the same time banging on about how much they loathe it,then question why anybody would ever take up running.
Luckily we are all different.
My top tips would be.
Start early,finish early.
Eliminate as much faffing as possible.
Get comfortable with the distances.
Enjoy.
Don't spend too much time on cafe stops.
Have your accomodation and food on the stops sorted out.
Make sure the bike and all your kit is prepped each night.
Enjoy
Cycling Uk forum linky https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewforum.php?f=22&sid=4562de98c831d2f62733e1c360a3b30a
I wanted to do something a bit diifferent so did the opposite diagonal, Dover to Durness (OK the pedants will say Cape Wrath is the top left, but that involves a ferry that only operates in good weather) which was good fun. It didn't have the hilly start that you have with LeJoG. We booked up travel lodges, premier inns etc well in adavnce so the rates were fairly reasonable. Midges were a bit of an issue in Scotland, so take some repellant if you're going in the midge season.
Are you doing it as a challenge or as enjoyment? One of our group was a German colleague who abandoned (we had a support car) on the last day with only about 40 miles to go. I tried to persuade him to finish, but with teutonic logic he said that he was doing the ride for enjoyment and as it was raining he was no longer enjoying it................
Top tip - wash your shorts in the shower at the end of the day. Lay the wet shorts on a hotel towel, roll up the towel and shorts (a bit like a swiss roll) and wring it, this will get the shorts fairly dry, they'll finish drying overnight on the radiator, ready for the morning.
Where as for me,that is the polar opposite of my experience and sounds horrendous
Yeah, me too. And judging from chatting to a lot of LEJOGers when I collected them in JoG, most seemed to really enjoy the experience, whether they'd taken 4 days or 14, camped or hotelled, ridden solo or as a group.
For those advocating French or Spanish end to ends or EV1, I've done EV1, Route Via de la Plata and a French Manche to Med. I found, these are not mutually exclusive with doing a LeJog... Riding on the Continent is fantastic. My chums and I did the Route des Grande Alpes a few weeks ago and it was both tough and brilliant. So much so, I'd happily do it again and it's got me thinking of the 100 Cols... Different from the other routes mentioned but not betterer or worser.
LeJog is a particularly Brit cyclist thing to do and is bit of a milestone in any keen Brit cyclists career. Yes there's other stuff out there but they're not LeJog.
I wouldn’t pay too much attention to the actual route you take with regard to the traffic. It’ll be a nightmare most of the way whichever way you go.
This just isn't true. As many previous posters have pointed out, taking the fastest, most direct route won't be a very enjoyable cycling experience, but if you have the time to take a slightly more roundabout path, you can do some really nice cycling between Lands End and John o' Groats. Loch Lomond and Glencoe is one of the worst options for cycling north; great scenery, but the motor traffic on those roads will overshadow any enjoyment from the cycling. I'd even suggest that the coast road up through Wick is not the best way to get to the north coast. There are also some lovely roads up along the Welsh/English border.
The problem with LeJog will always be that you are constraining the start and end of your route with a couple of arbitrary geographical points, and for many people that will means some compromises for the cycling. I have never ridden LeJog as one event, but I have ridden all the way between the south coast and the north coast in various forms over the years, and there are a number of nice ways of doing that which avoid busy roads and major conurbations.
Drink beer in the evening. 3/4 pints is the sweet spot between free calories and dehydration. Take ibuprofen with every meal and paracetamol every 4 hours whether you think you need it or not.
No
My wife did the RAZ, she said the access to decent sleeping and food was great. Also the daily access to physios and masseuses was great as well. She worked for Deloitte at the time who were the title sponsor so only had to raise money rather than pay the full cost.
She said that doing it in a big organised way like this was much nicer than any so,owing missions she’d done in the past as everyone was friendly and like minded.
Said she’d not ride LEJOG again though!
Our (organised/sponsored) ride broke each day into 5 chunks of around 20km. We'd set off after breakfast (slower riders first), ride 20km to some layby or car park, snack, another 20km, snack, another 20km got us to lunch - usually a pub/cafe but one day it was a Buddhist monastery. After lunch, the slower riders would set off first again, another 20km for a snack stop and another 20km got us to.our overnight stop. None of it felt particularly pushed or pacy and it would often be different folk you'd be riding with as everyone went through their highs and lows.
The route was signposted for us, removing one potential delay reason.
^^^^ what about the other 38 miles though ? ...
We were a mixed-ability group and completed it in 10 days at around 100 miles per day.
I wouldn't do it as an organised event but then again, I wouldn't do a Sportive etc. The only organised stuff I've done in the past few years are the Dunwich Dynamo in 2022 when there were very few entrants (wonder why...?) and Chase the Sun. Other than that, not interested as I prefer to paddle my own canoe. I did do the Fred but by pinching the GPX and otherwise going DIY.
We did it over 21 days. Minor roads in England, the Scottish roads were quiet.
No pressure and lots of stops.
I was worried it may put my wife off cycling but we were lucky with the weather so it did not.
The main hassle is start and finish logistics.
We hired a one way van to Lands End to start.
As many previous posters have pointed out, taking the fastest, most direct route won’t be a very enjoyable cycling experience, but if you have the time to take a slightly more roundabout path, you can do some really nice cycling between Lands End and John o’ Groats. Loch Lomond and Glencoe is one of the worst options for cycling north; great scenery, but the motor traffic on those roads will overshadow any enjoyment from the cycling. I’d even suggest that the coast road up through Wick is not the best way to get to the north coast. There are also some lovely roads up along the Welsh/English border.
100% this.
If you actually take some time and effort to plot the route carefully, you can get a surprising amount on quiet lanes and terrain such as old railway paths and similar traffic-free trails which are normally do-able on most road bikes. A few sections where you really do have to weave around a lot or accept that you'll be on some busy roads. Notably crossing the Liverpool / Manchester / Leeds corridor, pretty much wherever you do it is going to involve some urban jungle or a LOT of wandering around on towpaths and highly variable Sustrans routes but otherwise it's possible to do large swathes of it on really quite scenic roads.
n Cornwall and Devon you may as well stick to the dual carriageways, there is better visibility and the minor roads are steeper.
I disagreed with much of this post but this bit stood out. The minor roads through Cornwall and Devon were a delight on my tour. I followed the CTC route using the King Harry ferry, stayed at Golant then over Dartmoor to Exeter. You couldn't pay me enough to ride on the A30.
You couldn’t pay me enough to ride on the A30.
The old A30 isn't too bad and is a decent enough way of covering some mileage. Hardly any proper traffic uses it cos it's all on the new A30 (the one that you really wouldn't go anywhere near on a bike!)
But yes, I agree with you - Cornwall and Devon are stuffed with super quiet tiny little lanes which are wonderful to ride, if a tad steep in places!
Latest thread on Lejog I could find.
Any recommendations for cyclists accommodation in Penrith?
I have booked The Lounge Hotel and Bar (its in the Cicerone guide), but myself and Booking.com are failing miserably to find out, phoned, emailed, etc, if they have a safe lock up for bikes. Only thing I found was a post from 2012 saying it had a garage or cellar room (apologies I can't remember which) for bikes
Cheers in advance.
Looks like my previous post was lost in the ether somewhere.
Latest thread on Lejog I could find. Any recommendations for cyclists accommodation in Penrith?
I have booked The Lounge Hotel and Bar (its in the Cicerone guide), but myself and Booking.com are failing to make any sort of contact by phone, email, etc, ... to confirm they had secure storage for bicycles. The only thing I had picked up was someone staying thete in 2012 which mentioned a garage/cellar store 🤷♂️
There's a prem inn in penrith, in the keswick one they have lockable cycle sheds in the car park, covered by camera. I took my front wheel off just in case
^ cheers. I've booked a couple of PI's eg Penzance and know you can put bikes in the room. Keswick having a lockable shed is useful to know. Though wise to remove a wheel!
^^ must have taken best part of an hour for my posts above to appear.
I have booked The Lounge Hotel and Bar (its in the Cicerone guide), but myself and Booking.com are failing to make any sort of contact by phone, email, etc, ... to confirm they had secure storage for bicycles.
Unbook it and go for the Premier Inn.
You can take your bike into the room in all of those (as long as it's not absolutely filthy!). There's a crossover point of "nice local accommodation, local beers on tap, support the independent businesses" and "get the job done, guaranteed secure bike storage".
If they can't be bothered to answer a question of "is there secure bike storage", they're not going to care when you turn up there after a long day in the saddle and just want to drop the bike off and get showered. Also, you'd be surprised at what some places count as "secure bike storage". They reply yes, you'll be expecting a lockable shed at the very least and they'll point you to a Sheffield stand just a couple of minutes walk down the road, yes, that corner where the scallies are standing, just pop it over there.
Ive never had a hotel fail to find me somewhere to put my bike
Must admit I'm about to throw in the towel with the hotel and switch to PI.
One place did say I could leave my bicycle (I'm careful to say bicycle to avoid confusion) on the patio round the back. Can't imagine the insurance company saying no worries here is your money and as for the internal grief after months of preparing and training for Lejog 🤐
I wonder if there's a list of hotels along the route(ish) that are bike-friendly?
There's a Lejog section/forum on the Cycling UK site iirc, if you haven't looked already
The Cicerone guidebook lists some places in the stops it recommends and, as noted above, there is a PI in Penrith. I also used Booking.com which was useful and Airbnb which was much less useful. I will also look at some hostel sites as well.
I was just surprised how difficult it has proven to clarify safe bike storage with The Lounge Hotel and Bar by any means!
I've had a quick look at the Cycling UK site and will look at in more detail.
Some good tips above but doubt I'll follow the Ibruprofen and paracetamol advice 😬
The last major decision we need to make is whether we do the
Moffat to South Queensferry to Pitlochry or the
Moffat to Balloch to Pitlochry option.
The latter apparantly more attractive but much longer days in the saddle and for our old legs could be too much. Cycling over the Forth Road Bridge could be epic !
The bridge is good to ride over for sure but epic might be overstating it.I wouldn't go via balloch Seems a long way round