[Closed] Lejog roll call - who's done it and what did you lean?

I did it 10 years ago (aged 40).
Like you said - rode a lot in the lead up, a few 100 mile days, so I knew I could do it. Honestly I really enjoyed it, but was lucky - a good bunch of people and descent weather.

What I learnt:
Take a few different types of shorts (differing pads / fits) I did this and my bum survived, but some folk were on double shorts by the end.
Use Chammy cream.
Take care in the wet - I misjudged a corner in the rain and hit a dry stone wall. Luckily managed to borrow a wheel and limp to the nearest bike shop... but then had a long, lonely catch up solo ride for the rest of the day (and very lucky to escape with just cuts and bruises).
Take it easy - you get fitter on the ride as long as you don't break yourself in the first few days.
Enjoy the journey - you maybe won't do it again, and it is easy to focus on the end point, instead of the actual days route.

I’ve done a JOGLE supported. Was a fantastic way to see the different countryside through the mainland. You will love it.

What I did notice that I seen got used to back to back long rides but from day 5 on I was very tired. Heart rate wouldn’t go up above zone 2. That was fine though as you could take it easier and enjoy the scenery more. Other thing is overuse pain round the knee from a tight ITB started to niggle at me a bit. Suggest making sure you are properly set up on your bike and don’t have excessively tight hamstrings, ITB issues before you start.

My mates did it un-supported last year. Travelled light, meticulously planned by one of them though and took it steady over the 10 days. Stayed in B&B's and ate like kings.

Main one was washing kit. They found that wringing clothing out in a hotel towel ensured it was dry enough for the next day. Only one of the lads had panniers, the rest were saddle and frame packs.

Planning is the key if unsupported.

I've ridden it - supported - and also worked for a company specialising in getting riders and/or bikes back from JoG, so I've talked to hundreds of other riders about it

If you're reasonably fit, then 10 days will be fine. There was a couple of older ladies on my trip who had done little training but still survived, with a little bit of encouragement.

Supported means you don't have to worry about food/rest stops so you can concentrate on riding and enjoying it.

Make sure the bike is properly serviced before starting. Too many folk run out of disk pads on day two, after all the braking on the Cornwall and Devon hills.

You'll get fitter as you ride and the hills generally become more manageable too.

Get some group riding rules established so that everyone you are with knows hot to behave and can be trusted. It'll make life easier if you are in a group but don't burst yourself if you're struggling at their pace.

Take advantage of any massage on offer.

Remember to eat and drink regularly. Your support team should be making this happen.

I've done it as a Ride Leader on the Deloitte Ride Across Britain event a few times. That's the biggest supported LEJOG, it's about 700 people so it's kind of like 9 Sportives back to back with everything done for you.

Guessing you're on a much smaller scale one - one of the CTC ones maybe?

Things to do:
Ride your bike in the real world, on real roads in real weather. SO many people now smash things out on Zwift and turn up having "ridden" up Alpe d'Huez and raced around Watopia. Put them on an actual road, especially in wind and rain, and they're bouncing off every kerb and manhole cover, fluffing gear changes on every corner and climb. Strangely, in the real world, riding into the back of someone results in a painful crash rather than their avatar appearing behind you...

Be used to riding in all weathers. Being on a tour like that, you just have to ride, there's no option to take a day off so you need some decent kit and need to know when to use it. That sounds daft but last year I had to deal with a guy with hypothermia after he'd not bothered to put his rain jacket on before a long wet descent. No point having a £200 waterproof jacket if it's in your back pocket!

Make sure the bike is comfortable on back-to-back long days, reliable and recently serviced and that you know how to fix basic roadside mechanicals. Carry a spare rear mech hanger.

Take lights, have them fitted to your bike all day every day. Over 100 miles you can go from beautiful blue skies to torrential rain very easily. Check the weather forecast daily and pack the appropriate kit.

Enjoy the journey - there are some really lovely sights and views, don't be head-down looking at your Garmin the whole time.

Edit: if you can, take some time post-event to travel back. Don't just rush off to Inverness and get a train or flight straight home, take a few days to stop off, maybe do a short day ride, visit some of the attractions on the way.

Ive not done lejog, but I've done three charity rides over three consecutive years.

london/Paris on an mtb (absolutely no training and by day 3 or 4 was absolutely fine - it was hard but not lung busting omg I'm gonna die, sense of achievement at the end was massive. Following that up by Paris to Geneva on a raid bike, which was harder but only because it was repeated 100mile days and a mountain or two at the end. Cols of the tdf was the next year, and that was very very hard work, vowed not to do similar again.

I'm doing Cirencester to Lands End this year - and am trying to train for it.

Id say, as long as you've done some or even one 100miler you'll be fine. Id sign up for one or two 100 sportive events a few weeks before your due to set off.... Would love to do a 10day lejog - but there's no chance I could dedicate that sort of time to it.....

Did it for my 40th a few years ago unsupported with a couple of mates. Mainly camping but after heavy rain a couple of b and b's. We used main roads to save time. Don't use main roads! Fit new tyres and brake pads. Good shorts and cream. Just keep eating and pedalling. Take it easy and build into it. Will probably do it again when I retire but take 3 weeks or so. Ours was 9 and a half days due to work commitments. We hired a van one way to penzance (from preston) and brother picked us up. Some of the tarmac in Scotland was quite course and a bit uncomfortable.

You'll have a blast (as you likely know).

We (the Mrs & I) did it some 20 years ago on a tandem un-supported. Borrowed the bike from a buddy and foolishly never got around to riding it until we started at Lands End. Did no training, idiots. Camped all the way and had a hoot of a time.

As above, just take it easy at the start, you'll get stronger and by the end will be knocking out 100 miles by mid day with sort of ease.

Some of the tarmac in Scotland was quite course and a bit uncomfortable.

I think I know the exact road you mean! 😉

Yep - fit the widest tyres your frame can accommodate. Tubeless is well worth it for the lower pressures. Don't go for ultralight performance tyres, you want something with a decent amount of puncture resistance and durability.

Someone I know has been talking with their pal about Lejog, I could potentially join too. Then I remembered I hate riding on the road because car drivers. What are the roads like on the 'official' routes?

Also, I've been looking at buying a Sonder Camino, ideal bike for it?

Did it over the summer of my first year at uni (2003ish) self supported and planned with 3 mates. We did in John O Groats to Lands End and it turns out got lucky with the wind! We did 13 days cycling and a rest day in the middle so fairly cruisey pace but still some big days in the saddle.

Things we learnt: Do not underestimate how much you will end up eating!!
Be very comfortable riding big distances in poor weather. No matter what time of year you will get at least 1 day of misery.
Cornwall and the coast especially is brutal.....

Hopefully planning on doing it again in a few years as a 40th birthday thing.

I did the opposite diagnoal (Dover to Durness) which was good fun. The only thing I'd add, is learn how to massage your own legs and do it every evening when you're riding.

My wife would recommend doing a variety of training rides, she did lots of big day out rides and was lacking on speed/hill climbing strength.

If it's Premier Inn accommodation, perhaps plan to eat out a couple of times as the menu gets quite repetitive, she was craving a nice big bowl of pasta and veg after a few nights.

Someone I know has been talking with their pal about Lejog, I could potentially join too. Then I remembered I hate riding on the road because car drivers. What are the roads like on the ‘official’ routes?

Also, I’ve been looking at buying a Sonder Camino, ideal bike for it?

There's a new version of the Cicerone End to End book out now (revised last year) which has shifted the route a bit to account for new roads, new bits of trail and so on.
https://www.cicerone.co.uk/cycling-lands-end-to-john-o-groats-third

Ultimately, every route is a compromise between speed, type of bike, whether you're loaded or supported, overnight stopping points, any specific sights you want to take in on the way... There are also some stretches, notably around the Liverpool - Manchester corridor where you'll encounter far more A-roads and traffic unless you really do put in some very circuitous routes or go for off-road options. Some routes that do use canal towpaths and the like can be very muddy and/or very slow.

Camino would be fine - to be fair LEJOG has been done on pretty much every type of bike imaginable!

What are the roads like on the ‘official’ routes?

I saw one "official" group coming down the A82 towards Fort William a few years ago. One of the most horrible roads in the country to ride. If I had paid a lot of money I'd be pretty pissed off at a company that chose that as a route option just because it's quick.

Did LeJog 6 years ago in my early fifties. Do the mileage beforehand and make sure you can back to back long days. As noted above, take it easy on the first couple of days - the punchy climbs in south west can wear you out quickly if you attack them from the start. Looks like you might not be in charge of the route or timing but we decided to do it in 11 days to save it being a total slog. The other revelation was going via Arran and saving ourselves the taking on the central belt of Scotland.

Overall, a great experience worthy of bucket list status.

My first E2E was in 1992, mainly road, on a cheap Raleigh MTB with Tioga City Slicker tyres. Put together a route through Wales and up the NW Highlands, fitting it in-between signing on days as I'd just got back from an Asian backpacking trip. Main thing I learned was not to apply Tiger Balm to a sore ringpiece, and that I don't like padded shorts (aka sweat soaked adult nappies) on long rides.

Second E2E was a mountain biking through route I put together in 2015, bikepacking stylee. Avoided busy roads completely. Loved the Somerset, Wales and Pennine sections; the Scottish bit (largely taking me along the HT550 route, which I was familiar with) was spoiled by awful weather. I'd do it again, though, tweaking the route, and probably going late April/early May.

I did it with Deloitte (9days) in 2017 in terrible headwinds and rain for almost every day. I had done plenty of training (consecutive century days) and I was fine. More training just means less suffering and boy do you see some fellow riders suffering. It's a fabulous way to see the mainland of the UK and I'm thinking of doing it again.

I'd echo the comments above regarding careful route choice. The A82? Jesus. Ditto the poor ****ers slogging along the A9 further north.

I’d echo the comments above careful route choice. The A82? Jesus.

The Ride Across Britain route used to use it. Carlisle up to Hamilton (nr Glasgow), then Hamilton to Fort William via Crow Road and Glencoe. It's a beautiful road, the scenery on it never fails to amaze me and actually at the times we were on it, traffic was fairly light - it was always a weekday afternoon in September so schools were back, it was out of holiday season and, because it was a big organised ride, the 'visibility' of it was excellent. Police would always be out in force, there was loads of signage, groups of riders, liveried support vehicles, there'd be info in the local press about it and warnings put out on the road "Cycle Event here on [date]" so we never had any real issues with it.

I'm not sure I'd like to ride that road as an individual though.

Ditto the poor **** slogging along the A9 further north.

Agreed - that is a truly dreadful road, a lot worse now that it's NC500 as well.

If you ride from north to south it's downhill all the way. ;o)

I've ridden the A9 north of Dornoch. It's fine. Better to go via Lairg and Tongue though.

The A82 has a bad reputation and I doubt it's very pleasant north of Onich but accident statistics don't point it out as a particularly dangerous road. It's undoubtedly well-used by E2E riders. I'd say it's more popular than the A9 as it comes through Glencoe and past Loch Ness. FWIW I've not had any bad feedback about it from the hordes of riders I've dealt with.

When I did my LEJOG we came through Crieff, Aberfeldy and Trinafour. That was a bumpy day 😂

Supported in less than 5 days

Make sure in Training you do back to back big days to get used to the effort and time in the saddle

Route planning is important

Not done LEJOG but done a few multiday rides of similar difficulty, albeit a bit shorter.

I think the main points i was going to make have all been covered above, but just to reiterate -

Make sure everyone's bike is in really good working order - a friend of mine had a crank arm fall off on the first day of London to Amsterdam, when we had a ferry to catch.

Make sure everyone is used to riding on the road and used to riding with others - we had people dropping stuff all the time, riding into the back of others, etc.
Even skills we take for granted like taking a drink are more difficult when you're chain-ganging it along at 15mph.

If unsupported have a chat about who is taking what - you don't all need to take everything - we put together a list and actually ended up taking a wider variety of tools because some people were able to ditch their pump and take something else instead.

Don't under-estimate how much you'll eat - i set myself a rule to force something down every 10 miles, even if i didn't feel i needed it. Whilst on the subject of food - you don't need fancy energy gels, etc - we rode both London to Paris and London to Amsterdam powered by McDonalds, Petrol station ice creams and stuff pocketed from hotel buffet breakfasts.
Also don't choose an event like this to experiment with a new line of energy powder/gels/any other random stuff you've never tried before...

Most of all enjoy it - have some fun, stop to take a photo of that comical village name, sit outside the pub with a beer at the end of a long day - this isn't the TdF!

Did it in 6 days solo unsupported in October 2019. My biggest take home is do not underestimate Cornwall and Devon - that first day almost killed me and the climbing is by far the worst of the entire trip. Compared to those counties Scotland is almost easy!

Twenty five years ago - taking three months with full camping kit.
Rode to the start and then home again after.

Make sure you go to Duncansby Head, which is a just a mile or so beyond JoG.
Duncansby Head is the real north-eastern tip of the Scottish mainland.
Stunning - sea cliffs, puffins, and lighthouses.

Also gives you bragging rights over those that have only done LEJOG and stopped two miles short at the signpost.

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/johnogroats/duncansbyhead/index.html

Anyone want to recommend me a route that's fairly speed-optimised? If I wanted to push myself to do it as fast as I could?

Attempted JOGLE years ago. Did loads of training, well prepared and independently supported.

Our group of 8 had never all ridden together before. That was a big mistake. 3 very fast, 3 mid pack (who could all almost hold on to the fast guys) and 2 slow and steady. I was in the mid pack group.

The first day we all stayed together and had a very leisurely pedal across the north of Scotland then the pace ramped up day on day to get finished as early as possible each day. Hanging on to groups riding too fast for you to tuck in from the wind is a massive mistake on such a long ride. It seemed sensible at the time to get towed along at a cracking pace but it properly took it's toll. Whatever day we came into Glasgow, my average speed for the day was north of 20mph.

I ended up abandoning on the 6th day. Tore muscles in my thigh, spent the end of day 5 pedalling with one leg which injured that one too. Got advised to get in the van and give up when I was pushing up a gentle hill on an A road.

Looking back I'd say be happy to sit back and enjoy the scenery and don't hang on to people too fast for you. If we'd split into 3 groups and took a bit more time to enjoy the ride I don't think I'd have got injured, hanging on around my limit for way too long definitely hurt me. Obviously there are days in the wind when it would be well worth hanging in there but don't sacrifice that over the benefit of your own comfortable pace.

We also got a bit sucked into the pedalling aspect of it, cover the ground quickly instead of treat it as a way to tour the country. Remember one of the guys asking to stop at a castle and the rest battering on as we'd just stopped. He took photos while riding. Thinking back on that it seems a bit crazy that we never stopped and just ended up spending more time in a hostel in the afternoon.

Also jump on any chance you can to get a massage!

Did it unsupported in 2004 with a mate. Took a pretty longish route in order to avoid worst of the traffic - we were never going to break records and wanted to enjoy it so we took 14 days plus an extra night at each end.

We'd done some training in advance but the hills are a bit of a killer when you have ~10kg of luggage! We also underestimated the cornwall and devon topography and the high mileages in those first days was heavy going where as mentioned above by the time you're in Scotland you are fit as a flea and we could have done much bigger days than planned.

We did Lairg - Altnahhara - Bettyhill which was a brilliant wild route on a small singletrack road. Be brutal if the wind was against though as exposed on the tops.

A great, enjoyable experience (we had good weather apart from 1/2 days).

Having done a lot more big miles single-day road riding since then I'd be interested in a faster, supported attempt, but again not interested in battling traffic on trunk roads.

Anyone want to recommend me a route that’s fairly speed-optimised? If I wanted to push myself to do it as fast as I could?

Have a look at the route that record attempts take - bear in mind that they have a support car behind them 24/7 which makes the awful dual carriageway sections safer.
https://www.bikeradar.com/features/routes-and-rides/christina-mackenzie-lejog-record/

Cycling UK have a "fast route" file here:
https://www.cyclinguk.org/route/gpx-file-lands-end-john-o-groats-main-route-lejog-or-end-end

Not done it myself, but prepped a few bikes for friends who have. Get your bike serviced - new chain, cassette, cables, brake pads and tyres. Check condition of bearings and spoke tension too. You can’t really have too low a gear, particularly if starting Land’s End - you’ll spend more time in your lowest gear than your highest gear. A bike handles really differently when loaded - trying to mash a big gear uphill is very different when you’ve got panniers. Get a feel for how your bike handles laden before you’re hurtling downhill in north Cornwall wondering if your brakes are good enough. Get rid of excess gear before you go - a few shakedown rides somewhere hilly will make you question every extra gram. Comfortable contact points - saddle, shorts, gloves and shoes as they’ll really niggle if they’re not right.

Looking back I’d say be happy to sit back and enjoy the scenery and don’t hang on to people too fast for you. If we’d split into 3 groups and took a bit more time to enjoy the ride I don’t think I’d have got injured, hanging on around my limit for way too long definitely hurt me.

These are wise words..

On the trips i've done we've always split into a fast and a leisure group - i tried to hang onto the back of the fast group a couple of times and it ruined me.

On a multi-day event (where speed is not a priority) you really want to keep your heart rate down as much a possible, if you can't chat whilst riding you're going too fast.

I joined some friends for a weekend as part of their LEJOG. They did 3 weeks in accommodation carrying their own stuff. The use a SUSTRANS based route. I followed the whole thing on facebook. It was was way more inspiring than I expected. The group weren't that cycling fit so 3 weeks was fine. I suspect that the sustrans route could be done in a couple of weeks. The day i was the weekend I was with them we did cycle paths in Devon, Cheddar gorge straight through the centre of Bristol then se saw the Severn estuary and we went along the ship cannal into Gloucester. All the bits seemed just as exciting

Tip 1, when you get to a cafe start by handing over all the water bottles you want filled and just ask that they are full by the time you've eaten. Asking for fills as they left was causing a delay and stress for the staff if it was busy at that moment

https://www.sustrans.org.uk/national-cycle-network/lands-end-to-john-ogroats-lejog

Pop over to the CUK forum and fill yer boots.

Did it years and years ago solo, unsupported, JOGLE "because it's downhill" following the CTC route.
Amazing experience. Beautiful parts of the world.
Lessons learned? Don't do it solo. It's ****ing boring. Don't be amusing and do it downhill; the headwinds will kill you on some days. Also, because I was doing it backwards, the route guides were longer on day 1 than day 14 so I was destroyed on day 1 and finished in Lands End well before lunchtime on day 14.
I did it on a 26" mtb with 1" slicks and a rucksack. Bad idea.
Massive (massive!) Issues with my undercarriage but I could take a day off to deal with the pain because I was working to my own plan.
I did B&B in Scotland and YHA in E&W. All were good options.
I carried 2 sets of riding clothes and an extra top for the evenings. I wish I'd have packed something that wasn't lycra.

What's better, LEJOG or JOGLE? By better I mean easier...

I did it unsupported with a mate, about 15 years ago. Some random thoughts.

1. The French end to end has better roads, warmer weather and nicer food. Just a thought...
2. If you're "credit card touring", you don't need much stuff. A couple of changes of cycling + evening clothes is plenty, plus your tools and jacket. It will all fit in a couple of small panniers or large saddle bag.
3. The CTC route through Cornwall and Devon is lovely - recommended.
4. I navigated with a large scale atlas taped on my bars. Now we have Garmins and route planning software which is far, far better and allows easier use of quieter roads.
5. The A49 through Shropshire and Cheshire is awful. Avoid.
6. A9 north of Inverness is a slog. If I did it again I'd go up through Altnaharra and along the north coast.
7. 10 days is fine but 12 allows for long lunch breaks and some sightseeing if you fancy it.
8. LEJOG is not the time for trying out new clothes or components. Make sure you're comfortable with your setup, including the stuff you're carrying. If I'd listened to my own advice, I wouldn't have needed to buy a new saddle...
9. The sleeper train has (or certainly used to) a lounge car where you can celebrate. Be sure to remember where you stowed your bike as the train splits and changes direction during the night.

What’s better, LEJOG or JOGLE? By better I mean easier…

The theory behind LEJOG is that you're more likely to get prevailing winds - this is internet bollocks since the prevailing wind is not that way; the prevailing flow of pressure systems over the UK goes that way. I did it in September and, bar the last half of Day 5 over Shap to Carlisle and some of Day 9 into JOG, it was basically a headwind the entire sodding way just because of the way the pressure systems were sat over the UK. People were wrecked from it. It wasn't "strong" but it was persistent and noticeable. Like riding through treacle.

The other theory is that Cornwall and Devon are the two hardest days when you're fresh which I suppose has some merit to it, the alternative being that they're the two last days when you've ridden into it and are feeling used to that distance per day so up to you to decide on that one.

Transport logistics comes into it as well - it's a bit easier to get to LE than it is to get to JOG. The theory being that at least when you've finished you can just go get a B&B and collapse for a day before sorting out your journey home. Obviously if you have a support vehicle, that's negligible.

Arm and leg-warmers, having been "that person" getting hypothermia off a 2000m col in the wet. Short sleeves under a shell wasn't warm enough.

Did an unsupported JOGLE back in 2005 with one friend, staying in our tents.

The hills in Cornwall and Devon are much worse to ride than the mountains in the lakes and Scotland. Evil.

If you meet any tractors coming towards you on narrow country lanes in devon make sure the bit you are stopping on at the side of the road, to let them past, is solid ground and not a massive ditch full of nettles. The person driving the tractor will enjoy it but you won't.

Getting the train from London up to JOG was interesting with the bikes (though I suspect this would be worse now) but I can't say I got any sleep despite it being mostly on the sleeper service to Inverness. Getting the train back from Penzance seemed much easier

Take a spare folding tire as well as a couple of tubes and patches if you can stomach the weight and space. Doesn't need to be a nice one, just something to get you out of trouble (ask me how I know).

Take a decent bike lock.

Don't be afraid to get cosy together if one if you is close to hypothermia after a long day in the rain.

Eat lots, our typical breakfast was a baguette, half dozen eggs and a pack of bacon between the two of us.

Don't use the community campsite in Motherwell (possibly Strathclyde Country Park?).

As you near the end see how many pints you can drink in the pub one night. I think we managed two each somewhere in Devon before crawling off to our tents to be harassed by a flock of ducks.

I did it about 10 years back on my own camping using predominately the Cicerone route, but Edinburgh, Perth, Inverness.

I had not done as much pre training as a I planned due to a succession of bad colds through the spring. So I got fitter as I rode! As I was camping I could decide how far to go each day.

The main advice is enjoy it!

If you are going on an organised you do not need any advice about the route or accommodation! But you will have to ride the set distance each day whatever! So practice riding back to back long rides and going out whatever the weather.

My tip is make sure you get going on schedule in the morning, which allows for some more relaxed riding in the afternoon when you have the end in sight.

Make sure your bike has low enough gears to get you up hills when you are tired.

Have clothes that keep you warm when you are damp, I got warmer socks and a long sleeved Marino top in Shrewsbury on my end to end 🙂

I did it solo and unsupported .
Just over 7 days.
I used a light carbon road bike, fitted a seat post rack and bag.
Pre-booked hostels and B&Bs,so this set the daily mileage.
Packed enough for 2 days and had parcels with a change of gear posted ahead, sent dirty washing back in the post.
Set off early.
I often got going with just a cup of tea and would stop later for a proper breakfast.
Finish early.
I didn't book any places to eat at night,so made sure I had a good late lunch in case there was nothing good where I was staying.
As some folk have already said,get new tyres,pads,chain and cassette fitted.
It's also worth making sure that all the other stuff like cables,jockey wheels are tip top.
I had fantastic time, tailwinds all the way and it only rained once.
We live on an amazing wee island,LEJOG is great way to see how different it all is.
Doing it supported should be a piece of piss,just get the miles in on a bike that fits 😉🙃🤣.
I am thinking about doing it again (at a more relaxed pace) with my son.

The theory behind LEJOG is that you’re more likely to get prevailing winds – this is internet bollocks since the prevailing wind is not that way; the prevailing flow of pressure systems over the UK goes that way.

Not entirely sure I understand what you mean by this. On average, the most common direction for the wind is between West & South. Clearly you can get prolonged periods of other directions dependent on the weather systems but you are more likely to get a tail wind going SW to NE than you are a headwind. Furthermore the SW winds are generally stronger than NE ones. This isn’t an internet thing, it based on many years of observations aggregated from round the country. Speaking a someone who spent 30 years looking at a wind dial every day at work I can attest to the reliability of those observations.
For example:
https://www.southwest-environmental.co.uk/further%20info/in%20depth/wind_data_for_yeolvilton.html

I did a solo off road lejog route a few years ago, wild camping along the way. 170km/day for 12 days. I injured my knee on day 1 and did the remaining 11 days entirely standing out of the saddle. Should have done more miles with a laden bike to get used to the weight. Met some lovely folk along the way.

Good luck and enjoy it!

Anyone want to recommend me a route that’s fairly speed-optimised? If I wanted to push myself to do it as fast as I could?

If you do this you will spend a lot of time on fast A roads with 60mph cars whizzing [past your elbow on some of the most unpleasant roads to ride on in Scotland ( I don't know the english route).  I have seen jogle riders on the A 9 dual carrigeway for example when there is a really nice parallel cycle route.  I have twice had to emergency stop on the A9 when driving because of people doing jogle.  There is no way on earth I would ride the A9 south of inverness and even north of inverness I would go the altnaharra route

The fast/direct option also misses much of the point of doing it. As many folk have pointed out, the ride lets you see the varied nature of life on this island. That only really happens when you get off the main roads that tend to link the cities and conurbations.

It's different if you're setting out just to do a FKT of course ...

Can I ask about cost? I've fancied this for a while..

I realise budget is relative but just wanted to garner an idea of how much it might cost over 10 days?

Can I ask about cost? I’ve fancied this for a while..

I realise budget is relative but just wanted to garner an idea of how much it might cost over 10 days?

Transport to LE and from JOG.
Train to Penzance is relatively straightforward or do a one-way hire car.

Cost - a supported tour can be anything from about £1000 upwards. The Ride Across Britain event is £1850. Generally, the more you pay, the more support you get. At the very bottom end it might be a group of 8-10 people and one person with a van driving your bags up country and arranging basic accommodation en route, give you all a gpx file and meet you half way and at the finish. You may well need to pay for your own food each day though.
At the very top end, you get everything - signage, support vehicles inc Broom Wagon, luggage transfer, all accommodation & food, massage etc.

If you have your own vehicle and someone to drive it up country with you then it's 1000 miles of fuel to add into the cost too (plus home to LE / JOG to home)

Unsupported, you can do it pretty cheap by carrying all your own kit and camping / staying with friends etc but it'll be slower due to the extra weight. Or you can do a mix, travel slightly lighter, camp some nights / B&B some. At the expensive end, it's basically credit card touring where you're staying in anything from Youth Hostels / Premier Inn right up to 4* hotels.

Transport back from JOG - you can ride to Wick (15 miles south) and get the train to Inverness where there are train and plane options.

Minimum, unless you really are doing the true wild camping / bikepacking or you have a network of friends at the right intervals to say over is about £1000.

Merak
Quick search would suggest £2000 - 2500 for supported rides.
Unsupported ,you could probably do it all in (train ticket, accommodation and food) for around £900

Edit>> or what crazy-legs said <<edit

The fast/direct option also misses much of the point of doing it.

I guess you could mix and match to suit your own requirements. You could plan the route to use just quiet roads, and then see how fast you can do it. A bit like a personal GBduro

Some great insights here - thanks everyone 🙂

Now to read, digest, think, ride, ride, ride and get excited.

Just refreshing my memory on the route we took. We went the Altnaharra route and stayed in what in the SYHA at Carbisdale Castle on day 1. Remember it being a beast of a day but absolutely stunning and fairly quiet roads.
We bypassed Inverness entirely as had read about the horrors of the A9.

As a few others have mentioned ignoring possible wind issues we found it was a tradeoff between some bigger days in Scotland vs Devon and Cornwalls hills. Also don't ride from Bristol to Exeter with a hangover... its rough.

We did it supported (by family) in August 2019. Three of us followed the Ride Across Britain route, which at that time had GPX files on their website that could be downloaded. We camped the first couple of nights and then stayed in hotels the remaining nights. 9 days cycling in total, and an average of just over 100 miles a day.
We’d done a few training rides, but nothing too much. We generally set off around 9 each day, stopped after a couple of hours for a snack, then another couple of hours until a stop for lunch, and then usually 1 more break in the afternoon before cycling through to the finish.

The route was really good, with a lot of fairly minor roads. Following a GPX was great, as it took all the hassle out of navigation, so no stopping to check directions all the time. I really enjoyed the section in Shropshire and the Wye valley, but the Warrington/Manchester section was fairly busy, especially ending the day around rush hour.

I’d second the comments above about weather and kit. All the way from Cornwall we were lucky with weather, with mainly a tailwind and no rain. That was made up for on the day from Rosyth to Tomintoul. Heavy rain, strong winds and cold temperatures meant that I was under prepared (I had waterproofs with me, but not much else) but was lucky a friend in Edinburgh loaned me a pile of “winter” clothes to see me through the next day. That was the day the women’s tour of Britain stage around Perth was cancelled.

I have no experience to offer or advice to share but it does remind me I recently came across a couple of alternative routes.

A scenic one from Cyclist magazine which looks good if you have masochistic tendencies.

Then on Cycle.Travel an "Easy East Coaster" with apparently less climbing than most routes.

Also don’t ride from Bristol to Exeter with a hangover… its rough.

I can confirm that riding from Exeter to Bristol with a hangover is no better...

Did it 10 years back with my best mate on our 2speed Bromptons - 7.5days, unsupported and B&B. Tried as much as possible to stay off main roads i.e. like the A30 got to be crazy to ride on that!

Train down to LE and then taxi from Jog to the Thurso and then train / sleeper home

Think far better to do it with a mate rather than one of those supported Delotte things - they look awlful.

have the route as planned, though did make some changes on way - can share if needed.

if i did it again would take twice as long and get to look at stuff..

Did LEJOG in 2008 with 2 mates in 8 days averaging 120 miles/day, unsupported and finding YHs and B&Bs on the way. We went as lightweight as possible, which definitely helped and split the day into four roughly two-hour riding efforts interspersed with food/cafe stops. We rode S to N as the prevailing wind is SW but we ended up riding a week with mostly NE winds!
We were a bit time restricted and if I did it again I would take a bit longer to try and enjoy the scenery - 10 days supported would be OK. Day 3 was the hardest as the legs were tired and stiff after the relentless ups and downs in Cornwall and Devon, but it got easier after that as the legs realised that was what they did all day and the route wasn't as lumpy further north. If massages are available to you, take them. Chammy cream is worth its weight in gold. Take some warm clothing as, even in summer, it can get chilly/wet/miserable/D) all of the above as you progress north...
Presumably your supported ride includes getting to and from the start and finishing points and this is often the trickiest logistic - we got the train to Penzance and just rode to the start at LE. Getting back was trickier as (back then, don't know about now) the train from Wick didn't carry bikes and Scotrail's way around this was to drive them in a van to Inverness, but that was quicker than the train so they chucked the bikes out onto the platform at Inverness and left them there for almost an hour until the train got in! We ended up getting a mate to drive up in a people carrier to J'OG and paid his fuel and and overnight in a B&B.

Presumably your supported ride includes getting to and from the start and finishing points and this is often the trickiest logistic – we got the train to Penzance and just rode to the start at LE. Getting back was trickier as (back then, don’t know about now) the train from Wick didn’t carry bikes

Most supported rides don't - or they'll offer a taxi service from Penzance to LE and a coach service from JOG to Inverness at an extra cost. It's quite tricky with people potentially coming from all over via various means, some driving down with family / friends, some on the train, some flying to Bristol or Exeter... Same at the finish; some people rush off immediately, some stay and have a few extra days in Scotland, some arrange to be met by friends. It's a hell of a drive up there though!

The half way point of the ride is roughly Kendal / South Lakes area (depending on exact route). You've ridden up through Cornwall, Devon etc all the way up to Lancashire / Cumbria and that's half way, the rest of it is "Scotland". It goes on for bloody ages!

ScotRail takes bikes now, they're actually pretty good:
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/cycling/bikes-trains

if you live in a flat county train on hills or just getting to Lands’ End if starting there will be horrible (let alone returning the way you came). Devon was brutal, far worse hills than expected. The hills in Scotland are even more brutal.
Expect big weather. The day of constant rain in Lancashire. I went in July and the horizontal hail into a 25mph headwind in Scotland was the worst weather we had.
Be careful if you go on the A9, the bridges over rivers are often exposed to huge winds that smash into you when you when you reach the bridge (often at the bottom of a big descent). This can push you into the road.
in England we asked which car was most likely to have killed us in the previous 5 days. In Scotland esp. along Loch Ness coaches & cars passed with millimetres to spare (often stopping & repassing as close)
Make sure the bike is properly serviced. Consider it a huge reliability ride. I rode with a collapsing rear wheel, straightening it every evening. My derailleur went into the wheel & exploded. Tighten up all bolts, the rutted road surfaces loosened lots of fittings, I lost a cantilever brake bolt & the grommet for my bike pump. Take some spares bike shops are few & far between these days.
I ate fried breakfast, cooked midday meal & blowout in the evening every day & lost 4 stone. Don’t drink lots in the evening, you will be so dehydrated a huge hangover will occur. Food gets more spaced out in Scotland. At the end I fitted into a top I hadn't been able to wear for 20 years.
If camping Scottish midges are a real thing. Record speed tent erection guaranteed in the Highlands