End to End ride assistance please

Cheshley

Hello. I'm a mountain biker in the main but have ordered my first road bike for general fitness and stamina work over the winter months :oops: . As an occasional fund-raiser for a few worthy charitable causes, I had the idea that I would like to attempt the 'end to end' ride next summer and would like to hear from anyone who has either done it, attempted it, thought about it for advice as to what I should be looking for and the best way to do this. Which is the best route? Do I take a tent or ride point to point using YHA hostels or save up and use BnB's? Has anyone gained corporate sponsorship for this ride from hotel chains, van hire companies (for a support vehicle) etc.

Any help, information, advice would be welcomed. I would especially like to hear from anyone who can answer one question in particular.......... All of the websites I have looked at that tell of people who have done this ride and all the information I have looked at so far talk of riding from Lands End to John O'Groats. Why does no-one seem to ride from John O'Groats to Lands End......?

Thanks

redddraggon

Cheshley wrote:

Why does no-one seem to ride from John O'Groats to Lands End......?

Two of my friends did. (They weren't serious cyclists either)

martincroxall

I did it from the north to the south a couple of years ago and I'm hoping to do it again that way next year (or the year after). Perhaps it's more favourable to go south to north as more people live closer to the start and find it easier that way. The prevailing winds theory also comes into play but probably doesn't make as much of a difference as you'd think.

Ashley_R

martincroxall wrote:

I did it from the north to the south a couple of years ago and I'm hoping to do it again that way next year (or the year after). Perhaps it's more favourable to go south to north as more people live closer to the start and find it easier that way. The prevailing winds theory also comes into play but probably doesn't make as much of a difference as you'd think.

4 days in Scotland going north last year with horrendous headwinds, prevailing southerly winds, if only!! :evil:

Does even itself out over a week-2 week period though

martincroxall

Quite right Ashley. I had 50mph gusts at one point (the weather not my backside) in Scotland but it was a tailwind once back into England. Mind you, being stood in the pouring rain with a howling wind in Perthshire would have felt awful no matter what weather I was promised a few days later!

Ashley_R

martincroxall wrote:

Quite right Ashley. I had 50mph gusts at one point (the weather not my backside) in Scotland but it was a tailwind once back into England. Mind you, being stood in the pouring rain with a howling wind in Perthshire would have felt awful no matter what weather I was promised a few days later!

After a fantastic curry in Alness near Inverness reckon I did have 50mph tailwindsnext day!

One of my best memories of my LEJOG was due to the foul weather, going over Rannoch Moor approaching Glen Coe, it looked like all hell was erupting up out of it and I had to cycle into it! Only wish the photo's could do it justice

Just remember you have all day to do your miles and take your time, a couple of hour breaks during the day really help, its not a race!!

martincroxall

I agree about taking your time. Last time I was doing 100miles or more every day and although it got me through a lot of distance I missed a lot of the enjoyment. Next time I'll be doing 50-60miles a day and enjoying it more (oh and I won't be carrying my gear myself either!).

chasctc

It's always been LEJOG due I imagine to the prevailing winds for record purposes but I didnt notice much difference. The hard section is Devon and Cornwall; in comparison Scotland is a doodle on normal routes. I would say A9 but A82 is far more scenic. Dont listen too much to me or anyone else; its your thing. If you think 5 days, you're stuck with main roads. If you've 2 weeks or more, minor roads will be more rewarding provided you dont mind a lot more hills and getting lost occasionally.

If there's no more than two of you, it may be easier to start at JOG because of ScotRail restrictions but they are converting trains to take 4 bikes - some already in service. For years they have laid on a van between Inverness and Wick/Thurso and vice versa to coincide with ONE of the daily services (even the 0622 ex Wick!) This takes up to 10 bikes and runs mid-June to mid-September. They seem to be publicity shy so finding out if/when for 2008 may be very difficult!

lowe

My husband and I did JOGLE. Our parents live in Cornwall so psychologically it made sense.

DomT

I did JOGLE in 2006, but with hindsight, I think I'd prefer to end in Scotland, maybe it's just me but everyone in Cornwall seemed to be in such a hurry... it was actually a relief to step off the train at Paddington and cycle through the streets of London!

If you plan the route out in advance, you could easily do the whole route using YHA's, you could even do it on your Mtb and complete a section of the Great Glen Way along the way!

BeaconRuth

Cheshley wrote:

Which is the best route?

The most direct route would involve an awful lot of main road, so many people take a more scenic, but longer route. The CTC have some good advice on routes, I understand. When I did it in 1995 we tried to strike a balance between directness and scenery. I seem to recall spending a long time on the A49 from Shrewsbury northwards, which wasn't much fun, but there weren't many options for getting through the conurbations west of Manchester.

Do I take a tent or ride point to point using YHA hostels or save up and use BnB's?

Before deciding to take a tent and camp the whole way I suggest you load up a bike with all the kit you'll need and go for an overnight try-out. The extra load on your bike will make a massive difference, which is fine if you're either extremely strong, or prepared to take your time. When we did it we used a mix of YHA, friends where convenient or BnBs otherwise. Doing this we managed to travel extremely light, just one spare change of kit and minimal clothing for the evenings.

I'd recommend LEJoG rather than JoGLE because of the prevailing winds. It is a fact that the wind blows from the S and W more than the N and E, and riding with the wind as opposed to against it is another thing that makes a massive difference. Of course, you could be unlucky with the wind direction during your trip, but you're less likely to be unlucky doing LEJoG.

Lastly, my advice would be to get up and get cracking nice and early every day. IIRC we used to try to get on the road by 8am or 8.30am each day. The psychological boost you get from having covered more than half the distance by lunchtime was well worth it IMO.

Ruth

vernonlevy

Cheshley wrote:

Hello. I'm a mountain biker in the main but have ordered my first road bike for general fitness and stamina work over the winter months :oops: . As an occasional fund-raiser for a few worthy charitable causes, I had the idea that I would like to attempt the 'end to end' ride next summer and would like to hear from anyone who has either done it, attempted it, thought about it for advice as to what I should be looking for and the best way to do this. Which is the best route? Do I take a tent or ride point to point using YHA hostels or save up and use BnB's? Has anyone gained corporate sponsorship for this ride from hotel chains, van hire companies (for a support vehicle) etc.

Any help, information, advice would be welcomed. I would especially like to hear from anyone who can answer one question in particular.......... All of the websites I have looked at that tell of people who have done this ride and all the information I have looked at so far talk of riding from Lands End to John O'Groats. Why does no-one seem to ride from John O'Groats to Lands End......?

Thanks

You should be able to do it unsupported and camp along the way. I have done it in both directions and if you are fit you should find it a breeze. I did and I weigh in as 22 stones. CAmping offers maximum flexibility and cheapness. I didn't use campsites every night. Sometimes I stealth camped.

There's no particular benefit to riding North to South. i did it because i'd gone in the opposite direction the pervious year. Don't worry about prevailing winds, you can be unlucky and have a head wind no matter which direction you chose to ride.

There's no 'standard route' every route is a variation of start at Land's End and head for John O'groats. The CTC has three or four variations based on hostels, B&B and camping. You need to be a member to get the free sheets or pay around a fiver for them if you are not a member.

You are more likely to get corporate sponsored ship through local connections. LEJOG is hardly a novelty anymore. There's around 4-5000 people do it each year and you'd have to have a unique selling point to persuade a company to part with money or facilities. A supported ride is hardly a challenge is it?

I faced the problem of turning away sponsorship offers from colleagues. They found it difficult to accept that i was doing the rides for fun. I didn't want the hassle of chasing up sponsorship money afterwards after having spent nearly a month gathering in monay from the only sponsored ride that I have ever done. Pledge are easily gathered. Gathering the cash was a fruitless task with collegues going in to hiding when they knew I was on their trail.

An alternative that might attract more attention is a Channel to Meditteraean ride. It's shorter and cheaper to do than LEJOG and you could market it as a 1000km ride. The food, booze and climate are both nicer than the UK's and you'll get a cracking tan though I was 'unlucky enough' to have to put up with temperatures that peaked at only 82 F this summer as August was uncharacteristically cold.

vernonlevy

BeaconRuth wrote:

Lastly, my advice would be to get up and get cracking nice and early every day. IIRC we used to try to get on the road by 8am or 8.30am each day. The psychological boost you get from having covered more than half the distance by lunchtime was well worth it IMO.

Ruth

I second that advice. It is nice to know that at tea-time your day is over. The latest I ever set off was 13:30 but I did drink a caravan dry the night before

Still got fifty miles in.....