LETJOG Route

Laughingdog

Hi
I'm planning a LETJOG trip starting early July over 8 or 9 days and looking to do circa 100m+ per day. Anyone got suggestions for a route to do it in this time. Planning on camping/hostelling depending on the weather.

Thanks.

harpo

look here:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12649188

Have a look on map my ride and other routre planning sites. Lots of blogs out there too.

amaferanga

Here's my tracklog from a fairly direct 5 day LEJOG I did earlier this year (LE - Penzance is missing as I forgot to set my GPS to save the tracklog). More direct routes are possible, but not without a lot of busy A-road bashing. I'd say that most of it would be suitable for a more leisurely LEJOG, but the trouble with using almost any A-road is that there will be times when a given road is quiet and bike friendly (e.g. the A38 into Bristol at 6am), but times when it would be almost suicidal to use the road (e.g. the A38 into Bristol at 8:30am).

The A30 north of Penzance is a motorway in all but name, so I'd advise you to avoid it (some LEJOGers do use it, but there are almost-as-direct alternatives that are infinitely more enjoyable and safer).

The A9 in Scotland has a bike path along much of it, but its rough in places and undulates a lot (unlike the nice gradual ascents and descents on the A9 itself). I used the A9 and it was pretty unpleasant at times in the early afternoon (the rain made it worse), but by around 4pm it was pretty quiet and I had a very enjoyable run into Aviemore. Also from Aviemore to Inverness starting at 6am was nice and quiet. Beyond Inverness I avoided it as much as possible to get to Alness where I turned inland for what was the most enjoyable part of the trip (Alness - Betty Hill).

IMO (having cycled up the west coast a couple of times previously) the east coast route is preferable to the west coast route through Scotland (A82) as it is a marginally safer road (though the scenery is probably better up the west).

LE - Cheddar:http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=13129
Cheddar - Knuts:http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=13130
Knuts - Moffat: http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=13131
Moffat - Aviemore: http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=13132
Aviemore - JoG:http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=13134

harpo

Completly agree with west versus east. Avoid the A82. I cannot inagine any conditions quiet enough on this road to make it enjoyable. Only go west if you go further west than that. The A9 is much wider and has enough of a gutter to give a bit more space and make it easier going if you come off the cycle route.

Ain\'t no monkey

harpo wrote:

Completly agree with west versus east. Avoid the A82. I cannot imagine any conditions quiet enough on this road to make it enjoyable. Only go west if you go further west than that. The A9 is much wider and has enough of a gutter to give a bit more space and make it easier going if you come off the cycle route.

I went via the A82 last June and it was no problem at all. I was camping and did get up pretty early which helped! I cycled back home (to England) via the Eastern route and that was good too (though the A9 north of Dingwall was one of the busiest I encountered -but it was about 5pm on a Friday).