Missing Out - JOG is pants!

Wallace1492

It never ceases to amaze me why people do LE-JOG. After all it misses out the best, most beautiful, scenic, and simply awe inspiring roads in Scotland. The west coast up from Kyle of Lochalsh, Torridon, Loch Maree, Gareloch, Ullapool, Assynt, Lochinver, Kylesku and up to Durness.

Madness to miss it, but leaves the roads clear for me!!

amaferanga

While I agree in many ways, not EVERY tour has to go up the west coast of Scotland!

I could say that it ceases to amaze me why people bother cycling in Scotland when they could cycle through the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia (by far the most stunning landscape I've ever set eyes on), but then that'd be daft wouldn't it

Wallace1492

No, not every tour at all. Just making the point that people doing Le-JoG would normally go up east side of Scotland when the west is IMHO some of the best scenery in the British Isles.

I am thankful that they do not go up the West, as I will be frequenting those roads this summer.

godlykepower

I agree, the West coast of Scotland does indeed have some of the best scenery in the British Isles.

Scotland is one of my favourite places in the world & I visit several times a year if I can...almost always in the west.

I am doing LEJOG this year mainly to challenge myself as I have been out of cycling for some time, and partly to say I have ridden the length of the country.
I dare say that by the time I hit Scotland, I will be slightly weeping from the effort of the last week & will be looking forward to the end!

When I am back to optimal cycling fitness I will certainly be taking the bike up there to sample Scottish roads at a sedate pace. I am used to driving around up there in a Land Rover Defender, so the chance to see the scenery from a bike will be a nice change for me.

For the record, the area around Ullapool is one of my favourite places in the world to visit.

Hoopdriver

Keep on going north of JOG - Orkney is lovely to cycle through. one of my all time favourite places to ride and visit.

I too like the west coast of Scotland, and took the very circuitous route when I did LEJOG a few years ago and was glad I did Better still, I like Wales - I did Lon Las Cymru from Chepstow to Holyhead and absolutely loved it. Stunning.

gazrolo

Our LEJOG route actually takes in the West Coast of Scotland as one of our riders has been there many times and told us we'd be crazy to miss out.

http://journal.garethroulston.co.uk/?page_id=87

It adds a bit of mileage, but it could potentially be a once in a lifetime trip so I think it's best to make the most of it!

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swagman

Id make it Lands End to Cape Wrath.

pneumatic

I thought this was going to be about the fact that JOG itself is a total pit of a place and just about the most anticlimactic target for a ride of a lifetime that I could imagine.

It is a long-standing problem and endless initiatives have failed to deal with it.

It is really sad, though that Gretna Green and JOG are simultaneously among the best known and most dismal icons of our country.

Hoopdriver

Land's End is not a whole lot better.

Nicer to start in Penzance or some other suitable place in Cornwall, and then when you get north, through western Scotland, catch the ferry from Scrabster to Stromness, in Orkney, and finish your ride in the islands.

vernonlevy

LEJOG is not a single track route so it's rather unfair to condemn it out of hand.

Jay dubbleU

Have to agree - Torridon, Assynt, Lochinver and Cape Wrath beat the pants off anything on the east coast. Oh and the burger van in the car park at Stoer makes the best bacon butties in the world - FACT

Tim Farr

The eastern route straight up th A9 to Inverness is the shortest route - and therefore the route of the recordbreakers, and others who have limited time. You also have Sustrans Route 1 on the east coast. So it is hardly amazing that probably a majority of end to end riders do not go up the west coast.

Not incidentally, the eatern side is also scenic - the Black Isle is a gem.

Sure the west route is scenic and is there to be enjoyed as long as you can tolerate the midges and survive those endless Glasgow roads and in particular that one alongside Loch Lomond particularly after Tarbert (or has it been improved since I was last there in 2005?)

Tim Farr

Ron Strutt has a great E2E philosophy www.ruralrides.net

El Gordo

Of course there are better one or two week tours to be done, in Scotland and elsewhere. I've done plenty of them and will do more in the future.

I did LEJOG though because it is a classic challange but there is something satisfying about tours which go along completely arbritary routes as you get a nice cross section of the country rather than just the selected highlights. Even the shortest route (which I took) is surprisingly nice for the most part.

John O'Groats isn't so awful - the trick is to stand (or perhaps sit) on the cliff and look out to sea. The only reason to go to Land's End is to turn round and leave (well, the sea view is quite good there too).