2013 LEJOG Project

Crispyapp

Hi all

I'm looking at riding lands end to John O'groats next yr at some point and I would be very interested to here from any of you if you have undertaken this achievement. To kick things off I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who can share a scenic route with me, and also any information on places to stay along the route, ideally b&b's. Also does anyone have any information on companies that can transport luggage along the route ahead of us each day?

Look forward to hearing from anyone who can share info

Thanks.

neilrobins

Hi
Starting mine in 9 days, solo using BB and hostels happy pass on comments when I have finished. If you follow my charity link there is a further link to my route. My biggest logistic challenge was getting to LE and back from JoG with the bike. Eventually I decided on train to LE prebooked bike, then after JoG handing bike to LBS in Wick to post home then fly from Inverness. Depending on mileage and fitness consider carrying kit after all you only need two change of clothes and something for the evening spare food some basic tools and a credit card!

pdstsp

Agree with neil regarding luggage. I did this last year and took some inspiration from this guy ultralightcycling.blogspot.com/ who makes you evaluate the necessity of most of your kit!! I was fine on road bike with a seat post rack and two small compression bags and hardly noticed the extra weight once we set off. Evaluate the weight and size of everything - eg I bought very light trousers to wear in the evenings which roll up very small and the creases drop out virtually immediately so while "chic" would be pushing it we were never asked to leave anywhere for being scruffy. Thus year I am doing a short tour in france with one of these http://www.wiggle.co.uk/carradice-bagma ... g-support/ and 1 compression bag - the weight on this is much closer to the saddle and hardly noticeable.

As far as routes go there is plenty of advice out there - look at CTC site and on the touring section here for plenty of resources. I stayed off A roads most of the time and the route worked out at 960 miles - but depending on how long you have you can do any distance you like. For info we stayed in Launceston, Burtle, Monmouth, Shrewsbury, Liverpool (night at home which was great), Shap, Moffat, Stirling/Denny area, Tummel Bridge, Inverness and Helmsdale and would recommend most of the places we stayed at - if you want a list pm me.

Enjoy the experience and make the most of it!

Paul

JamesB

I rode the LEJOG route about 5 years ago with Bike Adventures UK; the route they took was excellent, very scenic covering 1050 mile over 15 days; an indication of the secnic route can be found on their website under `independent` holidays. It might be worth your while considering this option with them, they will give you a route card and book the B&B for you (I think--I did the fully supported route)

From what I recall the route used mostly lanes / B roads in England, by necessity A roads in Scotland, and was a masterpiece of ingenious route planning . The average 70 miles a day meant that you coudl enjoy the UK scenery and undertake a serious cycling challenge. The independent ride would mean you`d have to carry own luggage but the hassle of planning route and B&B will have been done for you.

Some of the oustanding sections I recall were lanes thro` Devon / crossing Dartmoor; across Somerset levels and up Cheddar Gorge / lanes up through Wye Valley / Monmouth; wonderful riding over winter Hill, Trough Bowland, Yorkshire dales ; Glasgow via cycle path ; over Rest and Be Thankful pass at Arrochar; up across Caithness to Bettyhill; opportunity to visit Dunnet Head on north coast Scotland; AND going to real NE tip mainland ie Duncansby Head and its lighthouse.

ps overnights were at Lands End / St Columb / Whiddon Down / Bridgwater / Monmouth / Wentnor / Acton Bridge / Clitheroe / Kirby Stephen / Ecclefan / Motherwell / Inverary / Fort William / Evanton / Bettyhill / John of Groats

Whatever you do enjoy and have a trip of a lifetime --it won`t be cheap holiday whatever you do but extremely satisfying

_andy

I did it the other way around north to south in 2009 with a mate, self supported using hostels and b&b's. i used 2 panniers and got everything i needed in them and washed shorts and things every few days at the hostels most of which had good drying rooms. the idea was to take our time and stay off the main roads, we did 1100 miles in about 16 days. Main thing i learnt though especially in the northern sector was that whilst following the quiet sustrans routes was lovely and scenic they often took an absolute age and came out not far from where we started so it wasnt always the best tactic, in the end we had to use a few busy roads to actually make ground so plan your route well ( we winged most of it i think that was the problem). Came down from aviemore and rode on the old A9 i think which was a lovely part of the route.

I wish you luck with it, a really good achievement for anyone thats done it, the feeling when you arrive and know you just cycled from the other end of the country is fantastic. enjoy it.

edit, one thing i forgot was dont forget about nutrition, you will need a good breakfast and good food to fuel you up for the day and a hearty meal in the evening, i ended up not doing this especially the breakfast part and by 1000 would be stopping at some shop to buy a load of rubbish to eat because i was so hungry, so make sure you eat well

Crispyapp

Thanks everyone for your comments so far. It's going to take some planning I know and this is why I'm interested in seeing different routes available. 1 thing I am sure about is I don't want to carry my gear this Im sure of. I was thinking of doing the route over a week so 7 days max which would work out at around 140 miles a day give and take on the route, but I'm sure it would work out around 950 +..... Then you have the challenge do you just ride the extra 50 to say you not only did the lejog but conquered the 1000 miles....?

I'll check out the info posted above thanks. And hopefully I'll be able to start compiling some good info on which route is best.

JamesB

a scenic route

and doing 140 miles a day I`d have thought the two are entirely imcompatible

Scenic routes will mostly be on quiet lanes, B roads, require a lot of navigation= time spent, even if all on a GPS; 140 miles a day will take what 8 to 9 hours riding minm ? , let alone food stops (of which as pointed out above you will need plenty) . Good luck with it though

thegibdog

I did it in 7 days and wouldn't say it's incompatible with a scenic route, although obviously you have to make compromises - the first 50 miles being on the A30 for example. My route is here http://alangibsonlejog.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... route.html

The longest day for me was around 136 miles and I ended up doing around 900 in total, the full details are on Strava here http://app.strava.com/athletes/150584#i ... r_offset=0

I used a Garmin Edge 500 and didn't have any problems navigating although I did have back up maps just in case. In terms of food stops I anticipated I'd be stopping off at cafes along the way but ended up just nipping into shops and picking up sandwiches and pots of pasta.

Crispyapp

thegibdog wrote:

I did it in 7 days and wouldn't say it's incompatible with a scenic route, although obviously you have to make compromises - the first 50 miles being on the A30 for example. My route is here http://alangibsonlejog.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... route.html

The longest day for me was around 136 miles and I ended up doing around 900 in total, the full details are on Strava here http://app.strava.com/athletes/150584#i ... r_offset=0

I used a Garmin Edge 500 and didn't have any problems navigating although I did have back up maps just in case. In terms of food stops I anticipated I'd be stopping off at cafes along the way but ended up just nipping into shops and picking up sandwiches and pots of pasta.

Thanks this is a great help, thanks for sharing this info. Pls can I ask. How did you go about transporting luggage? Did you carry yourself or have it transported for you?

I think the route would be possible over 7 days. I'd class myself as advanced rider, I'm not new to cycle and come from a racing background so I have a good level of fitness..... I think 130 mile a day shouldn't be too much trouble during summer months. There is no rush each day and I think it's possible to still take decent lunch stops etc and enjoy riding the route. I think the hardest part will be convincing friends to ride it with me lol

thegibdog

Crispyapp wrote:

Thanks this is a great help, thanks for sharing this info. Pls can I ask. How did you go about transporting luggage? Did you carry yourself or have it transported for you?

I carried my luggage myself for the first five days although it was pretty minimal - 2x 9 litre panniers. My girlfriend was with me for the last two days so she took it in the car as I was struggling with my Achilles tendon by then.

Crispyapp wrote:

I think the route would be possible over 7 days. I'd class myself as advanced rider, I'm not new to cycle and come from a racing background so I have a good level of fitness..... I think 130 mile a day shouldn't be too much trouble during summer months. There is no rush each day and I think it's possible to still take decent lunch stops etc and enjoy riding the route. I think the hardest part will be convincing friends to ride it with me lol

Yeah I only started cycling properly last year, although always been a commuter and an occasional leisure rider, so I only had about a year of club riding behind me before I started training for LEJoG. I would say 130 miles a day is definitely doable for anyone with a decent level of fitness providing they do a bit of training beforehand and actually want to do it!

I did it in 7 days as it fit quite nicely in with a stop off at home in Manchester after 3 days and I was happy to spend most of each day cycling - I wasn't really interested in sight seeing. I had considered doing it in 6 or even 5 days but felt that would have meant early starts every day and wouldn't leave me much wriggle room if anything went wrong. I met a couple of guys en route who were doing it in 6 days with support although I think they had ended up doing 180 miles one day due to a miscalculation!

lmrt

I was part of a group of 8 riders with two support vans, we did it in a week a couple of years ago. Most of the lads were very experienced riders and the support guys were great. It wasn't an official tour, just a group of friends who got together to raise money for Help for Heroes.

First, to do the ride in a week is a very serious undertaking. If you are an elite, cat one or two rider then you'd probably make it, but if you're 3rd or 4th cat then think seriously about it, especially doing it on your own.

Second. We followed the CTC "bed and breakfast" route for the most part. Navigation in the lanes of Devon and Cornwall can take ages. Also around the built up areas in Lancashire. Luckilly one of our guys had a full OS print out of each days route and it was worth it's weight in gold. You could lose a lot of time, time you don't have, stopping for map checks etc.

Third. Do not underestimate how long it will take you to ride each day. On average you'll be looking at least 12 hours riding. You might be ok doing that as a one off, but start riding day 2, then 3 etc and the task becomes very tough.

Fourth. Due to the long days, you'll get very little, if any, recovery time each evening. Expect to get weaker as the week goes on. Any small niggles you have will become more serious as the week progresses

Fifth. We were lucky that we mostly had a tailwind but, a couple of times we got an absolute soaking, had to ride in hail. One guy got blown off his bike in crosswinds. Expect every weather type.

Here's a summary of our shedule with times etc
Day 1 - LE to South Molton - 138 miles, ten hours 08.20 - 6.20
Day 2 SM to Leominster - 180(!!) miles - 14.25 hours 06.20 - 20.45
Day 3 L - Whalley - 150 miles 11h20min, 06.40-18.00
Day 4 W - Langholm 120 miles, 06.50-5pm 10h10min
Day 5 Langholm - Braemar - 166 miles - 05.24-7.20pm 14hours
Day 6 B - Evanton 111 miles - 09.30-7pm - 9.5 hours
Day 7 E -JOG 130ish miles - 06.35-5.20 11hours

Some of the guys went up to Dunnet Head to put on an extra few miles, to bring up the 1000, not me though, my knee had been ruined for the previous 3 days, I wasn't going to ride an inch further than I had to.

Despite the fact that the above points sound negative, they're not intended to be. The ride, overall was one of the most enjoyable, hardest of course, funniest things I've ever done on the bike. Plus we rode through some of the most fabulous countryside and met some great people. We rasied a stack of money too.
I'm supposed to be writing a book about it, 30,000 words done, I'd better pull my finger out and get it finished!
Good luck for your trip.

thegibdog

lmrt wrote:

First, to do the ride in a week is a very serious undertaking. If you are an elite, cat one or two rider then you'd probably make it, but if you're 3rd or 4th cat then think seriously about it, especially doing it on your own.

Yeah it's a serious undertaking but I'm not sure where you're getting the elite/1st/2nd cat theory from? I've never raced, and if I did I'd be hanging on to the back of a 4th cat race, yet managed to do LEJoG solo in 7 days. I'm not exceptional, there are plenty of others who have done the same. Riding your bike for 8-10 hours a day at your own pace is completely unrelated to racing.

pdstsp

^ +1

lmrt

Because the O poster later says he comes from a racing background

I'd class myself as advanced rider, I'm not new to cycle and come from a racing background so I have a good level of fitness

If the guy has raced then I'm simply suggesting that if he's a mere mortal 3rd or 4th cat, like myself, then it will be very tough to do it on your own, my assumption being that one can estimate a person's level of fitness, endurance etc by which cat they are, if they have raced.
I accept that it's likely most people who've done the ride in 7 days will have probably never raced, and there are plenty of strong riders with lots of endurance who can complete the ride in that time.

neilrobins

http://m469.photobucket.com/albumview/a ... 1.jpg.html
Thought I would post a pic of my setup for LEJOG
The only addition is a small (5l) converted camelback for valuables. Plus what I store in jersey pockets!
The red dry bag on the saddle is 8l and fantastic value at £7 delivered it has all my clothes. the front bag is 7l and has tools, spares and food.
Can't really think what else I need?

Crispyapp

lmrt wrote:

I was part of a group of 8 riders with two support vans, we did it in a week a couple of years ago. Most of the lads were very experienced riders and the support guys were great. It wasn't an official tour, just a group of friends who got together to raise money for Help for Heroes.

First, to do the ride in a week is a very serious undertaking. If you are an elite, cat one or two rider then you'd probably make it, but if you're 3rd or 4th cat then think seriously about it, especially doing it on your own.

Second. We followed the CTC "bed and breakfast" route for the most part. Navigation in the lanes of Devon and Cornwall can take ages. Also around the built up areas in Lancashire. Luckilly one of our guys had a full OS print out of each days route and it was worth it's weight in gold. You could lose a lot of time, time you don't have, stopping for map checks etc.

Third. Do not underestimate how long it will take you to ride each day. On average you'll be looking at least 12 hours riding. You might be ok doing that as a one off, but start riding day 2, then 3 etc and the task becomes very tough.

Fourth. Due to the long days, you'll get very little, if any, recovery time each evening. Expect to get weaker as the week goes on. Any small niggles you have will become more serious as the week progresses

Fifth. We were lucky that we mostly had a tailwind but, a couple of times we got an absolute soaking, had to ride in hail. One guy got blown off his bike in crosswinds. Expect every weather type.

Here's a summary of our shedule with times etc
Day 1 - LE to South Molton - 138 miles, ten hours 08.20 - 6.20
Day 2 SM to Leominster - 180(!!) miles - 14.25 hours 06.20 - 20.45
Day 3 L - Whalley - 150 miles 11h20min, 06.40-18.00
Day 4 W - Langholm 120 miles, 06.50-5pm 10h10min
Day 5 Langholm - Braemar - 166 miles - 05.24-7.20pm 14hours
Day 6 B - Evanton 111 miles - 09.30-7pm - 9.5 hours
Day 7 E -JOG 130ish miles - 06.35-5.20 11hours

Some of the guys went up to Dunnet Head to put on an extra few miles, to bring up the 1000, not me though, my knee had been ruined for the previous 3 days, I wasn't going to ride an inch further than I had to.

Despite the fact that the above points sound negative, they're not intended to be. The ride, overall was one of the most enjoyable, hardest of course, funniest things I've ever done on the bike. Plus we rode through some of the most fabulous countryside and met some great people. We rasied a stack of money too.
I'm supposed to be writing a book about it, 30,000 words done, I'd better pull my finger out and get it finished!
Good luck for your trip.

Brilliant post. Thanks v much... I no longer race that was when I was younger but I was a 2nd cat at the time so I'm not worried about the distance at all. I still cycle every week and now enter sportives so I'm used to doing the mileage. But as you say and I agree day after day it's does become harder but I'm a little strange if I'm honest. When I used to ride training camps for racing I went the opposite way, I get stronger and stronger as the week went on....

Thanks for sharing the start and finish places, do you have a digital route at all showing how you got from 1 to the other each day? This would be a great help.

I bet the support vans was brilliant. This would be ideal but I guess we wouldn't have anything like that as it would also require someone giving up their time to drive each day.... I also ride and do it for charIty and I'd probably try and tie it in with sport relief and prostate cancer.

Thanks again for your valid input.

Crispyapp

neilrobins wrote:

http://m469.photobucket.com/albumview/albums/neilrobins/Dolan1.jpg.html
Thought I would post a pic of my setup for LEJOG
The only addition is a small (5l) converted camelback for valuables. Plus what I store in jersey pockets!
The red dry bag on the saddle is 8l and fantastic value at £7 delivered it has all my clothes. the front bag is 7l and has tools, spares and food.
Can't really think what else I need?

Hey thanks for sharing but even this is far too much for me I'm afraid. I hate carrying anything in pockets, I hate the feeling of being bulky..... This is no option for me at all. All my gear needs to transported by a car or van etc.

Thanks

lmrt

Aargh, I just prepared a longish post and my PC played up - lost the draft. Anyway, PM me and I'll send you a file of the OS route we followed - it's not a Garmin route, just a highlighted route on the relevent OS page (file is approx 80 pages).
Kind regards