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I'm doing a LEJoG this year
I've just pulled the trigger on my airfare to do LEJoG. I'm in for three weeks, arriving LHR on 27 August, departing 17 September. My plan was to use the 2 week route from Britain's Best Bike Ride, maybe with a rest day or two, giving me a good buffer if things go awry. I'm in good enough shape that I could do the ten day route if I really wanted (I don't.)
Unless someone is adamant that I'll have better luck with weather doing a JoGLE that time of year, I plan to ride south to north. Something like this...
27 Aug: Arrive Heathrow, train to Penzance
28 Aug: Penzance - Land's End - Wadebridge (77 mi)
29 Aug: Wadebridge - Chulmleigh (66 mi)
30 Aug: Chulmleigh - Glastonbury (75 mi)
31 Aug: Glastonbury - Ross-on-Wye (81 mi)
01 Sep: Rest day? Sunday.
02 Sep: Ross-on-Wye - Market Drayton (89 mi)
03 Sep: Market Drayton - Mellor (82 mi)
04 Sep: Mellor - Sedbergh (53 mi)
05 Sep: Sedbergh - Langholm (77 mi)
06 Sep: Langholm - Peebles (50 mi)
07 Sep: Rest day? Saturday.
08 Sep: Peebles - Perth (78 mi)
09 Sep: Perth - Braemar (50 mi)
10 Sep: Braemar - Inverness (82 mi)
11 Sep: Inverness - Altnaharra (76 mi)
12 Sep: Altnaharra - John o'Groats (74 mi)
13 Sep: Rest day?
14-16 Sep: Train close to London, visit some family
17 Sep: Depart Heathrow
I plan to carry minimal camping gear just in case, but generally I'll be paying for lodging. If a farmer sprays me down, it will be in the news.
If anyone wants to join me for all or part of it, I'll put my email in the comments. Or just join me for a beer or two, I'm hoping to find a pub every night and most lunch times.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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Just stopped in Bentham for lunch. The weather's been great so far!
It would have been too hot to cycle a few weeks back, enjoy
<thumbs up>
Actually, although the temperature has been great, and I've barely been sprinkled on, it's been a moderate headwind all day. Currently at the brewery, so not far to go.
We've yet to have summer, it's been all Marti Pellow... wet wet wet
That's very unfair. IIRC it was really hot and sunny a couple of weeks ago. I think it was a Tuesday…
From memory, I think the precipitation distribution has been quite unbalanced. We've had quite a few mostly dry weeks of late, the local watercourses are quite low. Commuting bike washes (my main rainfall indicator) have been quite infrequent. Other parts of the country have had a lot more. From the Met Office summary for August:
A friend has just done a Lejog ride with a group, though it was a very leisurely and winding route over 19(?) days. He said they had plenty of rain but a tailwind most days.
For me, Reading, it's a lot drier than last year. Most of the rain has either been light on the wet days, but occasional intense downpours that seem to dump weeks worth in a few hours, both of which seem to dry out in a few days of fairly reasonable temperatures.
Well, up until today I thought I had adjusted well to the time change. Today I slept until 10 AM! I guess I'm setting an alarm from now on.
Got on the road as quickly as I could, then stopped after a couple of hours at StrEat Middlewich for a coffee and breakfast bap.
I didn't take as many photos as I was worried about the time. I think the highlight was Tatton Park, with lots of deer and very few cars.
The low was being stuck in a massive traffic queue in Hindley. I eventually just started filtering on the left, otherwise it was going to add another half hour at least.
Anglezarke Reservoir was pretty, with a pretty serious climb up away from it.
I got to my hotel at about 7, but they didn't do food. So I showered, then walked to an Esso that he told me closed at 9. They closed at 8, so I was too late there. Then I walked to a nearby pub, The Bay Horse, but they had just stopped serving food. So, the dinner of champions was a Thwaites Original Bitter, a packet of peanuts, and two packets of crisps. I think I was the only customer.
A couple more pints back at the hotel, and I'm looking forward to breakfast. Tomorrow is a very short day, a bit over 50 miles to Sedbergh, so I'll definitely be eating better and also stopping for a couple of hours at the brewery in Kirkby Lonsdale.
Goodnight all!
Could have picked up some venison en- route too... Would definitely trouble the weight limit on the bike though.
Your wild goose chase for food followed by a liquid supper brings back memories, certainly.
Another good day. I ended up doing 92.5 miles, which should be my longest day, due to the pictured diversion on the B4371 just southwest of Much Wenlock. I initially went through, hoping for the best, then changed my mind and doubled back to go around.
I had a nice ploughman's and a Joule's Pale at the Rose & Crown in Ludlow. The town was very busy with tourists. Then through Ironbridge and on to Tern Hill, which is where I had lodging booked near Market Drayton. Currently having a beer in front of a fireplace you could fit a bed in (not recommended.)
Oh, and I also passed two touring cyclists going up a hill, and ended up meeting them at this B&B! We had a nice chat over dinner. Clive and Dave are brothers, around 60, who are also doing LEJoG on about the same schedule as me, so we'll probably see each other again. We're not doing exactly the same route.
When they go to the trouble of signing that there's no access for pedestrians and cyclists you know it's serious! The last time I encountered a road closure (not so signed) I thought I'd chance it as they are usually passable on bike. Ended up with some very muddy feet from scrambling round the comprehensively fenced off roadworks. Not something to do with a LEJOG loaded bike!
The last time I diverted. Id already followed for a few days before an unsigned diversion when the Cambridge Bus Way was closed/flooded and I came accros after 3 days a signed diversion appeared (I think that took me to A14, the old one which was still the only one at the time and not bike friendly). Lol, I thought a bike would get through (well it did but I'm glad it wasn't loaded). After 5 mins or so I came accros a massive trench with no verge routes to by pass it. I ended up seeing a bit of the farside bank I could junp to with the bike, lie it quickly on the far tarmac and then scramble out from. Made it just
A successful rest day. I walked three or four miles, in flip-flops (thongs?), crossing the Wilton Bridge to have lunch at the White Lion. I washed everything, hoping it will dry by morning.
I feel about 90%.
You'll be seeing Wales and Shropshire in its natural state today; pissing it down. It's good terrain though, so enjoyable if you accept it's going to be wet
It was wet yesterday for about an hour each side of crossing the Severn!
Shropshire, especially Shrewsbury, is an awful lot drier than the other side of Offa's Dyke. Rain shadow. Shrewsbury gets less snow than Telford & Staffordshire in the winter too.
I had hoped up to meet up with Andy as he's passing through the Shire but I'm afraid it won't happen. Happy riding Andy! Please keep posting the updates.
Day 4 was much better, from Street to Ross-on-Wye. I did get rained on from before Bristol to past Tintern Abbey. Descending into Tintern Abbey it was a really hard rain and a headwind, so I had to pedal to go 20 MPH downhill!
I walked one short section, and stopped a few times on hills for a minute. I'm feeling much better now than I did last night though, but I still plan to do the rest day here. I need to figure out how to dry my shoes.
87 miles today in 7:42 for 11.3 MPH. Slightly less climbing at 5600 ft / 1700 m.
According to the plan, the only day longer than today is Tuesday, when I ride to Market Drayton.
Great journey so far! Echoing Rendell's comments Ross-on-Wye is a far nicer place to have a rest day than Glstonbury/Street.
Well done, and I'm enjoying the extra photos on Strava.
Thanks. Are the strava.app... links working, then? It won't always give me the other style.
It's pouring rain this morning in Ross-on-Wye.
Ok, so lots of people will be giving you route advice, but here is some more based on 5 Lejogs and 1 Jogle, mostly with 15 year old kids. Once you get to Inverness, a pleasant 2 day ride alternative would be to go to Helmsdale (youth hostel is good or there a good B&B a few miles before). Then next day take the A897 road to wards Melvich, Thurso and JoG. A897 is my favourite Scottish ride. Otters, deer, lots of sheep.Forsinard has coffee shop in the middle of nowhere, and there's a small shop near where you get on A836. While your fit, take the detour to Dunnet Head, most northerly point, (Windhaven Cafe do food if open and a seal sanctuary) and Duncansby Head (nice lighthouse) and then JoG. You won't regret it. Distances and heights easier- your route 70 \2,800 ft, 74 \3,800 ft, my suggestion 76\2,400, 74 mls\ 1,900ft (the without detours). And yes, September in Scotland I have found to be excellent for cycling. May the wind be behind you and the cafes all open.
I used the links on your Day 1 update and then 'Followed' you to get my daily update. Thanks
Second that...I'm enjoying seeing your rides...looks like you're getting the pick of the UK weather.
Enjoying the updates...thanks Andy. Bon voyage and fingers crossed for the weather. JB
Ugh. The hills at the beginning of today's ride from Chulmleigh to just south of Glastonbury had me questioning my fitness and my sanity. I walked up a couple, and a few more I stopped and rested a few minutes to get my heart rate down. My lowest gear is 30/34, which is pretty low, but with a 30+ kg loaded bike... I think I averaged 8.5 MPH in the first two hours.
Eventually, though, the hills got a lot less steep and I was able to spin up at 5-10 MPH. I ended up at 10.4 MPH over 73 miles, and another 6000+ foot elevation gain day. Still, today took a lot out of me. I'm looking forward to a rest day after tomorrow.
I'm staying at the YHA Street. I walked into Street for a pub meal, over a 3 mile round trip, and am now back in my room after just one beer... which tells me I'm not feeling quite right.
Have a good night, Andy. Two nights at Street? Plans for Sunday?
Feeling a bit better this morning. Just stopped in Glastonbury for a coffee and breakfast sandwich. I'm going to Ross-on-Wye today, which will be about 85 miles, then I'm going to do a rest day there.
Not ridden it but have heard that especially Cornwall but also bits of Devon are some of the lumpiest bits of the UK (up and down again per distance travelled). Seems about right having walked in those parts. So you should have a bit of a respite now.
I'm enjoying touring vicariously (been too long now)!
We do have rather lumpy country down here in the SW. Its not unique to this corner as the peak district, the valleys of South Wales and east of the Pennines are similarly punchy, but I guess the difference is that there's little avoiding them around these parts
I've now done Cheddar Gorge, having lunch in Chew Stoke and feeling pretty good.
I didn't have to walk any of Cheddar Gorge, but I did stop for one rest to get my heart rate down.
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