Search found 69 matches

by TheRedEyeJedi
22 Apr 2016, 11:28am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Who's setting off when
Replies: 60
Views: 14634

Re: Who's setting off when

We are off to Lands End at 2.30 am tomorrow for an 9am start!
by TheRedEyeJedi
29 Mar 2016, 3:24pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: booking accomodation for LEJOG
Replies: 20
Views: 2401

Re: booking accomodation for LEJOG

Just my opinion - But I do not think Britain is set up to be able to just roll into a town and book into some accommodation. Generally places allow you to book months in advance - and that is exactly what people do, meaning most rooms are reserved (especially anywhere good and cheap). Hidden gems are no longer hidden - and you can reserve your spot in them half a year previous with a few clicks.

Also if you want cheapness - you are mad not to book in advance.

Personally I use trip advisor and search by low prices - then cross reference by rating...you cant go far wrong. Same tactic can be employed on booking.com too.
by TheRedEyeJedi
18 Mar 2016, 3:49pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Will anyone else be setting off in April/May?
Replies: 3
Views: 815

Will anyone else be setting off in April/May?

Our group of 6 will set off on the morning of Sat April 23rd .... taking 12 days.
Anyone else going to be on the road at that time?

Really hoping it warms up a bit.... still at least this time I will have some other riders to shelter behind (only problem is that I have the only sat nav!)
by TheRedEyeJedi
8 Mar 2016, 8:16am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: American wants to do LEJOG - equipment and accommodation?
Replies: 30
Views: 4115

Re: American wants to do LEJOG - equipment and accommodation

On the bike recommendation front.... I have a genesis equilibrium disc 20 which I love, and use for fast group rides and light touring. I will also be using it for my second lejog this year.

But one of our group has just purchased the touring version..... its very, very nice for the money imo. Comes with racks, guards and a dynamo front light, brookes saddle, good steel frame, triple front ring (handy in Devon and Cormwall) ..great bike for the money and ideal for a month tour of Britain.

https://www.evanscycles.com/genesis-equ ... wwod5hQF_g

If you want a really cheap option...the Raleigh Sojourn is nice bike too

Personally I am not a camper! I prefer the second cheapest option which is using our budget brand of hotels - Travelodge. If you are alone though you can find some fantastic bed and breakfast deals in independent B&B's or hostels... Take a look on trip advisor to find the best ones for each place you want to stay and then filter for the best value option.

Travelodge can be had for £30 a night (no breakfast)
good b&b can be anything from £25-£100 per night.
by TheRedEyeJedi
3 Mar 2016, 11:16am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: How much does a self planned Lejog cost ....
Replies: 17
Views: 9834

Re: How much does a self planned Lejog cost ....

rareposter wrote:
TheRedEyeJedi wrote:I noticed one of the big organized tours is offering 9 days, supported trip, with camping at night for £1600 ...that doesn't include transport to and from the end /start and it struck me that it is a lot of money for camping. Im not knocking it as I can see the appeal for some of just turning up and riding but I thought it might be a good idea to show some costing for an alternative self planned effort.


To be fair to the Ride Across Britain, it includes all food & drink - breakfast, evening meal (which is all exceptional, genuinely excellent quality, loads of choice, big helpings), all ride food at feed stations (usually a step up from the average Sportive but still basic sustenance), full route signage, full mechanical support, broom wagon, post-ride massage and the camping is fully supported too so the tent is ready for you when you arrive at base camp and is taken down for you once you've left.

To call it "£1600 for camping" is sort of missing the point. Once you're on the ride you really don't need to do anything other than eat, drink, ride and sleep nor do you need to spend any money which some people like for the sheer simplicity of it all.



Ok I didn't realize it included food too and that does make it more appealing .... as I said I am not trying to knock it.... if you don't want to deal with feeding or housing yourself then I can see the appeal

Point stands you are still paying £1600 plus your travel to and from the end (which is one of the hardest bits to sort)...lets say £1900.
For £1900 each in a group you could plan it yourself, buy a satnav, have a luxury B&B stop every night plus a meal out and pay for some sports massage ... and have several hundreds spare.
Just thought it might be useful to see some working from up coming trips so people deciding between self planned or fully managed trips could make an informed decision.
by TheRedEyeJedi
2 Mar 2016, 10:26am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: How much does a self planned Lejog cost ....
Replies: 17
Views: 9834

How much does a self planned Lejog cost ....

I noticed one of the big organized tours is offering 9 days, supported trip, with camping at night for £1600 ...that doesn't include transport to and from the end /start and it struck me that it is a lot of money for camping. Im not knocking it as I can see the appeal for some of just turning up and riding but I thought it might be a good idea to show some costing for an alternative self planned effort.

Obviously it has famously been done with no budget...by starting off naked and begging and borrowing clothes and bikes ..... and at the other end of the spectrum some of the record attempts run into the tens of thousands of pounds for support and kit.

I just thought it might be useful to share my workings for the costing of a 6 man, self supported b&b attempt that we will be doing in April/May this year. Its my second E2E after completing solo in 2014 .... I know travelodges are not everyone's idea of perfection but they do have the advantage of allowing you to take bikes in the room, being located perfectly on route and being close to pubs and towns for the evenings....plus they are cheap and hassle free!

This is obviously just costs for logistics.... what you spend on food, drink and amusement during the day(and night :D ) is up to you!
This is based on 2 people sharing 3 twin rooms each night.

£300 ....Van hire + petrol to take 3 of us and bikes from Oxford and then drop off van at Penzanze early on Saturday morning (the other 3 will follow on in car driven by a wifey)
£1840 ... 12 Nights accommodation (which is 8 Travelodges, 4 B&Bs and 1 three course evening meal included) this gives us a stop over in Inverness the night we finish.
£280... JOG Bike Taxi service to take the 6 of us and bikes from the finish 90 miles back to Inverness (we then have an over night stop booked in Inverness before flying home the next afternoon)
£480 ... JOG bike taxi charge to box up the 6 bikes and luggage and courier it all back to our homes
£204 ... 6 BA flights home from Inverness to Heathrow

£3100 total and £517 each.

My routes are here...
https://ridewithgps.com/users/218007/routes

By no means is this as cheap as it can be done... I have been working on a budget of £550 per person and that allowed us to avoid public transport getting to lands end and also allowed for taxis, flights and couriers on the way back...which I am a big fan of personally. We also need to get there and back as fast as possible to minimize holiday leave from work ... in a perfect world I would just cycle back!

Just thought it might be useful to have a thread where people can see the costing's of different types of attempts.
by TheRedEyeJedi
22 Jan 2016, 3:57pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Getting Back from JOG (or Dunnet Head)
Replies: 14
Views: 2016

Re: Getting Back from JOG (or Dunnet Head)

We are using John O groates bike taxis

6 of us...
£45 quid each to be picked up at 3pm at JOG and dropped off at our hotel in Inverness
Then for £80 they take bikes, package them, and luggage up to 10kg...and courier it all home to our houses
We have Travelodge in Inverness for £19 each
We then fly with BA to London for £34

I can not see how anything beats that for cost or ease! Especially with a group

Last time I had someone come up and get me and it cost a fortune with fuel and over night stops
by TheRedEyeJedi
3 Dec 2015, 3:01pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: LEJOG2016 or 2017
Replies: 17
Views: 2505

Re: LEJOG2016 or 2017

honesty wrote:I am planning on doing JoGLE in July 2017. I'm planning on averaging about 65 mpd, and heading down the centre on the country and completing the whole thing in 15 days. Im more interested in seeing the countryside in Scotland and north England so am going a none standard route. I really like the idea of following the Pennine cycleway for the northern section which does sort of dictate the path. That and having family in Leicestershire means this makes sense for me.

Are you looking for a partner to go with or just ideas for places to stay etc? I really like touring by myself as I get to dictate the pace, where I stop, and so on.

My planned itinerary is as follows:
JoG To Brora - 64.29
Brora to Inverness - 62.99
Inverness to Balsporran - 69.3
Balsporran to Bridge of Earn - 63.7
Bridge of Earn to Gifford - 65.74
Gifford to Alwinton - 70.47
Alwinton to Melmerby - 70.37
Melmerby to Clapham - 66.71
Clapham to Holmfirth - 65.22
Holmfirth to Market Bosworth - 98.8
Market Bosworth to Stratford - 40.47
Stratford to Castle Combe - 66.4
Castle Combe to Taunton - 60.91
Taunton to Rilla Mill - 77.67
Rilla Mill to LE - 75.96

Im still debating whether I bother with the last 2 days as I've cycled the route in Cornwall and Devon a few times. Either way I will be shedding weight at home and changing bikes to do those.


If would strongly advise again the first 2 days of your route.... I did that Brora route in reverse last year (solo) and that road was just about the worse road I encountered in Britain - and I am not intimidated by fast A roads. I would take a look at my inland route im doing for 2016 and see the last 2 days.. they are advised by most people on here.

That main road via Brora is plain dangerous....and there is a very easy and by all accounts much nicer alternative.

http://ridewithgps.com/users/218007/routes
by TheRedEyeJedi
5 Oct 2015, 12:01pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: 842 mile route
Replies: 19
Views: 3749

Re: 842 mile route

Unless you are going for some kind of record .... and have full support ...it would be completely mad and also quite reckless to go the shortest way. That is very much just my opinion - but the A9 and the A30 are not roads you want to be anywhere near on a bike - and I am someone who has no problem using fast, busy A roads. Even the 'nice' bit of the A9 north of Inverness scared the crap out of me and is something I would not repeat. If you do go the shortest way that you need to plan it perfectly so you hit those roads at the quietest times - ie, at night, but that then brings its own dangers.

My Lejog used a mixture of fast A roads but tried to avoid the really bad stretches - ie, I use Mick Fs alternative to the A30 and I also miss out the A9 by going inland from Inverness. I have again revised it for my group effort next year. Its hear if you want a look.

http://ridewithgps.com/users/218007/routes

We are doing 940 miles over 12 days as many of my group are novices. I think I could have a go at this route in less than 8 days if I was to do it myself again. I would combine the first couple of days and get somewhere near Bristol, and there are a few other days that could comfortably done in one go.

You could quite easily knock off 50-60 miles from my route by not going over the Severn bridge and by going north from Loch ness rather than pushing on to inverness. If I was you I would look for the shortest route but still stay off the most dangerous bits - you are aiming at a fast average speed - at 18mph you only need to add 5 hours onto your attempt and you can afford to go a much nicer route.
by TheRedEyeJedi
9 Sep 2015, 8:30am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Inland route north of Inverness
Replies: 22
Views: 7977

Re: Inland route north of Inverness

lol - I don't think June, July or August have been too good up there either!

You got unlucky in May 2014 .... I was there in the last week of April/ first week of May and got sunburnt! My last day was pretty nasty in fog up the A9.... to be fair the weather was then horrible for a month across the UK and I remember feeling sorry for cyclists I saw on the last day heading in the opposite direction.

I actually don't mind bad weather for a few days anyway - I quite like the challenge and enjoyed doing long winter training rides in what I thought would be good preparation for lejog. In reality I was in shorts and t shirt most of the trip! The one thing I didn't pack was sun tan lotion.

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by TheRedEyeJedi
8 Sep 2015, 10:41am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Inland route north of Inverness
Replies: 22
Views: 7977

Re: Inland route north of Inverness

Vorpal wrote:As you are planning so far in advance, why not go when it's likely to be a bit warmer?


Main reason is that it is hard for me and others in the group to get time off work and families in the summer months. I did my first lejog in April 2014 and used the easter bank holidays and weekend to minimize time off work. This time we are using one bank holiday also. We are also on a tight budget and going out of holiday season halves our accommodation expenses. Also means there is a serious lack of holiday traffic in Cornwall/Devon, The Lakes and the Great Glen way.

I also think it negates the midge issues in Scotland plus in recent years May has been a far better month for cycling than June,July and August!

Yes it is a logistical problem as you need to plan for all types of weather .... but when isn't that an issue in Britain :D
by TheRedEyeJedi
8 Sep 2015, 10:35am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Inland route north of Inverness
Replies: 22
Views: 7977

Re: Inland route north of Inverness

Jimstar79 wrote:
TheRedEyeJedi wrote:Cheers everyone .... my 2016 route is now pretty much done! Slight variant on my 2014 route where I have worked around most of the nasty bits of road.

Thanks to the last post for the best way out of Inverness ...hadnt even occured to me to go west around the south bay on the way out ...avoids the buisy road north!

http://ridewithgps.com/users/218007/routes


Glad that you now know how best to get around that part rather than use the busy roads.

I was just checking out your route from Fort William - after Fort Augustus you are looking at some fairly serious climbing, although this is mixed in with some beautiful scenery, flats and descents. Once over it though the run down to Inverness should be fairly relaxed. Have you heard of The Great Glen Way - traffic free cycling for approx 30 miles between Fort William and Fort Augustus - although not as fast as the roads it runs alongside canals and through forests - also dependent on whether you are on thin road tyres because some sections are quite rough. I wouldn't want to advise you to go somewhere where you might get lots of punctures!!

Also, is there a reason to go into Alness and then towards Dalnavie, instead of turning off onto the A836, which was a fairly quiet road when I was on it - there is a steep section but it's also more direct - there is a lot of elevation from Alness, too. I think this section, if I remember correctly is called the Struie? When I met it coming from the north it had a great big red sign at the bottom - yes, it was a fairly tough climb but I did about 10 of those a day over on the west coast!! ;)

I found an interesting route from Loch Ness to Bonar Bridge on someone else's LEJOG plan:

http://79.170.40.239/pewseys.co.uk/blog ... arbisdale/

Anyhoo, best of luck with your trip!


Thanks for that - The steep climb on the south bank of Loch Ness from Fort Augustus is probably one of the highlights of my last attempt ...as you say - the scenery is definitely worth the climbing.

I researched the Great Gen way but we are all on road bikes with 23 or 25 mm rubber and bike packing kit so its not really an option for our group.

I have made adjustments to the section from Alness to stay on the main road- thanks for the tip!
by TheRedEyeJedi
2 Sep 2015, 9:41am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: LEJOG: when to go and which bike?
Replies: 10
Views: 6035

Re: LEJOG: when to go and which bike?

Not sure if any use ... but I put a load of ramblings about my equipment(for an April/may Lejog) on my blog.

http://claridgecyclingtocurecancer.com/lejog-equipment/
by TheRedEyeJedi
28 Aug 2015, 10:18pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Cornwall and Devon
Replies: 28
Views: 11734

Re: Cornwall and Devon

I searched this forum when doing my 2014 route - pretty much used Mick Fs suggestions and then Robs passage..... I have then modified the route from Tiverton to Bristol as I found some of dual carriageway bits slightly dodgy so I have b road alternatives.

My up to date routes for my 12 day 2016 route are here if any use...http://ridewithgps.com/users/218007/routes
by TheRedEyeJedi
26 Aug 2015, 1:40pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Help to plan a route : Inverness to Didcot
Replies: 12
Views: 4925

Re: Help to plan a route : Inverness to Didcot

Check out my 2016 lejog routes here.....http://ridewithgps.com/users/218007/routes

You could easily reverse the route back from Inverness to severn bridge (about 700 mies) - then cycle to Didcot from there(about 100, maybe a bit less) .... I work in Didcot! Its mainly based on travelodges so its cheap accomodation, and you can keep the bike in the room.... the name of all the stops is on there too if it helps.

You can put that route straight on a gps for turn by turn instructions .... or you can zoom in on each 20 mile stretch, do a screen shot, then email them to yourself and save them all as photos on your phone or print them off.....also print off the turn by turn instructions and you can use it as a hard copy of route. To be honest its very easy to navigate my route -- you are essentially on either the A82, A7 or A49 all the way to Bristol, with diversions on B roads where ever is possible.


I cycled much of that route on my 2014 lejog, I have revised the route to cut out the bits that I really disdnt enjoy ... If you want details of that there is a link to my journal in my signature below. It does follow some fast A roads but nothing that concerned me too much - If you are used to cycling around Oxfordshire it would be nothing too out of the ordinary