Search found 35 matches

by hughwill69
16 Nov 2022, 2:48pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: LEJOG 2023 (via Lizard Point & Dunnet Head) final route help..
Replies: 29
Views: 8230

Re: LEJOG 2023 (via Lizard Point & Dunnet Head) final route help..

Mick F wrote: 15 Nov 2022, 6:50pm Can I just say .............. and something I've said many times on this board ............. if you want to go to - for instance - cross the Severn Bridge, or ride the Cheddar Gorge or cross Dartmoor, or even go to Cape Wrath ..................
................. Is to do a separate ride for each of them.

If you want to do an End2End, just do and End2End. Do it efficiently and do it well. It's a long way.
If you want to go on a tour, just go on a tour and go where you want to go.
You can't do it all in one go.

This board is a Land's End to John O'Groats board, not the Touring and Expedition board.
Sorry, being a bit grumpy this evening! :oops:
Not Grumpy at all Mick. As the initiator of the longest thread on this forum having said pretty much the same thing
I think the evidence is that there are substantial numbers of people who agree. And I would also say LEJoG/JoGLE should be done
on the most efficient means of riding...... oh Sorry Mick, I'll get me coat!
by hughwill69
16 Mar 2021, 9:09am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Cyclocross Bikes
Replies: 12
Views: 2343

Re: Cyclocross Bikes

Traditional CX gearing is inadequate for touring


Very true, but as I bought the Boardman as a frame I was able to put some serious Great Granny gears
on it (now rocking up at 34/40). At my age I have no shame.
by hughwill69
15 Mar 2021, 10:14am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Cyclocross Bikes
Replies: 12
Views: 2343

Cyclocross Bikes

Just asking in this quiet time for LeJoggers (and JogLers)- Has anyone else used a cyclocross bike for the journey?

I finally managed the journey (albeit a bit at a time- see https://hughwill69.wordpress.com) in 2019 on a 2015 Boardman
CRX 9.8 cyclocross carbon framed bike. Apart from demolishing a back wheel (inadequate to take my not inconsiderable weight
and the luggage needed for overnight stops) on the Birmingham to Edinburgh section, the bike held up with
no problems and was pretty comfortable (Brookes saddle of course). The frame was excellent having eyes in all the right places
and being designed for disc brakes. It allowed me to take a route which mixed road and cycle paths without problem.

Has anyone else used a cyclocross bike for the journey? It does seem to me to have most of the benefits with little
downside.
by hughwill69
7 Sep 2019, 10:15am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Lejog for wimps please- or am I on my own? ( merged )
Replies: 2051
Views: 188830

Re: Lejog for wimps please- or am I on my own? ( merged )

oldmanonabike wrote:Looking at the responses to the 3 week Jogle and being reluctant to effectively stopping some Wimps from taking part may I suggest
For next year do a Wimps tour of Scotland including some of the islands. this could be 7 to 10days depending on the Wimps availability.
The following year we could complete Jogle from the Scottish borders to LE.
Hopefully this will allow all Wimps to take part without interrupting family life to much.
Comments and ideas Please


For a number of reasons.....

(see https://hughwill69.wordpress.com/)

.....I have just completed LEJoG in four sections starting back in May 2018. When we got to JoG people (as they always do) asked me how I felt. The fact that I hadn't done it in one go did cross my mind. But it's not a biggy at my age (69 3/4) as I realised it was the route I wanted to do, not a personal feat of endurance. And to me I am now a LEJoGer whether others would say so or not.

So I would say go for what's practical. It'll feel just as good.

BTW, having started this, my wimpy LEJog turned out as involving 42,000 feet of climbing. Why anyone would want to add to such a total (Forest of Bowland? Cheddar Gorge? The Carnwell?, The Lecht? is beyond me....)

Hugh
by hughwill69
7 Sep 2019, 10:00am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: A9 Dornoch to Wick
Replies: 9
Views: 1520

Re: A9 Dornoch to Wick

Five of us have just done this route (last week of this August)- the other 4 were joining me from Queensferry to JoG as the last part of a LeJog that I have done in stages.
(for the backstory see https://hughwill69.wordpress.com/ )

As always the reality is somewhere between Mick F's 'no problems at all' and the 'it's horrible and a nightmare and the other routes are so picturesque etc.

You mention Dornoch- I presume you mean the Dornoch Bridge. From what we experienced the A9 up to this point is pretty horrible- we had used the entirely rideable (though watch out at times for potholes) cycle route from Perth, most of which is reasonable road or tarmac trails. By the way, while we passed they were resurfacing the bike path drop down from the Drumochter Pass- the surface is like a billiard table and with a following wind we averaged nearly 30mph for over a mile. Stunning!

From Dornoch Bridge (upon which we were serially close-passed) we turned off to go through Dornoch itself. Nice route adding a couple of miles but reducing the amount of ascent. Once rejoining the A9 at The Mound we used the main (and only) road all the way up to John O'Groats. In traffic terms it was O.K. Most traffic (particularly big trucks) gave us plenty of room and didn't try to overtake on blind corners of summits. But you will always get some who are ignorant, don't care or resentful on any road. This part of the A9 is not the worst and sadly I think any Lejogger has to be prepared for bad behaviour from vehicles on any roads chosen.

The road through Golspe, Brora and up to Helmsdale was uneventful. My companions in their 30s and 40s found the hill beyond Helmsdale pretty monstrous (the rain didn't help) and how I managed it I don't know. It was the hardest hill of the whole LEJoG in my experience. After this came the Berridale Braes. The steepness of this monster is well known. We went through it in driving rain with full braking on the downward slope through the surface water. As many know there are road works on the other side. The state of these were not very cycle friendly. While we could ride up on the inside of the cones for some distance we had in the end to join the single narrow lane. We never knew when the southbound traffic being held up by the lights would be released into the single narrow lane we were crawling up- it was somewhat scary since at the end we were going round a blind corner..........at least it distracted from the fact that the hill is a beast for cyclists in normal times!

The last part through Lybster, Thrumster, and Wick was fine. Not a huge amount of traffic and generally respectful apart, confusingly, from a large number of Dutch (yes, Dutch) Motorhomes which attempted to nudge us into the ditch.

Overall, I would say that unless you are very apprehensive about any traffic it's ok.
by hughwill69
11 Jun 2019, 11:41am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Lejog for wimps please- or am I on my own? ( merged )
Replies: 2051
Views: 188830

Re: Lejog for wimps please- or am I on my own? ( merged )

I can't believe that this thread is just about to pass 2000 posts- when I started it, I really did think I was on my own!

I'm sorry that I have never had the opportunity to join in with the other Wimps. It's been due to a tragedy of unbearable proportions
in my family (as well as me being even more wimpy than the wimps!). But I have been able to do some of the LeJog I always wanted to do
in sections- LE to Gloucester, Gloucester to Birmingham, and Birmingham to South Queensferry this year. I've prided myself on finding
the fewest contours (except on the lunatic NCR south of Kendal!) and most of it has been done solo and unsupported.

At the end of August I'm going to do the last stretch up to JoG, this time supported and with my sons and friends riding along
in memory of my Grandson Ben who succumbed to brain cancer aged 6 in May. It'll be sad, but we'll laugh as well because had Ben
been with us (he was an avid cyclist) he would have laughed most of the journey.

I've enjoyed reading about the Wimps and your exploits- if you would like to know more about mine I'm on:
https://hughwill69.wordpress.com

I wish all luck in their finding the flattest routes.....
Hugh
by hughwill69
29 Aug 2018, 11:04am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Info please: Road surface report for B7076/NCN74 and NCN7 over Dromochter
Replies: 10
Views: 3139

Re: Info please: Road surface report for B7076/NCN74 and NCN7 over Dromochter

LollyKat wrote:With 32mm tyres you should be fine, even if they are Marathons (which ones?) which are generally not the most supple tyres. On 23mm or 25mm it would be rather more uncomfortable but still doable.



Marathon Supremes. Smashing tyres but unfortunately not available any more in my usual 28s. Can't think why.
by hughwill69
29 Aug 2018, 10:57am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Info please: Road surface report for B7076/NCN74 and NCN7 over Dromochter
Replies: 10
Views: 3139

Re: Info please: Road surface report for B7076/NCN74 and NCN7 over Dromochter

Norman H wrote:It's been a few years since I rode the 7076/8 route on 23mm tyres, but my recollection is pretty much as others have stated.

Are you planning on following route 74 all the way to Glasgow to pick up Route 7?


No. Going via Edinburgh and the Forth Bridge. Sorry, I should have made it clear I was turning away from the cycle route after Abington.

Thanks to all for the info.

Hugh
by hughwill69
27 Aug 2018, 11:58am
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Info please: Road surface report for B7076/NCN74 and NCN7 over Dromochter
Replies: 10
Views: 3139

Info please: Road surface report for B7076/NCN74 and NCN7 over Dromochter

I'm hoping, back permitting, to complete my LeJog in September 2018 or April/May 2019 (target is before my 70th birthday in November).
Being a wimp at heart, I'm hoping to go over Beattock on the B7076/NCN74 route and over the Grampians on NCN7. I've read negative reports about the road/track surface of these routes in the past- Does anyone have an up to date report- are they OK for my Carbon Cyclocross Bike (with Marathon 32mm tyres)?

Hugh
by hughwill69
25 Aug 2018, 11:08am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Can anyone help fix Bikehike.co.uk? Is there an alternative?
Replies: 30
Views: 4635

Re: Can anyone help fix Bikehike.co.uk? Is there an alternative?

Thanks for all the replies. Yes it looks as though there's a reason not to let any organisation get a monopoly- hopefully I wasn't the only one fooled by their 'do no harm' slogan. 'Monetise' is a vile word, and in this case it describes a sad reality.

Thank goodness we still have OpenStreetMaps.
by hughwill69
24 Aug 2018, 12:31pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Can anyone help fix Bikehike.co.uk? Is there an alternative?
Replies: 30
Views: 4635

Re: Can anyone help fix Bikehike.co.uk? Is there an alternative?

Thanks for the reply. I have emailed.

I'd not thought of the quota thing- perhaps the quotas are monthly and maybe that's it for the site until September.

Reminds me of the sites that use Ordnance Survey open access maps- often the daily limit is exceeded by 5 in the afternoon!
by hughwill69
24 Aug 2018, 11:50am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Can anyone help fix Bikehike.co.uk? Is there an alternative?
Replies: 30
Views: 4635

Can anyone help fix Bikehike.co.uk? Is there an alternative?

Hi all,

I don't know about you, but I've always gone back to Bikehike.co.uk for route planning as it seems to be the only one offering proper route editing facility and it benefits from having a Ordnance Survey screen to check detail.

In the last week though, the Google Maps screen has greyed out with a Google error box saying that the maps won't show properly on the website. This is particularly frustrating as the greying appears to disable the facility to change to OpenCycleMaps. You can still mark points and routed on the greyed map, but there is no mirror cursor on the OS map. Effectively, the site is disabled.

I've looked at the Google page linked to the error message where they talk about APIs and permissions etc, but the solution is aimed at the website owner. I know from the information on the site that not much has been done since 2014.

Does anyone know the owner? Can anything be done to help the site function again? I can't be the only one still wanting to use it, nor the only one prepared to throw in a bit of money to keep it going.

If not, is there another site that has a good route editor that can be used on desktops/laptops? Most of the '10 best' route creators in lists on the net have no real editing facilities, and many of them now are phone/tablet only- sometimes only the ubiquitous IOS.

Hugh
by hughwill69
25 Jun 2018, 3:14pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Lejog for wimps please- or am I on my own? ( merged )
Replies: 2051
Views: 188830

Re: Lejog for wimps please- or am I on my own? ( merged )

Just caught up with the valiant progress of the self styled Wimps (80 miles a day? Not my idea of wimping....) But good luck to all.. sadly I won't be able to join for a day at the weekend due to a long-term family tsunami (see hughwill69.wordpress.com for my replacement activity). But I'm with you all in spirit if not in legs.

Hugh
by hughwill69
25 May 2018, 8:39pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Lejog for wimps please- or am I on my own? ( merged )
Replies: 2051
Views: 188830

Re: Lejog for wimps please- or am I on my own? ( merged )

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,

How did you find the Granite Way?

Was it hell or was it pleasant and traffic free..........how were those mountains of slopes...............plenty places to stop and sandwich etc...... :mrgreen:


Well, after climbing on the old A30 from Bridestowe finding it at all was somewhat of a chore since the sign on the A386 is tiny and partially covered with vegetation!

I agree with Mick that it would probably have been easier to use his route into Okehampton, but the Cycle Trail was pretty good value despite being a bit slower (lots of hire traffic/ dogs etc). The cafe/bike hire at the Sourton end was inexplicably closed - I didn't see any other. Meldon Viaduct alone made the detour worth it - it comes on you suddenly and looks like something out of a 60's war film with the proximity to Dartmoor's highest hills and an impressive dam. There are one or two gates (one which seems designed to prevent the use of bicycles) but generally the surface was fine and we kept up a good lick. My only objection was having to ride down into Okehampton and then ride up the horrible hill out. A hill made double horrible by some world-class close-passing....

I would certainly recommend the old A30 up from Launceston- plenty of climbing, but well graded and generally a nice wide road with sparse traffic. Even if it was the day that every farmer in Devon had decided to use it to road test their biggest tractor and trailer combos!

Hugh