LEJOG 10 Day Unsupported - Route Review

[emre]

Hello everyone

I've just completed the first draft of my 10 day (unsupported) LEJOG route having gotten a lot of useful tips from this forum - thanks a lot! I would really appreciate any thoughts/comments/pointers/tips on the route.

The section out of Land's End through to Bridgewater is from a previous post by Mick F (thank you!). After that it's a mish mash of various resources and a good amount of improvisation (between Wye Valley and Windermere)! The main checkpoints I want to stick to are:

- LE
- Bristol
- Wye Valley - I've read it's a really nice part of the ride
- Buxton(ish) - staying with my sister & visit my mum
- Haslingden - quick visit to the grandparents
- Lake District - still never been
- Edinburgh - not necessarily through the centre though
- Up through Tongue
- JOG

I'll be leaving LE on 25-Aug and (hopefully!) arriving in JOG on 03-Sep. The final day is left deliberately shorter to give me time to try and make the 20:44 Caledonian Sleeper from Inverness down to London - I would've loved to stay for a while but have to get back to work

Here's the route:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27445407

Many thanks in advance!

Emre

[Paulatic]

As Carlisle isn’t one of your must do places I’d question your route through there to Langholm> Eskdalemuir.
From Dalston I’d get onto the 'relief road' A689 >Cargo > Rockcliffe> Gretna >Lockerbie >Eskdalemuir.
IMHO you’ll be at Gretna in the time it takes to get through the city and for a similar milage avoids using the A7 which is far from pleasant Carlisle to Longtown

[geocycle]

You might not see much of the Lake District as part of a 10 day LEJOG and I'd suggest the traditional A6 route which gives you views of the fells and then return for another trip. However, if you really want to do the Lake District then you have chosen a nice route up the Lyth valley to Windermere, but I would take the Kirkstone Pass A592 rather than Ambleside and the struggle. The Windermere to Ambleside road is horrid and the Struggle lives up to its name with some 20% gradients. Ullswater northward is nice and quiet although not a fast route. The narrow roads do get busy and I'd time it for a weekday if possible.

[emre]

Thank you very much for the tips guys, really appreciated. I've incorporated them into the linked route.

Paulatic - When I use the 'relief road' up around Carlisle and into Gretna, the ridewithgps tool wants to snap to a more northerly route to Eskdelamuir through some very minor roads (available to view in the link above).

geocycle - The A6 route leads me through Kendal and Penrith. Would you suggest circumnavigating these two towns or are they quick enough to go through?

Many thanks again!
Emre

[Paulatic]

It does indeed snap you to a far more scenic route. Has it chosen those roads because it’s shortest or because they are very cycle friendly?
If shortest and i would guess there isn’t much difference In climbing then if you don’t have to stop for navigation it will be a pleasurable route. Good food stop at Eskdalemuir Community Hub Bistro if you catch it open. If you don’t then bear in mind from Gretna you’ve 60 mls before another shop.

[emre]

I'm not too sure how the ridewithgps tool works but I've selected the option to optimise for cycling. In any case the route it's suggesting shaves 12kms off the Lockerbie route. I may go for the route it's suggesting but yeah that's quite a long way without a pit stop.

Thanks once again!

[cycleruk]

I'm not too sure how the ridewithgps tool works but I've selected the option to optimise for cycling. In any case the route it's suggesting shaves 12kms off the Lockerbie route. I may go for the route it's suggesting but yeah that's quite a long way without a pit stop.

Thanks once again!

RidewithGPS in "cycle" mode will give what it thinks is best for cycling. It does however have the habit of "adjusting" parts of the route that you might not want it to. In that case you need to put waypoints on the roads that you want to stay on or route along. Sometimes I select "driving" mode as that can give a better automatic route option.
If you keep an eye on the mileage / elevation figures these can sometimes point to changes that you might not see, up or down stream of the section you are working on.

[geocycle]

Thank you very much for the tips guys, really appreciated. I've incorporated them into the linked route.

Paulatic - When I use the 'relief road' up around Carlisle and into Gretna, the ridewithgps tool wants to snap to a more northerly route to Eskdelamuir through some very minor roads (available to view in the link above).

geocycle - The A6 route leads me through Kendal and Penrith. Would you suggest circumnavigating these two towns or are they quick enough to go through?

Many thanks again!
Emre

Kendal and Penrith are both small but have slightly tricky one-way systems. Neither have difficult roads within the towns themselves. However, you should avoid the kendal bypass A590/A591 as it is very fast dual carriageway. I suggest entering Kendal via Natland on NCR6, probably best to pick this up after Milnthorpe. The A6 through Penrith is fine, just be careful at the A66 roundabout.