Cycling UK Forum

10 days certainly gives you lots of options and if you can do 10 x 100 mile days you will not have to take the most direct or 'fastest' route.

As has been said above, the fastest route is probably unlikely to be the most pleasant. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

Do you plan to have a rest day?

What is your appetite for hills? Country roads?

Is this about just getting from A-B or do you want to enjoy yourself along the way? and if so what does that mean to you?

Different strokes for different folks and all that, but my preference is for quieter roads wherever possible, I don't mind hills, but avoid cycleways in the main because of the bike I have. I found a route that suited me - JOGLE taking in Dunnet Head and Lizard Point as well as JOG and LE. That ended up being 1,003miles, done in 9 days.

If you can give a little more information, people will be able to give you a lot more help.

My route did it in 10.5 days.
JOGLE 1994

I took the train to Wick and cycled to Canisbay SYHA near JOG.
Following morning, I rode out to JOG and headed south to Helmsdale. That was Day One, but I was there by lunch time = half a day?
It was only 50miles.

Day 0.5 JOG to Helmsdale
Day 1.5 to Inverness SYHA
Day 2.5 to Pitlochry SYHA
Day 3.5 to Edinburgh SYHA
Day 4.5 to Carlisle YHA
Day 5.5 to Arnside YHA
Day 6.5 to Wrexham my sister's house
Day 7.5 to Malvern Hills YHA
Day 8.5 to Street YHA
Day 9.5 to Home
Day 10.5 to LE

Did exactly the same route there and back LEJOG and Back in 2006, but I was so knackered due to the hot sunshine on the way south, that I added a stopover near Preston to stay the night with sister-in-law.

I'd give the Arnside yha a big miss. It's no longer a yha and now independent and the worst place I stayed at on my lejog this year.

robing wrote:I'd give the Arnside yha a big miss. It's no longer a yha and now independent and the worst place I stayed at on my lejog this year.

Thanks.
Good info.

Far my own part, I've stayed there two or three times, and each time it was chucking it down!

Mick F wrote:

robing wrote:I'd give the Arnside yha a big miss. It's no longer a yha and now independent and the worst place I stayed at on my lejog this year.

Thanks.
Good info.

Far my own part, I've stayed there two or three times, and each time it was chucking it down!

Standards had really slipped. Showers broken, not clean, no one available when I arrived. Had to bully them in to providing an evening meal which they promised. Big contrast to the genuine yha I stayed at which were all excellent and cheaper. Namely Cheddar, Leominster and Perth which is a seasonal one.

Did it in eight days this year with a fair bit of meandering, so could be quicker.
Day 1 LE to Oakhampton.
Day 2 Oakhampton to Chepstow.
Day 3 Chepstow to Crewe(!)
Day 4 Crewe to Harrogate
Day 5 Harrogate to Carlisle
Day 6 Carlisle to Perth
Day 7 Perth to Inverness
Day 8 Inverness to top.

Forget the hop over the pennines, which there was a reason for and straighten out days 4/5. Followed Mick F's suggestions from LE as far as Cheddar, then Congresbury, Avonmouth, Bridge. Actually crewe wasn't a bad idea - if I was doing it again, I'd head from there to Northwich, Lymm, Leigh, Chorley,Preston. Alternated A with B roads, the changeover usually prompted by boredom/ fear of death.

That's a great schedule.

Did you find the stop off at family/freinds boosted morale? I could do that by going home to Baildon. But that puts pressure on for long hard days in Scotland?

Have a spa saddle which I hope to break in for the summer??

Also did some extra hours in November which I can use in June for the week away.

4 pm Friday Leeds train gets into Penzance at midnight are there 24hr hotels open?

Cheers James

****provisional date set to 29 - 7th July. *****
8 days cycling.

Would be great to meet up with others doing it during that week?!!

Earliest date for train tickets 29 March to Leeds to LE Penzance sleeper
7th April JOG to leeds

How much should I expect to pay?

Penzance sleeper gets in at 7.53 is that too late a start to get up to Oakhampton?

Cheers James

Just on the subject of a detour to call in at home, only you know what works for you. Former forum member PW was part way through a JoGLE, when he decided he was going home - and staying there.

viewtopic.php?p=417953#p417953

davieb wrote:Did it in eight days this year with a fair bit of meandering, so could be quicker.
Day 1 LE to Oakhampton.
Day 2 Oakhampton to Chepstow.
Day 3 Chepstow to Crewe(!)
Day 4 Crewe to Harrogate
Day 5 Harrogate to Carlisle
Day 6 Carlisle to Perth
Day 7 Perth to Inverness
Day 8 Inverness to top.

Day 6. I've done Carlisle Edinburgh, but it's one of the shorter days, so carrying on to Perth is good idea maybe.
However, having done Pitlochry/inverness I know it's a good 90miles, so Perth/Inverness would well over 100miles.
Day 8 Inverness/JOG is 120miles I think.

That's two long days.

Hi using this guide where would you put in another day? I'm thinking Scotland as it's beautiful and tough?!
Chepstow and Broughton are fixed by family. But after that it's Travelodge / yha.
Saddle still hard only 30miles today in the rain!

Cheers James

Hi what alternatives are there for the A49?
There is a detour through harton and seifton,
another one via church stretton?
Finally another one via a alderton and Wem?

Any reason not to use these back roads?

Cheers James

Jamesh wrote:Hi what alternatives are there for the A49?
There is a detour through harton and seifton,
another one via church stretton?
Finally another one via a alderton and Wem?
Any reason not to use these back roads?
Cheers James

There are parallel routes either side of the A49 but they are hilly.
We did the east side going up from Ludlow through Sefton, Harton, Greton, Longmoor, Condover and joined the A49 at Baton Hill.
(This was our first break at Dobbies GC cafe by the roundabout.)
The A49 goes right at the RO and follows the A5 to bypass Shrewsbury. Our route through Shrewsbury followed mainly bike paths.
So through Shrewsbury to Wem and on to Whitchurch. From Whitchurch to Winsford to end the day just short of Cuddington.
That was a 77 mile day with 2800 Ft' of climbing.
This was chosen to stay off the A49 as much as possible but was scenic and mainly traffic free.
Although the direct A49 route was 6 miles shorter the overall ascent wasn't much different.
The west side I worked out was hillier and that is why we chose the above. With our route there are no stops (cafes) until Shrewsbury. (30 miles from our camp at Ludlow.)

Jamesh wrote:Hi using this guide where would you put in another day? I'm thinking Scotland as it's beautiful and tough?!

Scotland isn't tough at all. High elevations and open country yes, but if you want tough, consider the Cornwall and Devon sections.

I know the Cornwall and Devon sections will be tough but my legs will be fresh and my mind focused!
Cannot be any worse than the North York Moors!
I noticed yesterday dale you didn't ride the commondale hill up there!! That was one tough hill as were the couple that followed!!!! Great blog of yours Mick! Really enjoyed the couple of hours reading it!

Cheers James