LEJOG

[horizon]

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t ... highlight=

I think everyone who does LEJOG for charity acknowledges that they themselves get a great deal from it - it's one of the nice things about charity rides, everyone benefits, even the people who give the money and are relieved they don't have to do it! And doing it for charity at least assuages some of the guilty feelings of indulging in a glorious ride, usually without the family (though many people would question why anybody should feel guilty about cycling uphill for three weeks in heavy traffic in the pouring rain).

I just wondered whether the original poster was aware that there might be more to this LEJOG thing than meets the eye. I've never done LEJOG but I have done enough long trips to know they can be life changing.

[2Tubs]

See, I thought it might be in another thread.

I see what you’re getting at.

I was thinking purely in financial terms, accepting help from the charity for funding accommodation etc in exchange for a minimum sponsorship.

You’re right, anyone cycling e2e is going to get a great deal out of it. When we planned ours it was just going to be a little expedition, we decided to raise sponsorship after being told by family members and friends that we were missing an opportunity to help out a few charities that were close to the hearts of our family.

That didn’t stop us from enjoying it (and sometimes wishing we hadn’t started!)

However, next time we do it, we do it for just the fun of it. It won’t be a charity trek, we’ll just be having a laugh. Unless of course peer pressure takes hold . . .

Gazza

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=7661&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

I think everyone who does LEJOG for charity acknowledges that they themselves get a great deal from it - it's one of the nice things about charity rides, everyone benefits, even the people who give the money and are relieved they don't have to do it! And doing it for charity at least assuages some of the guilty feelings of indulging in a glorious ride, usually without the family (though many people would question why anybody should feel guilty about cycling uphill for three weeks in heavy traffic in the pouring rain).

I just wondered whether the original poster was aware that there might be more to this LEJOG thing than meets the eye. I've never done LEJOG but I have done enough long trips to know they can be life changing.

[Si]

I think everyone who does LEJOG for charity acknowledges that they themselves get a great deal from it - it's one of the nice things about charity rides, everyone benefits,

but there is a down side: during the day you stop several times. You start talking to people and mention that you are doing it for charity. People, being in general nice, then decide to make a donation so they give you all their spare change. By the end of the day you have several kg of coins weighing you down and bending your rack

But remember the real challenge of an e2e isn't the distance and the hills and the rain, no, it's the attempts to collect all the money at the end!

[Mick F]

Yes, I agree about Charity rides. I've done a few, but I would honestly say - hand on heart - that I did it for ME. Yes, I've raised pots of money, the charities benefited, everyone was a winner.

But it was me that did it for me.

People keep asking when and what I'm going to do next. My replies are generally non-committal, and I don't really want to tap the same people for money again. People would donate, I'm sure, but the hard part was the raising of funds, not the cycling! I don't know whether I can be bothered again, so I may do it JUST for fun next.

I do have a "good" idea for a LEJOG trip, but Mrs Mick F isn't too keen, she says it'll be too boring - perhaps she's right. I want to do it on a Pedicab with her as a passenger. She says that she doesn't want just to sit there for a few weeks looking at my bum!

[2Tubs]

Yes, I agree about Charity rides. I've done a few, but I would honestly say - hand on heart - that I did it for ME. Yes, I've raised pots of money, the charities benefited, everyone was a winner.

But it was me that did it for me.

People keep asking when and what I'm going to do next. My replies are generally non-committal, and I don't really want to tap the same people for money again. People would donate, I'm sure, but the hard part was the raising of funds, not the cycling! I don't know whether I can be bothered again, so I may do it JUST for fun next.

I do have a "good" idea for a LEJOG trip, but Mrs Mick F isn't too keen, she says it'll be too boring - perhaps she's right. I want to do it on a Pedicab with her as a passenger. She says that she doesn't want just to sit there for a few weeks looking at my bum!

But if you convince Angelina Jolie to pedal the cab, I’ll gladly sit there for a couple of weeks.

Gazza

[Mick F]

You'd go blind ........

[Neil F]

Kirsty000 :going back to the subject of sat nav I have just completed JOGLE in July using sustrans routes as much as possible and camping. It took five weeks in the end because of the weather. The initial method of navigation was a Garmin GPS60 linked to an acer pda running memory map software with OS maps. I had backed up the routes with prinouts. The problems I found with all this Hi tech was the rain and getting the battery charged. I had a solar charger but, as it rained every day, it gave up after a week. The next problem was a cable fault. which I could not get fixed which made the connection between GPS and PDA was intermittant. I had to protect the PDA from the wet. As I was soaked on a regular basis and slowed down so much drying out kit I completly revised my route , misssing out a lot of route 68 in the Eden valley going a much flater route to the peak district I used the software to re-route myself . As back up I bought a cheap road Atlas and tore out all but the relavant pages. The other problem I had was loss of the signal in some of the more out of the way places that sustrans routes take you , even with an external ariel on the GPS.
One great advantage of sat nav is when you have been following sustrans road signs and you have missed one or someone has "adjusted" one for you and you have had a few miles scienic detour you can find your way back.
When I arrived at the Devon Cornwall border ,in Holsworthy, I met a thunder storm so I cycled the ten miles home dried out, got out the soldering iron fixed the cable and did the last bit across Cornwall with the GPS PDA combination working. Then it was very useful as I knew where I was for once. GPS is good when it works but you need backup just in case. Oh as one last thought, maps get wet too when you are lost and standing in the rain with this disintergrating soggy mess in you hand, life gets interesting.
Having used a GPS system I would use it again but I have learnt the hard way what can go wrong. It needs protection from the wet and backup. Battery power is a constant problem , I had spare power cells with me . Charging rechargable cells can be difficult on camp sites.
Hope you have as great an adventure as I did.

[Mick F]

....... maps get wet too when you are lost and standing in the rain with this disintegrating soggy mess in your hand .......

They don't if you buy a road atlas, mark out your route in highlighter pen, then cut out all the relevant pages and laminate them!

[Lusting my Pinnarello]

OR even have te right page in the map holder on you bar bag

[vernon]

Oh, yeah, the original question....I'm sure that someone has already said this, but I found all of the pawing over the maps, the hunting out of interesting places to visit, the comparing of spot heights on various roads, etc to be an intergral part of the enjoyment of any trip.

I'm planning to do it in 2009 and I'm looking at potential roads now. I agree, it's part of the fun. Also seeing some of the things that may be worth a small detour.

Car, that's planning ahead a tad! What's holding you back from a 2007/2008 start?