Coast of UK?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
Jamesh
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Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Coast of UK?

Post by Jamesh »

Has anyone ridden the coast of UK??
Was thinking I could do the local coasts (yorkshire) as day trips say as far a Edinburgh or Inverness then the NC500 ditto day trips to bangor,
Bangor to Fishguard - Bristol.
Bristol - Barnstaple - lands end
Lands end - Plymouth - Exmouth.
Exmouth - Ringwood. (Parents)
Ringwood - Brighton
Brighton - london
London - Great Yarmouth - Boston
Boston to hull.

I rekon 25 days over a couple of years?

Or am I crazy!!

Cheers James
Last edited by Jamesh on 23 Jul 2019, 4:53pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Tigerbiten
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Re: Coast of UK?

Post by Tigerbiten »

I covered 5,500 miles in 5 month doing it ...... :D

You need to make a set of "rules" before you set out.
Is the closest A road to the coast ok or do you have to stick to any non cul-de-sac road ?? It make a big difference in the likes of Devon and Cornwall. I mostly stuck as close to the coast as reasonably possible.
Are ferries fair game and can you island hop ?? Is it ok to cut across the likes of Arren and Mull or do you go the long way around. I island hopped.
Do you have to stick to a main A road by the coast or is a back road further inland ok ?? I did that a few of times and should really have done it a couple of times more.
The hard part is sticking to "rules" when the going gets "hard", back road hills in Devon comes to mind.

But have fun doing it ....... :D
Ron
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Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 9:07pm

Re: Coast of UK?

Post by Ron »

Jamesh wrote:I rekon 25 days over a couple of years? Or am I crazy!! Cheers James

Not really crazy, just crazily optimistic :)
Good Luck!
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Tigerbiten
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Re: Coast of UK?

Post by Tigerbiten »

Ron wrote:
Jamesh wrote:I rekon 25 days over a couple of years? Or am I crazy!! Cheers James

Not really crazy, just crazily optimistic :)
Good Luck!

Do it as a set of 25x 200 mile rides over that time then it's possible ..... :D
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Cunobelin
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Re: Coast of UK?

Post by Cunobelin »

Jamesh wrote:Has anyone ridden the coast of UK??
Was thinking I could do the local coasts (yorkshire) as day trips say as far a Edinburgh or Inverness then the NW500 ditto day trips to bangor,
Bangor to Fishguard - Bristol.
Bristol - Barnstaple - lands end
Lands end - Plymouth - Exmouth.
Exmouth - Ringwood. (Parents)
Ringwood - Brighton
Brighton - london
London - Great Yarmouth - Boston
Boston to hull.

I rekon 25 days over a couple of years?

Or am I crazy!!

Cheers James


We rode Portsmouth to Edinburgh, to Glasgow, then down to the Welsh Borders and then round the coast back to Portsmouth

Took us 14 years though!

It was in sections, either camping or B&B
Yvonned
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Joined: 19 Dec 2014, 3:32pm

Re: Coast of UK?

Post by Yvonned »

Josie Dew wrote a book about her cycling around UK called “Slow Ride Home”
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robgul
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Re: Coast of UK?

Post by robgul »

There's a book by Nick Sanders in the 70s or 80s - he rode the whole coast as a recce, then rode it to set a record (he was sponsored by Vimto .... really!) - long out of print but you see it on ebay or the Amazon s/h website from time to time. I have a copy somewhere thinking it was the inspiration for a ride . . . yet (and unlikely) to happen!

Rob
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Jamesh
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Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: Coast of UK?

Post by Jamesh »

Tigerbiten wrote:I covered 5,500 miles in 5 month doing it ...... :D

You need to make a set of "rules" before you set out.
Is the closest A road to the coast ok or do you have to stick to any non cul-de-sac road ?? It make a big difference in the likes of Devon and Cornwall. I mostly stuck as close to the coast as reasonably possible.
Are ferries fair game and can you island hop ?? Is it ok to cut across the likes of Arren and Mull or do you go the long way around. I island hopped.
Do you have to stick to a main A road by the coast or is a back road further inland ok ?? I did that a few of times and should really have done it a couple of times more.
The hard part is sticking to "rules" when the going gets "hard", back road hills in Devon comes to mind.

But have fun doing it ....... :D


Really helpful guys thanks to all.

Think I need to set some rules.

No to cul de sac's unless there is good reason to explore or I have time.
Yes to A roads and B roads inland if they are either scenic / quiet

Yes to ferries

Yes to cutting corners if the train leaves in 1hr
Mins and Google says 1h30m!!!

Cheers James
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Paulatic
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Location: 24 Hours from Lands End

Re: Coast of UK?

Post by Paulatic »

Another book Anna Hughes Eat Sleep Cycle https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eat-Sleep-Cycl ... B00U7UG7G4
I met her in Moffat on her LEJOG book tour.
Whatever I am, wherever I am, this is me. This is my life

https://stcleve.wordpress.com/category/lejog/
E2E info
mnichols
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Joined: 22 Apr 2013, 4:29pm

Re: Coast of UK?

Post by mnichols »

Im finishing mine this year, but I didn't know I was doing it until I'd done half of it

I saw a post on here and liked the sound of it, but then realised I'd done a lot of it on other tours: 3 lejogs (different routes), Lap of Scotland, Lap of Wales, Coast of Cornwall, Hebrides, Lap of Devon and living on the Dorset Border I'd done a lot of South Coast. So, got a train to London cycled East to Kent and followed the Coast home.

I've booked a plane ticket to Edinburgh and will follow the coast to London in August, but coming inland at Newcastle based on people's recommendations.

There might be a couple of small gaps, but I've done some of it many times. I seemed to have missed Liverpool, and I'm going to head inland to miss Newcastle and take a more scenic route, but I'll probably fill in those gaps over the years on other trips, Audaxes and Sportives.
Last edited by mnichols on 23 Jul 2019, 10:37am, edited 1 time in total.
mnichols
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Re: Coast of UK?

Post by mnichols »

Why do you need rules? It's your ride. I'd think of them as guidelines to help you plan

If the rules say 'You Must do road A....', but there is a better, nicer, more scenic, more bike friendly route 1/2 mile inland, why do a road that isn't as nice?

As I mentioned in my earlier post I'm missing Newcastle, but I'm not losing any sleep over it

Also, what if a few miles inland there is something you want to see. I used route advice from locals and also Audax and Sportive routes. Here is an example for Kent. My route was loosely based on this, but I wanted to see Canterbury so came inland about 10 miles at that point

At Portsmouth I got a ferry to the Isle of Wight, cycled around that and got the ferry off the other side to Lymington. It was further, but I hadn't been to IOW for 20 years. So I missed a few miles across Portsmouth

Similarly when I got to Scotland I cycled up through the Hebridese,. I'd already done that bit of coast anyway

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/19803063

Only 1 rule for me.: do the route you think you will enjoy the most

I'd look at NC500 route for Scotland
mnichols
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Joined: 22 Apr 2013, 4:29pm

Re: Coast of UK?

Post by mnichols »

Be careful not to let other people impose their rules on you. I've had this happen to me a few times.

I like End to Ends, and Coast to Coasts. I rode top to bottom of America, cycled in via Canada from Vancouver and out via Mexico through Washington State, Oregan, California, etc. Got some that's not E2E comments - without much explanation

Had the same with E2E of Italy although I cycled in from Austria at Innsbruck and to the most Southern point I could find on the map.... Same for Spain, France, Himalayas, etc

My point being, your ride your rules. Plan a route you will enjoy and that excites you and don't try to please the pedants.
rjb
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Location: Somerset (originally 60/70's Plymouth)

Re: Coast of UK?

Post by rjb »

Various charities have run this event. I believe one was the prostate cancer charity. The CTC may have taken it on board next before it died a death again. No pun intended :shock:
Link here to a thread from 2017 - viewtopic.php?f=16&t=110878&p=1075535&hilit=Coast#p1075535

:D
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
bikepacker
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Re: Coast of UK?

Post by bikepacker »

My favourite book about cycling around the coast is 'Postcards from the edge of Britain' by Peter Mann. He did it on a Moulton. If anyone is into walking books 'Turn right at Lands End' is a good diary account by John Merrill of his 7000 mile walk around the coast.

My favourite E2E was when I did it visiting the coast at all four compass points of the mainland. Did it to my own rules and enjoyed every mile.
There is your way. There is my way. But there is no "the way".
albal1
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Re: Coast of UK?

Post by albal1 »

I did the coast in 2017. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/roundbritain


Loved it.
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