Very tentatively considering JOGLE 2020 - ideas?

[PH]

Riding together(ish) is a delicate balancing act.

I think the problems arise with the "ish" IMO better to either:
a) Ride together, in which case you should at least be in sight of each other, don't make a turn unless the following rider has seen you make it.
b) everyone knows the route and is expected to look after themselves. That doesn't mean you bugger off and leave someone with a problem, but neither would you be waiting or going back for them.
Here's a scenario - rider in front is well ahead and keen to get to a cafe, rider behind sees something of interest and stops to take a few photos, read the info board, have a look around. Rider in front thinks they may be in trouble and goes back for them - you're not going to stay friends for long! If you're doing a) it wouldn't arise, you'd either both stop or neither or b) the front rider wouldn't wait and the second rider wouldn't feel any obligation to hurry up as they were delaying their friends cafe stop.
I know which I prefer, but I'm not advocating one over the other, but if one thinks it's a) and the other b) it won't work and better to sort this out well before you set off!

[althebike]

last year I took the overnight sleeper London to Inverness, for £50. The train to Thurso was not expensive. I first days ride was an easy warm up ride to JOG and back to Thurso . I had a list of accommodation at about 25 mile intervals, at each lunch break I decided how much further I would ride, so my day distance choices were from 75-100 miles.If you are doing B&B you do not need to bring much, a change of clothes and a few bits and pieces, food can be purchased on the hoof .
I am sure if you invited company on your ride, you may well find someone happy to ride part or all of the way with you.
Good luck

[Jamesh]

Check out route you want to take - at that pace the things that interest you will most likely determine the route.

If you go back to thurso and bettyhill there isn't much in the way of accomodation for a good few miles towards Inverness. But you do miss out on berriedale and helmsdale hills. But I found the coast quite beautiful.

Ditto a82 Vs A9 I went Glencoe side and really enjoyed it come back on train via avimore that was just as breathtaking.

Cheers James

[LittleGreyCat]

Further musings and some reading of ride reports have focused me on gearing, and the oft quoted "next time I'd have lower gears".

My Spa Wayfarer has a 9 speed with 48/38/28 on the front and 11-34 on the rear.
This seems to take the lowest gear down to much the same as my old mountain bike.
However I do seem to spend a lot of time on the bottom ring (granny) and this is in the relatively short and gentle hills in Suffolk.
Reports also talk of walking up some of the hills.

I'm wondering how much lower I should/could go because after a certain point I would be faster walking and also likely to fall off due to loss of gyroscopic effect from the wheels.

[Jamesh]

Steepest hills for me were berriedale and helmsdale which I got up lightly loaded on a 34 x 36 may not have even used the 36 but cannot remember.

Sure you will be fine on what you have got.

What I with really low gears is that my legs hurt as much from trying to spin an unusually low gear as they would pushing a bigger one. At which point I think it time to walk!

Cheers

[althebike]

Right at the start of my ride, I met an oncoming vehicle in a narrow street, and had to dismount.I had to quickly reassess my goal of riding it all. I met riders pushing their laden bikes into a headwind . If you need to walk, then walk, there is no shame in that.
We ride to meet people, see places, enjoy the freedom and open air, for personal satisfaction, or any number of other reasons. So why not just enjoy it, being where you want to be doing what you want to do, and enjoy.Walking hard bits are OK.

[PH]

Right at the start of my ride, I met an oncoming vehicle in a narrow street, and had to dismount.I had to quickly reassess my goal of riding it all. I met riders pushing their laden bikes into a headwind . If you need to walk, then walk, there is no shame in that.
We ride to meet people, see places, enjoy the freedom and open air, for personal satisfaction, or any number of other reasons. So why not just enjoy it, being where you want to be doing what you want to do, and enjoy.Walking hard bits are OK.

All of that, plus sometimes I choose to walk even when I don't need to, it allows me to stop and have a good look back at where I've just been.

[LittleGreyCat]

OK.
After some (im)mature consideration I think I'll move onto the next stage of planning.

I'm assuming an unsupported tour (unless our ancient cat expires in the meanwhile).

I will rough out a plan (with returns to edit) and hopefully advice on each overnight stop from experienced JOGLE/LEJOG riders.
From my current form, an average of 50 miles per day seems sensible given hills on the route.
Who knows, I might manage more on the flat across the Nottingham coal measures.
All based on Cycle.Travel map linked upstream.

Prelude - all day train from Ipswich to Thurso and overnight B&B.
[This seems a better option than working in the overnight sleeper via London at the moment.]

Day 1 - ride to JOG to formally start, then back to Thurso. Roughly 40 miles.

Of course, the first day already throws up a problem.
There is a stretch beyond Bettyhill which doesn't seem to have any accommodation.
Bettyhill is around mile 50 so 50 + 20 is 70 miles for the first day. Possibly not ideal.
Hmmm...there is the Altnaharra Hotel at mile around 70 so about 50 miles from Thurso.
So not bad for a second day.
An alternative to Thurso on Day 1 might be the Melvich Hotel at around mile 38. So 20 + 38 = 58 for the first day which is still a bit of a stretch for the first day.

Has anyone stayed at the Melvich Hotel?
Alternatively is there a recommendation in Thurso?

Has anyone stayed at the Altnaharra Hotel?


OK - first cut.
Day 0 - Ipswich to Thurso by train.
Day 1 - Thurso to JOG and back, luggage left at B&B.
Day 2 - Thurso to Altnaharra
Day 3 - Altnaharra to Tain.

[robgul]

Melvich Hotel - yes I have stayed there . . . my recollection is a little hazy as it was in 1975!! - but it was pretty good sitting in the dining room overlooking the river.

We took the Motorail from London to Inverness - drove to JOG - across the top to Cape Wrath and then to Ullapool. Ferries and island hopping all the way down the Hebrides to Barra - across to Skye and then back to Inverness via Aviemore and the Motorail back to London ... in a Land Rover.

The one thing I remember was that Shaw Taylor (Police 5 on TV) was on the train on the way up from London.

Rob

[Vitara]

As others have said, go for it. End to End is an epic ride which you will really enjoy and will provide plenty of memories and stories to tell.

I was faced with some similar decisions to make in 2013/2018 as my ride partner was approaching his 70th birthday and the distances & logistics involved were very much new territory to us.

Our solution was to ride LeJog with a Tour Company, in our case Peak Tours. The benefit was that this took care of all the logisitics and we had help on hand in case of problems, leaving us to enjoy the challenge of cycling from one end of the country to the other. We also found ourselves in with a group of 18 other riders, all enjoying the same challenge and who were great company. The cost was a bit more than if we had ridden unsupported, but I don't think it was a lot when you add everything up.

If/when I complete LeJog again it will probably be unsupported, but I would definitely recommend the Tour Company Route to anyone taking on the End to End challenge without experience of long distance riding.

[LittleGreyCat]

As others have said, go for it. End to End is an epic ride which you will really enjoy and will provide plenty of memories and stories to tell.

I was faced with some similar decisions to make in 2013/2018 as my ride partner was approaching his 70th birthday and the distances & logistics involved were very much new territory to us.

Our solution was to ride LeJog with a Tour Company, in our case Peak Tours. The benefit was that this took care of all the logisitics and we had help on hand in case of problems, leaving us to enjoy the challenge of cycling from one end of the country to the other. We also found ourselves in with a group of 18 other riders, all enjoying the same challenge and who were great company. The cost was a bit more than if we had ridden unsupported, but I don't think it was a lot when you add everything up.

If/when I complete LeJog again it will probably be unsupported, but I would definitely recommend the Tour Company Route to anyone taking on the End to End challenge without experience of long distance riding.

What was your average daily mileage target?

Fully supported sounds good, but from looking through this forum most riders seem to manage/target much higher daily mileages than I am currently contemplating.

[robgul]

As others have said, go for it. End to End is an epic ride which you will really enjoy and will provide plenty of memories and stories to tell.

I was faced with some similar decisions to make in 2013/2018 as my ride partner was approaching his 70th birthday and the distances & logistics involved were very much new territory to us.

Our solution was to ride LeJog with a Tour Company, in our case Peak Tours. The benefit was that this took care of all the logisitics and we had help on hand in case of problems, leaving us to enjoy the challenge of cycling from one end of the country to the other. We also found ourselves in with a group of 18 other riders, all enjoying the same challenge and who were great company. The cost was a bit more than if we had ridden unsupported, but I don't think it was a lot when you add everything up.

If/when I complete LeJog again it will probably be unsupported, but I would definitely recommend the Tour Company Route to anyone taking on the End to End challenge without experience of long distance riding.

What was your average daily mileage target?

Fully supported sounds good, but from looking through this forum most riders seem to manage/target much higher daily mileages than I am currently contemplating.

Have to say I would stay away from the organised trip - they obviously allow for the lowest common denominator in terms of riders and with no flexibility - and lots of the fun is in poring over maps and planning the trip. If you are time-poor cash-rish and want a convenient "turn up and ride" deal then OK ... but . . .

Rob

[althebike]

I stayed in Waterside house 3 Janet St Thurso.Owner is a keen cyclist. From the station, freewheel down the slope to the river, TL and it is a couple of minutes easy riding.If you plan to use Thurso, you get the opportunity to ride to JOG /Dunnett Head , back to Thurso and still have time and energy to explore the town, before setting off South the following day. Altnaharra hotel was full when I got there, it was expensive too, but they did do cheap bunkhouse accommodation, ( If you ask for it) Just before you arrive, there is a row of houses almost opposite, cheap "unofficial" B&b if they can fit you in. Assuming you can make Bettyhill by Lunchtime, you could also target the crask inn which would make your ride a bit more than 50 miles but doable. The crask inn would be unlikely to turn you away even if they are full. A tent can be provided, or bedding in the summerhouse all for the cost of "a donation"

[Jamesh]

Love it!!

Avoid the hostel at thurso if I were you.

Not up to the typical hostel I stayed I on my lejog.

Cheers James

[Tezzerthebikerider]

Any further with your plans ?.
I'm just up the road from you near Colchester .