LEJOG unsupported in June – flexible accommodation tips?

[Rien]

I’m planning to cycle LEJOG in June and want to stay flexible, deciding day by day which route to take and where to stop. But I’m worried about running into booked accommodations. I could bring a tent as a backup, but I’d rather not carry it 1,000 miles if I don’t need to.

Does anyone have experience doing LEJOG this way? How easy is it to find last-minute places to stay, and are there regions where booking ahead is a must? Any tips for keeping options open without getting stuck? Also, if you’ve done this before, I’d love to hear how you managed accommodations along the way!

[scottm]

For the Scottish part of the ride, depending on your route choice, you could be travelling through some sparsely populated areas so not a huge number of accommodation options. If you're there early enough in June you will avoid the school holiday period, so you could have more luck than from the end of June when places will tend to be booked up.

I wouldn't gamble on being able to book day-to-day without a tent as a backup.

[Ron]

Does anyone have experience doing LEJOG this way?
Yes, that was my approach. It worked out ok I didn't need to sleep in any 'phone boxes .
I arranged to arrive in a sizeable community around about 16.00 each day and started to look for a B&B.There are not as many tourist info bureaux as there used to be, but I discovered that often a pub had a room for B&B although not advertising the fact. Also it might be worth researching the location of hostels in the UK. Occasionally you might have to opt for a hotel which might cost a bit more than a B&B.

[rareposter]

Does anyone have experience doing LEJOG this way? How easy is it to find last-minute places to stay, and are there regions where booking ahead is a must? Any tips for keeping options open without getting stuck? Also, if you’ve done this before, I’d love to hear how you managed accommodations along the way!

Not LEJOG but it's basically the same for any tour...

Stop at lunchtime and work out roughly where you'll be by evening, this of course depends on weather, terrain, your average speed, any particular places you want to stop at (tourist sites etc).

Look on booking.com and also Premier Inn / Holiday Inn websites (the latter two do not advertise on booking.com).

Find something appropriate and book.

PI and HI both offer options to book a long way in advance and cancel with no fee up til 1pm on the day of arrival so you can often find rooms available at very short notice from where they've been booked then cancelled. Both chains are fairly no frills but they do allow bikes in the room, they're an excellent (safe, reliable) option for cycle touring. I've used that approach a number of times, literally booking something for that night at lunchtime.

Be aware it can sometimes cost more doing it last minute rather than a long way in advance but it gives you way more flexibility. If there are places where you know you'll be for a night, you can book them a fair way in advance.