Where have all the end to enders gone?

[phil parker]

At 8am , 83 ml in at a Devon county sign.
Hasn't published his route AFAIK

EDIT to add, think he actually left this morning. Yesterday must just have been the obligatory photo/video. [emoji3]

He's picked a good morning for it - we've just had hail stone and lightning strikes in Hampshire!

[millimole]

Thanks - I'll do some research on those thoughts

[bikepacker]

Which is your hostel?

I think nnc283 is too polite to run the risk of being accused of promoting their hostel - there are some very chippy folk on the forum. I'm fairly sure it's a hostel I stayed in on my middle-to-ender last year (Berwick to Orkney), and would definitely recommend to touring cyclists.

He could pm me and if I have previously stayed there I could let others know.

[bikepacker]

Strange I have done 4 E2Es via different routes but never on any gone through Inverness. I have visited the city many times on other Scotland tours but never on an E2E.

Its a lovely stop with a trip over the Black Isle the following morning

As I stated I have been to Inverness many times but never on an E2E. Last year any routing across the Black Isle was a non-starter due to the ferry not running. Don't know what the situation will be for this year.

[phil parker]

As I stated I have been to Inverness many times but never on an E2E. Last year any routing across the Black Isle was a non-starter due to the ferry not running. Don't know what the situation will be for this year.

I've never caught a ferry? Just used the bridge!

[Paulatic]

At 8am , 83 ml in at a Devon county sign.
Hasn't published his route AFAIK

EDIT to add, think he actually left this morning. Yesterday must just have been the obligatory photo/video. [emoji3]

He's picked a good morning for it - we've just had hail stone and lightning strikes in Hampshire!

Picture of him at the Somerset sign at 12:30pm sun was shining. A bit of snow waiting for him up north [emoji1]

[nosmarbaj]

...
I might be persuaded to consider (just for a moment) a corner-to-corner, Dover to Cape Wrath ...

You could try an "East-to-West" aka Coast-to-Coast (long version): i.e. Lowestoft to Ardnamurchan Point. Lowestoft reachable by train, although not as simple as LE (obviously depends on starting point). Return from Ardnamurchan by taking ferry Kilchoan - Tobermory, cycle to Craignure, ferry to Oban and train from there. Route in between up to you, but it's signigicantly shorter than LEJoG.

[bikepacker]

As I stated I have been to Inverness many times but never on an E2E. Last year any routing across the Black Isle was a non-starter due to the ferry not running. Don't know what the situation will be for this year.

I've never caught a ferry? Just used the bridge!

If you use the Black Isle route how do you get from Cromarty over to Nigg?

[Mick F]

At 8am , 83 ml in at a Devon county sign.
Hasn't published his route AFAIK

EDIT to add, think he actually left this morning. Yesterday must just have been the obligatory photo/video.

He's picked a good morning for it - we've just had hail stone and lightning strikes in Hampshire!

Picture of him at the Somerset sign at 12:30pm sun was shining. A bit of snow waiting for him up north

The weather today has been horrendous down here.

Sleet, hail, gale-force winds, rain ............... terrible.
Still bad even now.

Good luck to them.

[phil parker]

If you use the Black Isle route how do you get from Cromarty over to Nigg?

Ah...I see what you mean - I didn't know about the Cromarty - Nigg route, I just went across the A9, both bridges, however, that looks like a nicer route should the ferry be running!

[tbessie]

We do still get the hard core riders like the guy who rode all the way from Gibraltar to John o' Groats in three weeks - on a mountain bike... and we've had a few unsupported cyclists on a five day schedule. We didn't get the bloke who was walking backwards but some lunatic did turn up a few years ago riding a tandem solo with a skeleton strapped in the stokers seat.

Huh, I wonder if that's the guy who does The Death Ride most years here in California. He does that (Tandem with a skeleton). He also has a music system on it that plays Grateful Dead music all day.

Found a video of the guy - this him?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_taH_2Qugg4

... oh wait... looks like this is a "thing" for more than one person... huh...

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandevent ... 2-11-13-33

[ChrisF]

....we've noticed a gradual falling off in trade from touring cyclists generally but E2E riders in particular......
Does anyone out there have any thoughts?

Is it to do with the cost of touring in the UK now? In France (and more so in Spain) buying food etc. en route is so much cheaper than UK these days (well, the recent good exchange rate has helped). In Spain you can stop for a coffee for between 1.00 - 1.20 euro, in UK it'll likely be £2 or more.
I was chatting to the owner of a well-known bike shop recently and he reckons it's cheaper to go touring in Thailand for three weeks than do to a three week B&B JOGLE. The savings in food and accommodation pays for the flight.
Last year I did a French 'End-to-End' (Roscoff to Nice) but am thinking of Scotland for this year so will try to find your hostel!

[Lilyf]

Any clues to where nnc283's hostel is yet ?