LEJOG 2023

[puffin]

I have created a website about my 21 days https://mylejog.co.uk/ which gives details of where I stayed and the route I cycled.

This is a great read...and huge respect for your improvisation and problem solving (esp. the rack).

[puffin]

Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch. Ouch. Just booking the accommodation....its getting pricey. Very pricey.

[rareposter]

Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch. Ouch. Just booking the accommodation....its getting pricey. Very pricey.

I prefer the last-minute approach for that very reason.
Hotels/hostels etc will often have short notice cancellations and usually put the rooms straight up on booking.com or their own website for very low rates.

I've picked up some ridiculously cheap deals that way - rooms that would have been £100+ / night at £35-40. They just want them filled.

Use price comparison sites too. Trivago, Kayak, booking.com, lastminute.com are all worth checking and some do auto-price checking and will email you any sudden offers. I set up flight searches on Google Flights for my last trip and just automatically price-tracked until some deals came up. Same for accommodation.

[puffin]

Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch. Ouch. Just booking the accommodation....its getting pricey. Very pricey.

I prefer the last-minute approach for that very reason.
Hotels/hostels etc will often have short notice cancellations and usually put the rooms straight up on booking.com or their own website for very low rates.

I've picked up some ridiculously cheap deals that way - rooms that would have been £100+ / night at £35-40. They just want them filled.

I admire that...but too risky for me. If I end up with no accommodation one night I'm in trouble; my idea of roughing it is to drop down to Premier Inn

[Tiggertoo]

I well remember the days when one could drive through the country, look for B&B signs and stay the night. No booking required - and no pre-booking available in such places. Those were the best times for touring.

[mattheus]

Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch. Ouch. Just booking the accommodation....its getting pricey. Very pricey.

I prefer the last-minute approach for that very reason.
Hotels/hostels etc will often have short notice cancellations and usually put the rooms straight up on booking.com or their own website for very low rates.

I've picked up some ridiculously cheap deals that way - rooms that would have been £100+ / night at £35-40. They just want them filled.

But how well would that work if you're in (say) northumberland, and need a bed - tomorrow - 60 miles North en-route to JOG?

[rareposter]

But how well would that work if you're in (say) northumberland, and need a bed - tomorrow - 60 miles North en-route to JOG?

Give it a go.
Get onto booking.com, select your town/area, set the date as tomorrow and see what's there. Unless you're picking (say) Edinburgh in the middle of the Festival, there's almost always something.

[mattheus]

But how well would that work if you're in (say) northumberland, and need a bed - tomorrow - 60 miles North en-route to JOG?

Give it a go.
Get onto booking.com, select your town/area, set the date as tomorrow and see what's there. Unless you're picking (say) Edinburgh in the middle of the Festival, there's almost always something.

Just tried Pitlochry (I've stayed there before, and I believe there is a lot of accomodation there). Apart from the hostels, there's nothing in town, and it's £87-upwards to stay 8 miles away.

It's now the end of October - imagine what prices are like in summer!

[Tiggertoo]

But how well would that work if you're in (say) northumberland, and need a bed - tomorrow - 60 miles North en-route to JOG?

Give it a go.
Get onto booking.com, select your town/area, set the date as tomorrow and see what's there. Unless you're picking (say) Edinburgh in the middle of the Festival, there's almost always something.

Just tried Pitlochry (I've stayed there before, and I believe there is a lot of accomodation there). Apart from the hostels, there's nothing in town, and it's £87-upwards to stay 8 miles away.

It's now the end of October - imagine what prices are like in summer!

Scary! I suppose one thing to say about booking in advance - apart from actually finding a place - is that having an end destination gives impetus for getting there.

[wirral_cyclist]

Just tried Pitlochry (I've stayed there before, and I believe there is a lot of accomodation there). Apart from the hostels, there's nothing in town, and it's £87-upwards to stay 8 miles away.

It's now the end of October - imagine what prices are like in summer!

We've never found accommodation easy in Pitlochry, we've tried to visit a few times (all year round) and with lots of notice but always struggled, so it's either got little in the way of rooms, or is always busy!

[deejayen]

Just tried Pitlochry (I've stayed there before, and I believe there is a lot of accomodation there). Apart from the hostels, there's nothing in town, and it's £87-upwards to stay 8 miles away.

It's now the end of October - imagine what prices are like in summer!

We've never found accommodation easy in Pitlochry, we've tried to visit a few times (all year round) and with lots of notice but always struggled, so it's either got little in the way of rooms, or is always busy!

I think the "Enchanted Forest" event is on in Pitlochry until the end of October, and whenever I've passed through the town when that's on it's been extremely busy.

[puffin]

Can anyone cast an eye over the last part of this section, Ballater to Inverness? I want to know if I'm OK with the A9, am I missing it / using the best routes to avoid it / using the parrallel cycle paths?

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38633041 ... ay=roadmap

Any help really appreciated.

[Paulatic]

Can anyone cast an eye over the last part of this section, Ballater to Inverness? I want to know if I'm OK with the A9, am I missing it / using the best routes to avoid it / using the parrallel cycle paths?

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38633041 ... ay=roadmap

Any help really appreciated.

404 not found

I’ve made it work https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38633041/

Your A9, from memory, looks right to me.

[Dingdong]

Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch. Ouch. Just booking the accommodation....its getting pricey. Very pricey.

Yes, I've found that Airbnb and Booking.com have both went through the roof. Especially Airbnb, some places almost doubled in price since last year.

[puffin]

Yea! All sorted, now I just sit and wait (I have yet to book the train down to Land's End). Wow! and Ouch! Accommodation really expensive and a couple of places demanding payment upfront. In 2010 the trip cost me about £900, now its closer to £2000.

The main changes to my route are that I am skirting South of Grantown on Spey so for the first time joining up with the A9 cycleways. Also, just before that, I am going straight through Perth where previously I've gone round to the West (Methven etc).