Towards the end of June 2006 I cycled from John O'Groats to Land's End.
I chose this route not to break any records, but to explore the UK. As a Londoner my UK cycle trips have only taken me as far north as Borhamwood and as far south as the Isle of Wight. During a conversation with a friend I discovered that I knew nothing about UK geography (in comparison to my French geography), so I decided to change this situation by cycling the length of the country.
Normally I would make my bike trips up as I'd go along, but this time I made an exception and felt the need to plan ahead - every day was noted down. The whole routed was printed out from the Michelin website with notes and arrow written over the top so that I would not take a wrong turn and waste energy enroute.
On the big day I caught the Sleeper Train from Euston to Inverness. As the sun set the train departed for Scotland.
Once it arrived in Inverness, I found that I had over an hour spare, so I had a stroll around town to see what was on offer and grab a breakfast, before boarding the next train to Wick. After saying 'goodbye' to my bike (it had to be taken by van) I caught the train to begin the final leg of the journey to the start line.
From Inverness the train trundled further north through the barren windswept wilderness and along the seal colonized coastline to Wick, this was where I collected my bike from the van man, and cycled over to the Youth Hostel in John O'Groats to get a good nights sleep before the start.
Anyway, in the end I cycled 1822Km in 14 days. Here is a brief summery of the rest of the journey:
Day 1 - John O'Groats to Tongue (122Km)
Plenty of rolling hills along the way, being the first day I didn't want to overdo it and decided to take it easy. The view of the Kyle of Tongue, Ben Hope and Ben Loyal, (and not forgetting the pint waiting for me in Tongue) was worth the effort!
Day 2 - Tongue to Inverness (172Km)
A very difficult day. The wind was against me the whole time and soon discovered that I had under estimated the distance. But saying that, the whole day was one of the best on the journey.
Day 3 - Inverness to Loch Lochy (70Km)
Compared to the previous day, this was an easy one. From Inverness I took the quiet road on the south side of Loch Ness, there was a major climb from Loyers but nothing too taxing. In Fort Williams I stopped for fish and chips before taking the towpath along the Caledonian Canal to the YHA in Laggan (nr Invergarry).
Day 4 - Loch Lochy to Oban (104Km)
It rained for most of the day, but the clouds did create some impressive views (however, it made Ben Nevis rather difficult to appreciate!) I spent the morning on tow paths and the rest of the day on rather busy main roads, but it was good to see someone more crazy than me - a chap driving an old tractor from John O'Groats to Lands End, I wonder if they ever made it!
Day 5 - Oban to Lochranza on the Isle of Arran (100Km)
What a day, it rained the whole time and only eased off towards the end!
Day 6 - Lochranza to Minnigaff (147Km)
My only regret (apart from not starting at Land's End) was that I didn't take many photos on the Isle of Arran, such a beautiful place, maybe it was all a bit overwhelming or something (or maybe it was the fact that I was in a rush to catch the boat back over to the mainland). The rest of the day was spent following the Sustrans route 7 cycle route avoiding the busy main roads. From Ayr it took me through the Galloway Forest Park to the youth hostle in Minigaff.
Day 7 - Minnigaff to Carlisle (189Km)
I have never cycled through so much gale force winds and rain in my life! It started off well on the off-road route through Cairn Forest but by midday, it just was not funny anymore. By the time I reached Carlisle the England v Sweden World Cup match was in full swing and everyone was on the street and there was a good mood in the air - or maybe that was the smell of the chicken kebab I manage to sneak into the B&B?!
Day 8 - Carlisle to Kendal (75Km)
Very easy day. I stopped in Penrith for coffee and supplies (bananas, bread and chocolate) and cycled up the Shap Fells with ease. Going down the other side was another matter, the gales nearly knocked me off a number of times and stopped me in my tracks at one point - it was that strong!
Day 9 - Kendal to Liverpool (127Km)
Even though it rained for most of the morning, once the sun came out it took a short time to dry everything out and I found myself cycling most of the way to Preston and onto Liverpool on the Lancaster Canal tow path.
Day 10 - Liverpool to Shrewsbury (132Km)
After crossing the Mersey on the ferry (well it had to be done) I followed another one of those Sustrans cycles routes from Burkenhead to Chester, then normal roads to Wrexham and onto Shrewsbury, where (after I had been all over town) I finally found a bed for the night. I think the stress of the trip was starting to show as I woke up to find my nose bleeding - leaving my bed looking as though I had been visited by the mafia!
Day 11 - Shrewsbury to Hereford (143Km)
When you are on a bike you prefer to take the road less traveled, for an hour I couldn't find that one, instead I had to settle for the trunk road to Ludlow until it was found. Along the way I helped an ambulance to the scene of an accident, thankfully it was nothing serious. In my notes I also have written that I got lost in Wales too, so I guess today was the day to get lost!
Day 12 - Hereford to Bridgewater (140Km)
This route took in the River Wye, Severn Bridge getting lost and somehow ending up in Bristol, and a high speed chase down the Cheddar Gorge.
Day 13 - Bridgewater to Okehampton (111Km)
I visited St Johns Street Cycles in the morning, the shop I purchased my Thorn Nomad bike from. The rest of the day was spent in the rain on roads to Taunton and Tiverton, where I met a couple on a tandem doing the Land's End to John O'Groats (same as me but the other way around) who were shocked by the hills in that area. After exchanging tips on what to expect we parted and I made my way to the rather odd looking youth hostle in Okehampton - an old railway station conversion.
Day 14 - Okehampton to Lands End (190Km)
The final day, at last. What a relief. Traffic wise this was one of the most trickiest of the whole journey, I soon got the feeling that everyone in Cornwall must own a car. The roads were far too congested (even by London standards) and people were far more reckless than anywhere I had experience along the way. I didn't take much in (or many photos) as I found myself concentrating on not getting knocked off or driven into the hedgerow. But saying that, it was great to reach Land's End in one piece, 1822Km in 14 days is not bad and to say that you have cycled the entire length of the British Isles is even better!
To view mini slide show, click here.
To view detailed slide show, click here.
