Discussion
Happy New Year all. I turn 50 this year so I'm thinking of doing LEJOG. Yes, I know I could probably have a nicer ride just doing the Scotland bit but I guess it's just a box I want to tick!
I'd be very interested to hear the experiences of any PH'ers who have done it, and what you might do differently in terms of route, approach, kit, time of year to go, Scottish midges etc!
Currently I'm weighing up these options:
1 - Organised, supported ride with one of the companies that specialise in this. I could travel very light on my carbon road bike (albeit with more endurance based geometry etc), have minimal time off work etc, have support if anything goes wrong, but perhaps feel like a bit of a "tourist"
2 - "Credit card" tour, taking some stuff with me on my Ti gravel bike (2x, fairly roadie/touring geometry), aim for B&B where possible, but have very basic bivvi/sleeping stuff too (not cooking) for the odd camp somewhere pretty
3 - Bikepack, on my gravel bike, camp as much as possible take my time a bit more, wild camp in Scotland.
I guess my biggest concern is the balance of how far do I need to book ahead for accommodation, versus an issue such as a big mechanical, bad weather, falling behind or just being absolutely knackered and needing a day off.
Thanks in advance!
I'd be very interested to hear the experiences of any PH'ers who have done it, and what you might do differently in terms of route, approach, kit, time of year to go, Scottish midges etc!
Currently I'm weighing up these options:
1 - Organised, supported ride with one of the companies that specialise in this. I could travel very light on my carbon road bike (albeit with more endurance based geometry etc), have minimal time off work etc, have support if anything goes wrong, but perhaps feel like a bit of a "tourist"
2 - "Credit card" tour, taking some stuff with me on my Ti gravel bike (2x, fairly roadie/touring geometry), aim for B&B where possible, but have very basic bivvi/sleeping stuff too (not cooking) for the odd camp somewhere pretty
3 - Bikepack, on my gravel bike, camp as much as possible take my time a bit more, wild camp in Scotland.
I guess my biggest concern is the balance of how far do I need to book ahead for accommodation, versus an issue such as a big mechanical, bad weather, falling behind or just being absolutely knackered and needing a day off.
Thanks in advance!
I have done Lands End to Cape Wrath. Didn't do JOG as I'd been before in the car.
Because of time constraints and being self employed, I did it over 4 years, a week each year. I used one way car hire to link the weeks up. I would have liked to have done it in one go, but there you go.
Be aware that Devon and Cornwall are VERY, VERY HILLY!!! It's very tiring and every day there feels like you're climbing, because as soon as you summit, you're freewheeling down and you start again. Don't over estimate daily mileage!!
The first stint, I only prebooked the first night, as it was a short ride after the drive down. Thereafter I B+B'd. This was before mobile Internet, (2006-10) so it was a case of turning up on a door step and asking. This sometimes gave problems if nothing was available, and being tired, struggling to get to the next town.
After the first week I prebooked every night, using B+B 's and youth hostels.
No mechanical worries or punctures luckily.
Take the minimum of clothing, washing it every night in the shower etc the roll it in the towel and stand on it. Make sure other kit you take has at least 2 uses to save weight.
Scotland is the easy bit. No real hills as the roads tend to go round them. There are some long drags though.
It'll be much easier now with a mobile phone to hand.
Give it a go, you'll love it!
Because of time constraints and being self employed, I did it over 4 years, a week each year. I used one way car hire to link the weeks up. I would have liked to have done it in one go, but there you go.
Be aware that Devon and Cornwall are VERY, VERY HILLY!!! It's very tiring and every day there feels like you're climbing, because as soon as you summit, you're freewheeling down and you start again. Don't over estimate daily mileage!!
The first stint, I only prebooked the first night, as it was a short ride after the drive down. Thereafter I B+B'd. This was before mobile Internet, (2006-10) so it was a case of turning up on a door step and asking. This sometimes gave problems if nothing was available, and being tired, struggling to get to the next town.
After the first week I prebooked every night, using B+B 's and youth hostels.
No mechanical worries or punctures luckily.
Take the minimum of clothing, washing it every night in the shower etc the roll it in the towel and stand on it. Make sure other kit you take has at least 2 uses to save weight.
Scotland is the easy bit. No real hills as the roads tend to go round them. There are some long drags though.
It'll be much easier now with a mobile phone to hand.
Give it a go, you'll love it!
Did when I was much younger on a Trek 5500 with tiny cogs at the back!!!
Great fun with the lads, supported by other mates driving along in a van so we literally had no luggage apart from what you would take on a 70-80 mile ride.
Glencoe was the most memorable part, John O'groats was disappointing, especially the angry 'guard' sitting in a shed watching the sign and refused to let us near it unless we paid some £££.
Not sure I would bother doing it again solo or with strangers, just wouldn't be any where as fun. I don't think any of us would want to do it again now that we've done it once.
Great fun with the lads, supported by other mates driving along in a van so we literally had no luggage apart from what you would take on a 70-80 mile ride.
Glencoe was the most memorable part, John O'groats was disappointing, especially the angry 'guard' sitting in a shed watching the sign and refused to let us near it unless we paid some £££.
Not sure I would bother doing it again solo or with strangers, just wouldn't be any where as fun. I don't think any of us would want to do it again now that we've done it once.
Edited by gangzoom on Tuesday 2nd January 18:22
I did it in 2014.
I looked for a supported trip and found https://www.great-bear-tours.co.uk/
8 trips later over the past 9 years from the Dolomites to UK Coast to Coast rides with Carl, I cannot recommend him highly enough.
I looked for a supported trip and found https://www.great-bear-tours.co.uk/
8 trips later over the past 9 years from the Dolomites to UK Coast to Coast rides with Carl, I cannot recommend him highly enough.
I did it last year, in June as part of an organised group with a local club. The original plan was to use a tour company but we didn't make the numbers so the company dropped out and we self organised with a couple of the riders partners doing support. The ride took 10 days and we stayed in various hotels & B/B's with kit transferred in the support van.
The route could have been a bit more direct, as we did 10 days and a smidge over 1,000 miles for the route as I think the guys who arranged it wanted the nice round numbers. It definitely wasn't the flattest route possible but it was beautiful. We took in some of the 100 climbs (Lecht, Glenshee, Cheddar Gorge, Jiggers Bank) over the days and one horrible one getting into Hawes. Also going through Appleby during the horse fair isn't advised!
Weather wise, we had 1 day of getting properly wet (coming into Lairg) but otherwise it was dry and warm for most of it. However we had an odd period of a north easterly so for the majority of it.
The midgies north of Lairg were pretty brutal but they don't bite when you don't stop.. so don't get a puncture ;-)
On the bike front I rode my normal road bike with no changes - if I were to do again and wanted it easier I'd be tempted to put a bigger cassette on as my smallest gear is 36-30.
Feel free to ask any specific questions you have :-)
The route could have been a bit more direct, as we did 10 days and a smidge over 1,000 miles for the route as I think the guys who arranged it wanted the nice round numbers. It definitely wasn't the flattest route possible but it was beautiful. We took in some of the 100 climbs (Lecht, Glenshee, Cheddar Gorge, Jiggers Bank) over the days and one horrible one getting into Hawes. Also going through Appleby during the horse fair isn't advised!
Weather wise, we had 1 day of getting properly wet (coming into Lairg) but otherwise it was dry and warm for most of it. However we had an odd period of a north easterly so for the majority of it.
The midgies north of Lairg were pretty brutal but they don't bite when you don't stop.. so don't get a puncture ;-)
On the bike front I rode my normal road bike with no changes - if I were to do again and wanted it easier I'd be tempted to put a bigger cassette on as my smallest gear is 36-30.
Feel free to ask any specific questions you have :-)
I rode Lejog with Peak Tours in summer of 22. I would highly recommend and made more sense than trying to do unsupported for me. As kept the bike light so could really enjoy the ride. The morning and afternoon cups of tea were very welcome too. Overall a great experience and would love to do some of their other tours. I also think the price is very fair when factor in what's included (most the food apart from evening meals) all accomodation and transfers at each end.
Maracus said:
I did it in 2014.
I looked for a supported trip and found https://www.great-bear-tours.co.uk/
8 trips later over the past 9 years from the Dolomites to UK Coast to Coast rides with Carl, I cannot recommend him highly enough.
I did it in 2015 with Great Bear and can recommend them as an organiser.I looked for a supported trip and found https://www.great-bear-tours.co.uk/
8 trips later over the past 9 years from the Dolomites to UK Coast to Coast rides with Carl, I cannot recommend him highly enough.
I wrote a blog at the time https://bigbenslejogblog.blogspot.com/2015/09/day-... which should cover most of it but is moslty me spouting nonsense
Ben
did it in 2022. vid here:
https://youtu.be/vocRvbQuYWA
will type more on Sat, but eyboard broken and takes ages to type.
I will try on my tablet.
46yo and 105kg. In training I was cycling 50 miles a day mon-fri over hilly terrain. I estimated 15mph average over 9 days but was actually closer to 13mph with weather, weight, injuries and not wanting to kill myself. Cycled about 95 miles each day, starting about 0600 and finishing around d 1500. This let me cool down, stretch, wash kit, bike admin etc whilst still daylight hours.
Organised whole route myself with help from locals to the big cities and borrowed some route from companies that advertise (last day from Okehampton to LE mainly followed organised route with slight changes as I was single rider etc).
Took about a year to plan in detail, and even then I had to alter my route when booking B&Bs due to no rooms. I booked them all on booking.com as I could cancel without charge within 24 hrs. However I also OVER packed with most breakdowns in mind. Had one night with relatives midway so i could pre-send a welfare pack of snacks/drinks as they are heavy to carry all from the start.
Only issue with B&B was I was setting off each morning before they started to serve breakie so was wasted cost.
Went north to South only because mates in Cornwall for quick holiday afterwards. Went in May to avoid midges etc. Depending where you are in the UK , you may need to book trains to get you start/from first a long time in advance. Caledonian sleeper was booked up 6 months in advance for me.
Happy to share route etc and tell you where I went wrong (frickin bridle paths) or give you more inf..once I have new keyboard.
I loved it and
https://youtu.be/vocRvbQuYWA
will type more on Sat, but eyboard broken and takes ages to type.
I will try on my tablet.
46yo and 105kg. In training I was cycling 50 miles a day mon-fri over hilly terrain. I estimated 15mph average over 9 days but was actually closer to 13mph with weather, weight, injuries and not wanting to kill myself. Cycled about 95 miles each day, starting about 0600 and finishing around d 1500. This let me cool down, stretch, wash kit, bike admin etc whilst still daylight hours.
Organised whole route myself with help from locals to the big cities and borrowed some route from companies that advertise (last day from Okehampton to LE mainly followed organised route with slight changes as I was single rider etc).
Took about a year to plan in detail, and even then I had to alter my route when booking B&Bs due to no rooms. I booked them all on booking.com as I could cancel without charge within 24 hrs. However I also OVER packed with most breakdowns in mind. Had one night with relatives midway so i could pre-send a welfare pack of snacks/drinks as they are heavy to carry all from the start.
Only issue with B&B was I was setting off each morning before they started to serve breakie so was wasted cost.
Went north to South only because mates in Cornwall for quick holiday afterwards. Went in May to avoid midges etc. Depending where you are in the UK , you may need to book trains to get you start/from first a long time in advance. Caledonian sleeper was booked up 6 months in advance for me.
Happy to share route etc and tell you where I went wrong (frickin bridle paths) or give you more inf..once I have new keyboard.
I loved it and
Edited by TheDrownedApe on Thursday 4th January 16:04
Did it in 2017. 6 days solo - work commitments meant I couldn't take any longer over it. Which was ill advised - I had DOMS for about 3 weeks.
Longest day was day 5: Kilmarnock->Fort Augustus 170 miles. My longest ever ride by about 40 miles. Even then, as others have said, Day 1 (10 miles from Penzance to LE and 150 miles from LE to Wellington) was the hardest!
I don't mind my own company on the bike and there were things going on that year so I was quite happy to have some quiet thinking time on the bike. I stayed in a mix of youth hostels and travel lodge - the latter have the advantage that you don't have to stress about late check in. And the facilities are just very easy. I posted supplies to the D3 stop off and binned the kit from the first few days. very large saddle bag and a top tube bag.
Happy to answer Q although I'm now realising there are whole sections I can't remember. It was Type 2 fun though. Probably wouldn't repeat unless my son (currently 2) wants company one day.
Longest day was day 5: Kilmarnock->Fort Augustus 170 miles. My longest ever ride by about 40 miles. Even then, as others have said, Day 1 (10 miles from Penzance to LE and 150 miles from LE to Wellington) was the hardest!
I don't mind my own company on the bike and there were things going on that year so I was quite happy to have some quiet thinking time on the bike. I stayed in a mix of youth hostels and travel lodge - the latter have the advantage that you don't have to stress about late check in. And the facilities are just very easy. I posted supplies to the D3 stop off and binned the kit from the first few days. very large saddle bag and a top tube bag.
Happy to answer Q although I'm now realising there are whole sections I can't remember. It was Type 2 fun though. Probably wouldn't repeat unless my son (currently 2) wants company one day.
Maracus said:
I did it in 2014.
I looked for a supported trip and found https://www.great-bear-tours.co.uk/
8 trips later over the past 9 years from the Dolomites to UK Coast to Coast rides with Carl, I cannot recommend him highly enough.
That's a great recommendation. I'm having a chat to him...thanks.I looked for a supported trip and found https://www.great-bear-tours.co.uk/
8 trips later over the past 9 years from the Dolomites to UK Coast to Coast rides with Carl, I cannot recommend him highly enough.
TheDrownedApe said:
did it in 2022. vid here:
https://youtu.be/vocRvbQuYWA
will type more on Sat, but eyboard broken and takes ages to type.
I will try on my tablet.
46yo and 105kg. In training I was cycling 50 miles a day mon-fri over hilly terrain. I estimated 15mph average over 9 days but was actually closer to 13mph with weather, weight, injuries and not wanting to kill myself. Cycled about 95 miles each day, starting about 0600 and finishing around d 1500. This let me cool down, stretch, wash kit, bike admin etc whilst still daylight hours.
Organised whole route myself with help from locals to the big cities and borrowed some route from companies that advertise (last day from Okehampton to LE mainly followed organised route with slight changes as I was single rider etc).
Took about a year to plan in detail, and even then I had to alter my route when booking B&Bs due to no rooms. I booked them all on booking.com as I could cancel without charge within 24 hrs. However I also OVER packed with most breakdowns in mind. Had one night with relatives midway so i could pre-send a welfare pack of snacks/drinks as they are heavy to carry all from the start.
Only issue with B&B was I was setting off each morning before they started to serve breakie so was wasted cost.
Went north to South only because mates in Cornwall for quick holiday afterwards. Went in May to avoid midges etc. Depending where you are in the UK , you may need to book trains to get you start/from first a long time in advance. Caledonian sleeper was booked up 6 months in advance for me.
Happy to share route etc and tell you where I went wrong (frickin bridle paths) or give you more inf..once I have new keyboard.
I loved it and
Thanks for this. I'll have a look at the video over the weekend.https://youtu.be/vocRvbQuYWA
will type more on Sat, but eyboard broken and takes ages to type.
I will try on my tablet.
46yo and 105kg. In training I was cycling 50 miles a day mon-fri over hilly terrain. I estimated 15mph average over 9 days but was actually closer to 13mph with weather, weight, injuries and not wanting to kill myself. Cycled about 95 miles each day, starting about 0600 and finishing around d 1500. This let me cool down, stretch, wash kit, bike admin etc whilst still daylight hours.
Organised whole route myself with help from locals to the big cities and borrowed some route from companies that advertise (last day from Okehampton to LE mainly followed organised route with slight changes as I was single rider etc).
Took about a year to plan in detail, and even then I had to alter my route when booking B&Bs due to no rooms. I booked them all on booking.com as I could cancel without charge within 24 hrs. However I also OVER packed with most breakdowns in mind. Had one night with relatives midway so i could pre-send a welfare pack of snacks/drinks as they are heavy to carry all from the start.
Only issue with B&B was I was setting off each morning before they started to serve breakie so was wasted cost.
Went north to South only because mates in Cornwall for quick holiday afterwards. Went in May to avoid midges etc. Depending where you are in the UK , you may need to book trains to get you start/from first a long time in advance. Caledonian sleeper was booked up 6 months in advance for me.
Happy to share route etc and tell you where I went wrong (frickin bridle paths) or give you more inf..once I have new keyboard.
I loved it and
Edited by TheDrownedApe on Thursday 4th January 16:04
I'm torn between an organised trip and doing it solo, mainly for cost reasons.
Can I ask why it took a year to plan? I might be being extremely naive here, but if it absolutely came to it, I feel I could download a route onto my Garmin, spend a weekend going over every inch of my bike, spend an evening on booking.com or similar sorting some accommodation, and leave on Monday.
I do have a decent well maintained bike, a fairly decent level of fitness, pretty much all the tools/kit I'd need, as well as bikepacking experience and all the kit (which I wouldn't even need if I was B&Bing it).
Was a lot of your year spent route planning? Thanks!
jrb43 said:
Did it in 2017. 6 days solo - work commitments meant I couldn't take any longer over it. Which was ill advised - I had DOMS for about 3 weeks.
Longest day was day 5: Kilmarnock->Fort Augustus 170 miles. My longest ever ride by about 40 miles. Even then, as others have said, Day 1 (10 miles from Penzance to LE and 150 miles from LE to Wellington) was the hardest!
I don't mind my own company on the bike and there were things going on that year so I was quite happy to have some quiet thinking time on the bike. I stayed in a mix of youth hostels and travel lodge - the latter have the advantage that you don't have to stress about late check in. And the facilities are just very easy. I posted supplies to the D3 stop off and binned the kit from the first few days. very large saddle bag and a top tube bag.
Happy to answer Q although I'm now realising there are whole sections I can't remember. It was Type 2 fun though. Probably wouldn't repeat unless my son (currently 2) wants company one day.
Great insight and a huge achievement. If I want "type 2 fun" on a bike I'll do a time trail haha...I really want to relax, enjoy the ride and take in the sights, sounds, scenery, and the odd local beer. I'd definitely be looking to halve the daily mileage.Longest day was day 5: Kilmarnock->Fort Augustus 170 miles. My longest ever ride by about 40 miles. Even then, as others have said, Day 1 (10 miles from Penzance to LE and 150 miles from LE to Wellington) was the hardest!
I don't mind my own company on the bike and there were things going on that year so I was quite happy to have some quiet thinking time on the bike. I stayed in a mix of youth hostels and travel lodge - the latter have the advantage that you don't have to stress about late check in. And the facilities are just very easy. I posted supplies to the D3 stop off and binned the kit from the first few days. very large saddle bag and a top tube bag.
Happy to answer Q although I'm now realising there are whole sections I can't remember. It was Type 2 fun though. Probably wouldn't repeat unless my son (currently 2) wants company one day.
But chapeau to you sir.
Hard-Drive said:
Maracus said:
I did it in 2014.
I looked for a supported trip and found https://www.great-bear-tours.co.uk/
8 trips later over the past 9 years from the Dolomites to UK Coast to Coast rides with Carl, I cannot recommend him highly enough.
That's a great recommendation. I'm having a chat to him...thanks.I looked for a supported trip and found https://www.great-bear-tours.co.uk/
8 trips later over the past 9 years from the Dolomites to UK Coast to Coast rides with Carl, I cannot recommend him highly enough.
I've done it once in 14 days. Youth Hostels. Possibly not practical now due to closures and it also meant diverting off the direct route a few places. This was in pre internet or mobile phone days so live booking on the move was much harder. 13 days.
Also had a more recent attempt - failed at Preston - food poisoning. A mix of hostels and Travelodge etc.
If I go again I'm thinking of slowing down a bit to do it over 2 1/2 or 3 weeks. Carrying a bivvy bag and sleeping bag so I have the option in good weather of just stopping beside a hedge somewhere.
Routewise my second attempt improved my original route a few places. I went via the Mersey ferry and Liverpool.
First time I went via the Forst of Bowland. Scenic but very hilly. 2nd attempt I stayed on the old A6 - absolutely fine for traffic. Faster and flatter.
Through Cornwall I got a better route as well Don't remember details offhand. There were from a Cornwall resident and expert, Mick F on uk cycling forum. He has done LeJog and Jogle multiple times including on a chopper. His route avoids hill where possible and avoids the A30.
Also had a more recent attempt - failed at Preston - food poisoning. A mix of hostels and Travelodge etc.
If I go again I'm thinking of slowing down a bit to do it over 2 1/2 or 3 weeks. Carrying a bivvy bag and sleeping bag so I have the option in good weather of just stopping beside a hedge somewhere.
Routewise my second attempt improved my original route a few places. I went via the Mersey ferry and Liverpool.
First time I went via the Forst of Bowland. Scenic but very hilly. 2nd attempt I stayed on the old A6 - absolutely fine for traffic. Faster and flatter.
Through Cornwall I got a better route as well Don't remember details offhand. There were from a Cornwall resident and expert, Mick F on uk cycling forum. He has done LeJog and Jogle multiple times including on a chopper. His route avoids hill where possible and avoids the A30.
BlindedByTheLights said:
Has anyone completed it with wild camping?
Plenty. Usually take a bit longer going loaded. Three weeks maybe. Roughly fifty miles a day. There is a specific section for LEJOG over at Uk Cycling.
https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewforum.php?f=22&...
From the forum - Mick F's adapted LEJOG chopper.
Edited by irc on Saturday 6th January 12:19
irc said:
BlindedByTheLights said:
Has anyone completed it with wild camping?
Plenty. Usually take a bit longer going loaded. Three weeks maybe. Roughly fifty miles a day. There is a specific section for LEJOG over at Uk Cycling.
https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewforum.php?f=22&...
From the forum - Mick F's adapted LEJOG chopper.
Edited by irc on Saturday 6th January 12:19
mikey P 500 said:
I rode Lejog with Peak Tours in summer of 22. I would highly recommend and made more sense than trying to do unsupported for me. As kept the bike light so could really enjoy the ride. The morning and afternoon cups of tea were very welcome too. Overall a great experience and would love to do some of their other tours. I also think the price is very fair when factor in what's included (most the food apart from evening meals) all accomodation and transfers at each end.
Thanks for the recommendation. Eeeeek...I've gone and booked it.Agreed, it is a fair price, works out at just below £200 a day for the 10 day trip. Looking at what I'd pay for accommodation, plus breakfast and lunch, tour "goodies" but most importantly the support, back up van, and very little thinking/planning on my part, it's really not too bad at all. Don't get me wrong, as a bikepacking enthusiast I love to "do it properly" and cheaply too, but for this I have limited time off work and just having everything simple seems like a bit of a no brainer. I've even gone for the single room supplement too...as I won't know anyone else on the trip (certainly to start with!) I'd just rather have my own space...attempting a century ride after no sleep due to a snorer would be a nightmare!
I'm really looking forward to it, obviously a bit nervous too. I won't have a huge amount of time to train, but on Saturday I was out with the faster guys in my club and I did 65miles at exactly 17mph average, so I'm fairly happy that doing 100miles at 13mph average should be pretty achievable straightaway. Others I know who have done it say as long as you get the first few days out the way (which are some of the hardest) the fitness will come anyway. But I will very happily take advice on training...TBH my biggest concern is staying injury/pain free, I suspect this might be more of a challenge over 10 days than the actual fitness.
By the way I did look at Great Bear, seemed great, however although the 12 day LEJOG would have been preferable distance wise, I was struggling with holiday and went for the 10 day option that Peak are running.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff