lejog in April
Discussion
My mate very recently dared me over a few beers that I couldnt be bothered to do this on my own in April.
Whilst it is a bit of a slog, I've actually been meaning to do it for sometime, and what with all the bank holidays at that time, I've only had to book 4 days off work. So I've booked my ticket from Paddington to Penzance, with a bike space - for £9.90, and the return from Wick to Kings Cross with a bike space, for £48.00.
Assuming I dont screw it up and miss either of them, I dont think thats too bad at all - although I have used my young persons railcard, and both trains are at stupid o clock (0700hrs and 0620hrs respectively). Still very cheap.
I've been lent a couple of books on the journey, and it looks (geographically) fairly straightfoward. Going to give myself a total of 10.5 days to do it in, which subject to any unforeseen problems should, I hope be enough. No B&Bs or anything like that - it's me, 8 hrs in the saddle a day, a bivvy, and a sleeping bag - and wherever I can find a patch of grass.
Thats the easy bit.
Now, all I've got to do is tell the missus I'm off for nearly 2 weeks to do it.
Whilst it is a bit of a slog, I've actually been meaning to do it for sometime, and what with all the bank holidays at that time, I've only had to book 4 days off work. So I've booked my ticket from Paddington to Penzance, with a bike space - for £9.90, and the return from Wick to Kings Cross with a bike space, for £48.00.
Assuming I dont screw it up and miss either of them, I dont think thats too bad at all - although I have used my young persons railcard, and both trains are at stupid o clock (0700hrs and 0620hrs respectively). Still very cheap.
I've been lent a couple of books on the journey, and it looks (geographically) fairly straightfoward. Going to give myself a total of 10.5 days to do it in, which subject to any unforeseen problems should, I hope be enough. No B&Bs or anything like that - it's me, 8 hrs in the saddle a day, a bivvy, and a sleeping bag - and wherever I can find a patch of grass.
Thats the easy bit.
Now, all I've got to do is tell the missus I'm off for nearly 2 weeks to do it.
We did it a couple of years ago, here is our blog. I would recommend that you do indeed have proper accomodation for the R&R but hats off to you if you do it unsupported and with a tent. Food is important but liquid even more so but don't get too carried away I am sure I put on weight , far too many flapjacks! Schedule in food and snack breaks and stick to the times religiously, it all to easy to forget to drink and if you get dehydrated that will give you loads of problems.
http://earlswoodend2enders.blogspot.com/
http://earlswoodend2enders.blogspot.com/
The bits that jumped out at me were:
Mental! Not even a tent? Are you doing LEJOG to enjoy the ride or as some kind of bizarre "man test"?
Good luck with it and let us know how it goes.
princeperch said:
My mate very recently dared me over a few beers that I couldnt be bothered to do this on my own in April.
Whilst it is a bit of a slog, I've actually been meaning to do it for sometime, and what with all the bank holidays at that time, I've only had to book 4 days off work. So I've booked my ticket from Paddington to Penzance, with a bike space - for £9.90, and the return from Wick to Kings Cross with a bike space, for £48.00.
Assuming I dont screw it up and miss either of them, I dont think thats too bad at all - although I have used my young persons railcard, and both trains are at stupid o clock (0700hrs and 0620hrs respectively). Still very cheap.
I've been lent a couple of books on the journey, and it looks (geographically) fairly straightfoward. Going to give myself a total of 10.5 days to do it in, which subject to any unforeseen problems should, I hope be enough. No B&Bs or anything like that - it's me, 8 hrs in the saddle a day, a bivvy, and a sleeping bag - and wherever I can find a patch of grass.
Thats the easy bit.
Now, all I've got to do is tell the missus I'm off for nearly 2 weeks to do it.
Whilst it is a bit of a slog, I've actually been meaning to do it for sometime, and what with all the bank holidays at that time, I've only had to book 4 days off work. So I've booked my ticket from Paddington to Penzance, with a bike space - for £9.90, and the return from Wick to Kings Cross with a bike space, for £48.00.
Assuming I dont screw it up and miss either of them, I dont think thats too bad at all - although I have used my young persons railcard, and both trains are at stupid o clock (0700hrs and 0620hrs respectively). Still very cheap.
I've been lent a couple of books on the journey, and it looks (geographically) fairly straightfoward. Going to give myself a total of 10.5 days to do it in, which subject to any unforeseen problems should, I hope be enough. No B&Bs or anything like that - it's me, 8 hrs in the saddle a day, a bivvy, and a sleeping bag - and wherever I can find a patch of grass.
Thats the easy bit.
Now, all I've got to do is tell the missus I'm off for nearly 2 weeks to do it.
Mental! Not even a tent? Are you doing LEJOG to enjoy the ride or as some kind of bizarre "man test"?
Good luck with it and let us know how it goes.
Whereever I lay my helmet is my home on this trip. I would prefer not to pay for campsites if possible and will wild camp.
Safety is obviously a bit of a concern, but I'm a big lad, so if the local weirdo tries to join me when I've bedded down for the night he will find himself sodomised with a kryptonite D lock rather sharpish..
Safety is obviously a bit of a concern, but I'm a big lad, so if the local weirdo tries to join me when I've bedded down for the night he will find himself sodomised with a kryptonite D lock rather sharpish..
ok, reality check #1 I admire you carefree attitude but you need to take some things into consideration.
wild camping is pretty much illegal in england and I seriously doubt you will get sufficient rest sleeping in a bivvy to restore muscles in your legs for the next day. you do need to stay in B&Bs in order to wash clothes (if you dont wash your shorts daily you will be allowing all sorts to grow in the chamois and you will get an infection of epic proportion). you will also not be able to cook suitable meals to restore energy levels on the road using a trangia or similar gas stove. energy gels, bananas etc will not suffice. At a guess you will need to be comsuming something like 4000 calories per day and a good carb/protein ratio of 4:1.
if its raining all day, the last thing you want to do is cook a gash meal from a camping stove, sleep in wet clothes on uneven ground and be woken in the night with cramp knowing you are up the next morning and in the saddle to do it all again......
wild camping is pretty much illegal in england and I seriously doubt you will get sufficient rest sleeping in a bivvy to restore muscles in your legs for the next day. you do need to stay in B&Bs in order to wash clothes (if you dont wash your shorts daily you will be allowing all sorts to grow in the chamois and you will get an infection of epic proportion). you will also not be able to cook suitable meals to restore energy levels on the road using a trangia or similar gas stove. energy gels, bananas etc will not suffice. At a guess you will need to be comsuming something like 4000 calories per day and a good carb/protein ratio of 4:1.
if its raining all day, the last thing you want to do is cook a gash meal from a camping stove, sleep in wet clothes on uneven ground and be woken in the night with cramp knowing you are up the next morning and in the saddle to do it all again......
pablo said:
if its raining all day, the last thing you want to do is cook a gash meal from a camping stove, sleep in wet clothes on uneven ground and be woken in the night with cramp knowing you are up the next morning and in the saddle to do it all again......
Funnily enough this is sort of what I'm after (albeit without the wet clothes or uneven ground). Its good to get back to basics and to challenge yourself once in a while.As a legal professional I guess I should be concerned about whether wild camping is illegal, but I'm not.
In terms of the wild camping the same friend who challenged me to do it, actually did the LEJOG 2 years ago on his own, and made a note of the best places to wild camp. I guess the bottom line is that if I cant camp where he recommends (because they've built a block of flats on it or whatever) then I'll have to look in the book for a campsite.
But your concern/advice is, in any event, noted, and appreciated.
For the record, I think this is a fantastic "MTFU" experience and you should go for it regardless of what any keyboard warriors on the internet say.
However, having said that, you really need to do your research before blindly going off into the unknown and attempting to ride lejog and sleep rough without knowing what you're letting yourself in for.
Have you toured before?
Are you aware that it's still the middle of winter in Scotland during April?
Is your sleeping bag / bivvy bag warm enough and fully waterproof?
Have you ever ridden 80-100 miles a day on consecutive days?
Repeatedly?
With poor quality sleep?
Have you cycled in damp clothes?
Daily?
How are you keeping yourself & your clothes (reasonably) clean and odour free? You don't need to be spotless but a lot of food places don't like tramps as it puts off their other customers!
What are you doing about food? I think if I was doing what you're doing I'd go for full English breakfast from a cafe, supermarket or petrol station sandwich / pasty /crisps / nuts / cakes / cereal bars / biscuits / chocolate / sweets for lunch and to snack on during the day and a fairly calorific dinner from a takeaway like fish & chips, (a couple of) burgers and chips, a pizza, curry or chinese. Yes it's nice to cook on a camping stove and be at one with nature but that means more to carry and more faffing at the end of a long day, more cleaning and packing away, access to water etc.
I'm not saying don't do it but from what you've said, don't assume it's going to be easy and be prepared to compromise what you thought you'd be doing in order to make the finish instead of trying to stick rigidly to any no b&b or no cafe rules. Far better to have a night in a b&b mid-journey to freshen yourself up, wash & dry your clothes and have a good nights sleep than to quit because you're having a miserable time of it.
I've not done lejog but have cycled back from the Med so a French end to end if you like and that was in the middle of summer staying at b&bs all the way and covering in excess of 100 miles a day most days and carrying luggage. I think what you're doing isn't to be underestimated if it's the first time you've done anything like that and wish you the very best of luck.
However, having said that, you really need to do your research before blindly going off into the unknown and attempting to ride lejog and sleep rough without knowing what you're letting yourself in for.
Have you toured before?
Are you aware that it's still the middle of winter in Scotland during April?
Is your sleeping bag / bivvy bag warm enough and fully waterproof?
Have you ever ridden 80-100 miles a day on consecutive days?
Repeatedly?
With poor quality sleep?
Have you cycled in damp clothes?
Daily?
How are you keeping yourself & your clothes (reasonably) clean and odour free? You don't need to be spotless but a lot of food places don't like tramps as it puts off their other customers!
What are you doing about food? I think if I was doing what you're doing I'd go for full English breakfast from a cafe, supermarket or petrol station sandwich / pasty /crisps / nuts / cakes / cereal bars / biscuits / chocolate / sweets for lunch and to snack on during the day and a fairly calorific dinner from a takeaway like fish & chips, (a couple of) burgers and chips, a pizza, curry or chinese. Yes it's nice to cook on a camping stove and be at one with nature but that means more to carry and more faffing at the end of a long day, more cleaning and packing away, access to water etc.
I'm not saying don't do it but from what you've said, don't assume it's going to be easy and be prepared to compromise what you thought you'd be doing in order to make the finish instead of trying to stick rigidly to any no b&b or no cafe rules. Far better to have a night in a b&b mid-journey to freshen yourself up, wash & dry your clothes and have a good nights sleep than to quit because you're having a miserable time of it.
I've not done lejog but have cycled back from the Med so a French end to end if you like and that was in the middle of summer staying at b&bs all the way and covering in excess of 100 miles a day most days and carrying luggage. I think what you're doing isn't to be underestimated if it's the first time you've done anything like that and wish you the very best of luck.
h especially the A30, we tried the small roads but they really reduced progress so a30 it was in torrential rain. neilski said:
For the record, I think this is a fantastic "MTFU" experience and you should go for it regardless of what any keyboard warriors on the internet say.
However, having said that, you really need to do your research before blindly going off into the unknown and attempting to ride lejog and sleep rough without knowing what you're letting yourself in for.
Have you toured before?
Are you aware that it's still the middle of winter in Scotland during April?
Is your sleeping bag / bivvy bag warm enough and fully waterproof?
Have you ever ridden 80-100 miles a day on consecutive days?
Repeatedly?
With poor quality sleep?
Have you cycled in damp clothes?
Daily?
How are you keeping yourself & your clothes (reasonably) clean and odour free? You don't need to be spotless but a lot of food places don't like tramps as it puts off their other customers!
What are you doing about food? I think if I was doing what you're doing I'd go for full English breakfast from a cafe, supermarket or petrol station sandwich / pasty /crisps / nuts / cakes / cereal bars / biscuits / chocolate / sweets for lunch and to snack on during the day and a fairly calorific dinner from a takeaway like fish & chips, (a couple of) burgers and chips, a pizza, curry or chinese. Yes it's nice to cook on a camping stove and be at one with nature but that means more to carry and more faffing at the end of a long day, more cleaning and packing away, access to water etc.
I'm not saying don't do it but from what you've said, don't assume it's going to be easy and be prepared to compromise what you thought you'd be doing in order to make the finish instead of trying to stick rigidly to any no b&b or no cafe rules. Far better to have a night in a b&b mid-journey to freshen yourself up, wash & dry your clothes and have a good nights sleep than to quit because you're having a miserable time of it.
I've not done lejog but have cycled back from the Med so a French end to end if you like and that was in the middle of summer staying at b&bs all the way and covering in excess of 100 miles a day most days and carrying luggage. I think what you're doing isn't to be underestimated if it's the first time you've done anything like that and wish you the very best of luck.
I've done a bit of touring in the alps last year but nothing as serious as the lejog. Commute to work every day on the bike and normally am motivated enough to do a 50/60 mile ride of a weekend (yesterday morning I would have preferred to stay in bed rather than do a 50 miler in the pissing rain but I still went out).However, having said that, you really need to do your research before blindly going off into the unknown and attempting to ride lejog and sleep rough without knowing what you're letting yourself in for.
Have you toured before?
Are you aware that it's still the middle of winter in Scotland during April?
Is your sleeping bag / bivvy bag warm enough and fully waterproof?
Have you ever ridden 80-100 miles a day on consecutive days?
Repeatedly?
With poor quality sleep?
Have you cycled in damp clothes?
Daily?
How are you keeping yourself & your clothes (reasonably) clean and odour free? You don't need to be spotless but a lot of food places don't like tramps as it puts off their other customers!
What are you doing about food? I think if I was doing what you're doing I'd go for full English breakfast from a cafe, supermarket or petrol station sandwich / pasty /crisps / nuts / cakes / cereal bars / biscuits / chocolate / sweets for lunch and to snack on during the day and a fairly calorific dinner from a takeaway like fish & chips, (a couple of) burgers and chips, a pizza, curry or chinese. Yes it's nice to cook on a camping stove and be at one with nature but that means more to carry and more faffing at the end of a long day, more cleaning and packing away, access to water etc.
I'm not saying don't do it but from what you've said, don't assume it's going to be easy and be prepared to compromise what you thought you'd be doing in order to make the finish instead of trying to stick rigidly to any no b&b or no cafe rules. Far better to have a night in a b&b mid-journey to freshen yourself up, wash & dry your clothes and have a good nights sleep than to quit because you're having a miserable time of it.
I've not done lejog but have cycled back from the Med so a French end to end if you like and that was in the middle of summer staying at b&bs all the way and covering in excess of 100 miles a day most days and carrying luggage. I think what you're doing isn't to be underestimated if it's the first time you've done anything like that and wish you the very best of luck.
All my kit is top notch - in a previous existance I worked for Blacks and millets for a few years so took advantage of the staff discount.
I guess that the hardest part of a task like this, is getting up at a reasonable time and getting on the bike everyday. I plan to get up as early as possible and get going each day - by about 7am or so...
Whats the worst that can happen eh?
I've got equally big plans this year which start with a cycle home from Edinburgh to Portsmouth in late April but even i'm going into hostels and cheap hotels enroute over a period of 4 1/2 days
Good luck and i hope you document your experience cause i'm sure not many people have done it sleeping rough every night and it'll be a good reference point for people thinking of doing it in the future.
Good luck and i hope you document your experience cause i'm sure not many people have done it sleeping rough every night and it'll be a good reference point for people thinking of doing it in the future.
The speed I'll be doing I dont think a peleton will be required mate!
I'm just doing the standard route out of the Brian Smailes book, which seems fairly well respected.
The only thing that I'm think of now is do I bring a spare folding tyre with me? I've got gatorskins on at the moment which probably have close to 1,000 miles under them, but that are in very good nick...
I'm just doing the standard route out of the Brian Smailes book, which seems fairly well respected.
The only thing that I'm think of now is do I bring a spare folding tyre with me? I've got gatorskins on at the moment which probably have close to 1,000 miles under them, but that are in very good nick...
princeperch said:
The speed I'll be doing I dont think a peleton will be required mate!
I'm just doing the standard route out of the Brian Smailes book, which seems fairly well respected.
The only thing that I'm think of now is do I bring a spare folding tyre with me? I've got gatorskins on at the moment which probably have close to 1,000 miles under them, but that are in very good nick...
probably worth it, it just takes a bit of glass to slice through a tyre and you're in a fix. i always have some thin bits of plastic in my saddle bag for stuff (margarine tubs are good for this)I'm just doing the standard route out of the Brian Smailes book, which seems fairly well respected.
The only thing that I'm think of now is do I bring a spare folding tyre with me? I've got gatorskins on at the moment which probably have close to 1,000 miles under them, but that are in very good nick...
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