Bottom to Top OR Top to Bottom?

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robbiep

Über Member
Location
Bournemouth
Morning all,

We are Bournemouth based and plan to commence our ride early September.

We have always spoken about going LEJOG due to prevailing winds as we've heard it would be 'easier' than JOGLE.

My issue is getting back to Bournemouth at the end of LEJOG, whereas getting back to Bournemouth from Lands End would be a lot easier.

Really I'm asking how much harder is JOGLE than LEGOG, should the winds/route be a consideration to base the ride on, or are they just as hard as each other?

Should we leave Cornwall to the end or hit the hills fresh?

We are fit but not regular cyclists except for the 4 months training we'll have done when we start. We really don't want to make the ride any more difficult than we know it will be!

Thanks for any help.
 

Norm

Guest
Wouldn't the journey to Bournemouth from John o'Groats after a LEJoG trip be about as difficult as the journey from Bournemouth to John o'Groats for a JoGLE trip?
 
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robbiep

Über Member
Location
Bournemouth
Hi Norm,

I guess you're right, but after 9 days hard riding that return journey fills me with dread. Also, we can potentially hire a van to get us up there as my father has offered to drive. If we are with him on the way up to help with driving he has friends he can stay with half way back.
 
I have been planning to ride the Durness –Dover or Dover-Durness route in September, after a lot of thought I have decided on travelling by public transport to Durness and ride South, the reason for this is that, I would prefer to suffer the public transport problem at the beginning of my trip, rather than at the end, when I would be knackered:-) , like yourself I live in Southern England and so getting from Dover to my home is fairly easy . But saying that In the past when I have cycled in Scotland, I have used the Scotrail Night sleeper on the night-sleeper routes to Inverness, Glasgow and Fort William without two much hassle.
The problem is that the trains have limited bike places which get booked up fairly early, it surprising how many cyclist use the night sleeper service, thus it far easier to book a place on the London northwards route as your start date is more assured, whereas the return journey’s dates and times can be hard to be sure of until a few days beforehand depending on ones progress along your planned route.
As to effects of the wind, I would not worry to much about it as over the the course of your travels you will get battered from winds from all directions.
Hope that helps a little
 
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robbiep

Über Member
Location
Bournemouth
That's great, thanks.

I never realised there was a limited number of places for bikes, I'll start researching the availability.

It appears to me that after 9 days riding we'd have to do the following: cycle back to Wick 20 ish miles, train to Inverness, sleeper to London then travel back to Bournemouth. Is this accurate?

If this is the way back I think this would be better done with a fresh brain and set of legs............

thanks again.
 

BigGee

Senior Member
I would agree with pretty much all that has been said, I choose to go top to bottom as well.

JOG is a long way from anywhere and getting there from the south does take a long time and a lot of stress. I live in London by the way. The limits of number of bikes on the train is a big problem and even though I had a reservation was something that bothered me, I was on a tight schedule and if there had been a cock up then the trip could have been over before it was started.

I meet a few people in Inverness who where going the other way and had found the first train they could get back from Wick was going to be two days after they arrived there, which was going to be something of an anti climax. The landlady of the B&B I stayed in at Wick told me about people having to post there bikes home from there as there only way of getting home. Apparently the post office at Wick is quite accomodating at doing this. Getting home from LE was much easier, just an hour ride back to Penzance, plently of trains and 5 hours later I was home, if you choose the right train it is not even that expensive, it only cost me £13.50.

The other thing about JOG is that it is very underwhelming, you cycle all that way and will get left with the impression, is that it? Apparently most of the coaches that stop there with the tourists are gone within a half hour, photo, postcard and gone. There are plans to re-develop it but that is a good few years away. When I was there even the photographer had gone home and that was late afternoon (they take the sign with them when they go by the way). There is certainly a bit more to keep you amused and let it all sink in at LE and you can be sure that the photographer will be there to take your money right into the evening.

Don't worry to much about the wind or the hills, there are tough hills at both ends so no getting away from them and ultimately the wind will blow from where the wind blows. There is no guarentee of a tail wind from whichever way you go unless you are happy to sit and wait for a weather window like the record breakers do.

Whichever way you deceide, have a great ride

grahame
 
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robbiep

Über Member
Location
Bournemouth
Thanks Grahame, you've gone to alot of trouble there and I'm very grateful. This all seems to be pointing us for a top to bottom effort, ALL I have to do now is get the miles in to the legs!!

Thanks again.
 
robbiep said:
That's great, thanks.

I never realised there was a limited number of places for bikes, I'll start researching the availability.

It appears to me that after 9 days riding we'd have to do the following: cycle back to Wick 20 ish miles, train to Inverness, sleeper to London then travel back to Bournemouth. Is this accurate?

If this is the way back I think this would be better done with a fresh brain and set of legs............

thanks again.

Scotrail require you to book the bike on most of there onward routes from Glasgow, Fort William and Inverness. the Night Sleeper from London, allows 6 bikes for each of the sections of the train,ie Lon-Fort Wiliam 6, Lon-Glasgow 6, London Inverness 6, onward journey from each of those places is either 3 or 6 places, so you can see you might get a bike booking to one of the main stations, but find the onward journey already booked.
if you are travelling in 4 weeks you should be trying to book places now.
Best to talk to Scotrail by phone for booking as they will check and advise the availablity of bike places for you whole journey.

http://www.scotrail.co.uk

08457 55 00 33
 
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