I'm back from my LEJOG

[shirokazan]

Just like to say thanks to everyone for all the advice and route tips that I've gleaned from this forum over the last few years.

For information, I started my LEJOG on Sunday 14th June and completed it last Saturday (27th June). The route was a mostly unclassified/B roads and I made use of some sections of the NCN routes, some of which were cycle paths. I was unsupported and did a mixture of camping/B&B plus a youth hostel one night. My stopping points were:

Day 1: (Sunday 14th) Bodmin
Day 2: (Monday 15th) Sampford Peverell (near Tiverton)
Day 3: (Tuesday 16th) Monmouth
Day 4: (Wednesday 17th) Bishop's Castle
Day 5: (Thursday 18th) Little Budworth
Day 6: (Friday 19th) Slaidburn
Day 7: (Saturday 20th) Carlisle
Day 8: (Sunday 21st) Muirkirk
Day 9: (Monday 22nd) Balloch (Loch Lomond)
Day 10: (Tuesday 23rd) Pitlochry
Day 11: (Wednesday 24th) Carrbridge
Day 12: (Thursday 25th) Tain
Day 13: (Friday 26th) Bettyhill

Overall distance: 1137 miles

Hardest bits were going across Devon on day 2, going over the Gospel Pass (over 1800ft) on day 3, and getting in and out of the Forest of Bowland (days 6 and 7). Drumochter Pass (day 11) and Slochd Pass (day 12) were quite easy as they had gentle gradients and the benefit of a reasonable tail wind: if it had been raining and a strong head wind they would have been quite tough.

A great experience and not much rain to deal with (the worst being in Okehampton on day 2, where lightning was grounding not far from me, too).

 

[Shanks]

Congratulations, a great achievement. I'm just getting back into this sport so rides of this magnitude are a world away from my current level. But it's encouraging to know that it can be done. What's next?

 

[rich p]

Well done, indeed, it sounds like a well-oiled military-precision operation.

Great achievement.

 

[Rollon]

Well done, stuff I can only dream of at present, but one day, who knows?
Dave.

 

[Garz]

Congratulations shiro, job well done!

 

[numbnuts]

well done

 

[GrasB]

Well done there. I must say I'm extremely envious it's something I think about doing then say... NO WAY I'm not that insane! Big props to anyone who does this.

 

[shirokazan]

Well done there. I must say I'm extremely envious it's something I think about doing then say... NO WAY I'm not that insane! Big props to anyone who does this.

Thanks for your congratulations to you and the others who've left messages. GrasB, you might find it easier and not as insane as you think! To me it was really just a sequence of day rides.

 

[GrasB]

Thanks for your congratulations to you and the others who've left messages. GrasB, you might find it easier and not as insane as you think! To me it was really just a sequence of day rides.

See the term 'day ride' just isn't something my body or brain understand. You see, I'm fine at a steady pace right up until a cyclist doing the sort of speed I know I'm capable of or a little bit faster overtakes me, from that point on I'm off like a jack rabbit. This typically leads to leg implosion after about 3 hours in the saddle ...

 

[CopperBrompton]

Congrats :-)

And yes, it's funny the way everyone assumes Scotland will be the worst and are always surprised when you tell them it's Cornwall and Devon.

 

[Nickyandgeorgie]

Well done.

I am doing it next year. Did you follow your own route and roughly what distances between each stop?

would you ever do it again and did you see a lot of good site on the way up? do you think it is better to go up or come down or no diffrence?

cheers

Nick

 

[janner]

hi Nick
Just completed the the ride s to n to use the prevailing winds 9days of head winds 1 day of tail winds its the luck of the draw. Its worth taking in to consideration the difficulty of getting home from the far north and doing the hardest bits first Devon and Cornwall your fitness will have improved by Scotland and Shap fell . I would certianly do it again .
BEWARE OF CYCLE PATHS THAT LEAD TO NOWHERE

 

[wyno70]

I went North to South and had a headwind for 1 and a half days only. It can do whatever, just take it whichever way you fancy and getting back from LE is much easier than getting back from JOG!