June 2021 LEJOG with Stig

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There.
We've said it out loud now.
It's ON!

We have been thinking/planning for a while looking at different outline route options, duration and timings, also bearing in mind possible Covid scenarios.

We are settled upon a three week trip in June next year. Using the Cycle.Travel easy east coast route, a little longer than some routes but it claims to be pretty much the flattest option, that was the clincher as we will be mostly camping and will have Stig with us. Which will limit speed and to a degree daily distances, an excess of climbing would impact that even further. Besides, if we are doing it we want to enjoy it.

The route has a benefit of passing fairly close to home, not that we will detour home, but it is close enough for friends to drive out to meet us for lunch and bring a re-stock of supplies, such as food for Stig, carrying three weeks of his food the whole way would likely take up a fair proportion of pannier space.

In the past we have found cycle and dog friendly accommodation can be tricky to find in the right places, hopefully camping will open up more options there. We do aim to throw in the occasional Travelodge or such like to give a comfort boost along the way.

There is still much work to be done both on finalising route planning accommodation etc and particularly on our legs.

But we've told someone now, so, we're off.
And we are excited.
 

13 rider

Guru
Location
leicester
Good luck . I make that around 50 miles a day which should be comfortable enough even carrying all the gear stig included . With all the pandemic stuff it must be nice to have a big event to plan for further enough in the future to hope things will be back to something like normal .
If you post your route you will get some input into it which you can politely ignore :laugh: or take on board
 
OP
OP
Rob and Alison

Rob and Alison

Veteran
Location
Caistor, Lincs
Thanks @13 rider, yes, it is great to have something big to look forward to in hopefully better times. Our trip this June (not LEJOG) was obviously cancelled, and we have decided to jump back in with the big one rather than put it back another year, the pandemic has certainly shown that it is better to 'do it now' rather than keep waiting.

The three of us are pretty comfortable with day rides up to 70miles at the moment, so hopefully with an average daily mileage well below that it should be fine. Although the three week window will have to include travel each way too so maybe not 21 days riding.
We have to crack on with the planning to work that out.

We will probably be making some minor alterations to the published route to allow for accommodation etc, and will certainly be seeking the expertise of the CycleChat team to point out any flaws or tricky sections.
 

13 rider

Guru
Location
leicester
Just an a quick look at the route from Meridian to past Nottingham and nothing I'd avoid a few cyclepaths through Coalville I've not used so can't comment but cycletravel does seem to pretty good at its routing .
As you now Cornwall will be lumpy but as the route avoids the coastal route Newquay to Padstow you will certainly cut down on the climbing
 

Pale Rider

Legendary Member
I've never understood why nearly everyone goes up the west side of the country when the east side is much flatter and drier.

The stretch of the route I'm familiar with is from York to Berwick.

The cycle.travel route is pretty much how I would go.

The accompanying notes are well researched.

For example, they mention stocking up with food at Northallerton, because there are not so many opportunities for that in the next 50 miles.

Sounds daft, but you don't pass a lot of eating places.

There's decent converted station cafe at Thorpe Thewles (565miles, marked as Wynyard on the map) at the start of a gravel section of NCN1.

Opening hours can be variable, but there is a handy outside tap at the rear of the premises so you can at least get a bottle top up.

Cutting inland at Ryhope, near Sunderland, at about 585miles, is an odd choice, when there's a good cinder track along the coast.

The cycle.travel route sends you over Tunstall Hill, which is a longish drag rather than steep, while staying on the coastal track is flat.

Not a huge deal, and micro-managing a 1,000 mile ride would drive you nuts, so unless you have a strong aversion to climbing, the cycle.travel route will do the job well enough.

The stretch up the Northumberland coast north of Tynemouth is another where there's not a lot of food stops, so grab something to eat when you see it.

I would suggest a detour to Holy Island, if time and tides allow.

As the route notes observe, it's only an eight mile round trip.

Cycling along the long tidal causeway is a riding experience like no other in the country.

Plenty to see, eat, and drink in Lindisfarne, although it can be busy with coach and car tourists in summer.

The notes also mention the grassy field on the NCN route just south of Berwick.

I thought I read somewhere it has been improved, but either way don't be tempted to try to avoid that stretch because there is no easy, or even complicated, way to do it.
 

nickyboy

Norven Mankey
Thanks @13 rider, yes, it is great to have something big to look forward to in hopefully better times. Our trip this June (not LEJOG) was obviously cancelled, and we have decided to jump back in with the big one rather than put it back another year, the pandemic has certainly shown that it is better to 'do it now' rather than keep waiting.

The three of us are pretty comfortable with day rides up to 70miles at the moment, so hopefully with an average daily mileage well below that it should be fine. Although the three week window will have to include travel each way too so maybe not 21 days riding.
We have to crack on with the planning to work that out.

We will probably be making some minor alterations to the published route to allow for accommodation etc, and will certainly be seeking the expertise of the CycleChat team to point out any flaws or tricky sections.
We are doing LEJOG in Mat 2021 so happy to provide any comments on the bits of your route that coincide with ours (we are going up the West side and calling in at our homes in Glossop in the way. We will also do the Perth-Aveimore route in Scotland, rather than the Great Glen
 

OldShep

Über Member
I've never understood why nearly everyone goes up the west side of the country when the east side is much flatter and drier
Flatter can be really hard work sometimes. Anyone who ever rode "Bernie's Long Flat One" 600k will probably agree.
Drier is a serious consideration though :sun:

This East Coast route is 100 miles longer and saves 1500 metres of climbing to a West coast route I took.
 
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