LEJOG April 2015

[chainreaction-nic]

Thanks for that. I am a seasoned YHA' er ! Problem with them is that a. they aren't that cheap anymore and b. my experience of them is that they are miles off the beaten-track, usually up a steep track - the last thing I will feel like after cycling a zillion miles during each day! But you do have a point: some of them might be more conveniently located so I will bear them in mind when planning my route nearer the time. And.... Oh - I hadn't thought about the fact that B&B's charge per person, not per room. Thanks for the tip. Is that always the case these days?? And.... what's a bot please?

You haven't yet answered my question about: "What is a bot" please?!! I'm fascinated to know!

 

[chainreaction-nic]

[QUOTE 3079788, member: 30090"]You want to keep the room share costs down?

The cheapest form of accommodation is to stay at a Youth Hostel, and unless you are both sleeping in the same bed then the room costs ain't gonna change.

And am I replying to a bot I wonder?[/QUOTE]
You still haven't answered my query about: "What is a bot" please?? I am fascinated to know!

 

[MikeG]

Not addressed to me, but....

A bot is an automated programme, assigned various tasks. Often when you ask questions on a "live-link" help-thingy the first few responses are generated automatically.......by a bot.

 

[chainreaction-nic]

Not addressed to me, but....

A bot is an automated programme, assigned various tasks. Often when you ask questions on a "live-link" help-thingy the first few responses are generated automatically.......by a bot.

Thank you very much for that. I'm not much the wiser but still.......

 

[Spoked Wheels]

Welcome Nic.

I'd be amazed if you found someone to do the ride with via the forum. I certainly wouldn't commit to cycling with a stranger for 3 weeks. However, don't let this spoil your plans. Lejogging is wonderful and challenging, and you'll love it even if you do it by yourself.

If you are trying to save a bit of money, consider joining AirBnB, an online community of B&Bs which charge old-fashioned prices to members. Also, seriously look at the cheaper hotel chains, because some of them are much cheaper than B&B's, which is a ridiculous situation. Plan your route early, and book early. Getting back from J O'G can be difficult, so make this the starting point for your planning. Getting accommodation in Scotland can be difficult, because as you get to more remote places there are very few options, and those are booked early.

Your 50 mile daily ride is something else to discuss. I did a slow Lejog, because it was our summer holiday, and we wanted time to spend at various places, but 50 miles really isn't very hard. I would certainly suggest you stick to this through Devon and Cornwall, but after that, you'll barely see another hill before you get to Shap. Bump your mileage up to 60 and you'll save yourself a couple of nights of accommodation, and meals out. You can easily do 50 miles before lunch in most places, even at 10mph!

I guess after 35 years in this country I still don't know British people very well I would certainly commit to ride for 3 weeks with a stranger. I don't think it's such a big deal. I tend to get on with most people and I'm a strong believer in helping each other. having said all that, after reading that chainreaction agrees with your thinking, I lost interest so I'm not volunteering although the timing is good for me. April / May 2005 would be ideal.

 

[theloafer]

back in 2004 while planning my second LEJOG for 2005 a guy on the ctc forum was asking for a ride buddy after I contacted him we chattered over the phone as he lived down Horsham sorted most of the trip out , then our first meeting was as I got of the train at Penzance... we have done the west coast Scotland , I took a week in the lakes and over the French alps and still get on very well .....

 

[chainreaction-nic]

Thank you for the welcome post "Razzle" !

 

[chainreaction-nic]

I guess after 35 years in this country I still don't know British people very well I would certainly commit to ride for 3 weeks with a stranger. I don't think it's such a big deal. I tend to get on with most people and I'm a strong believer in helping each other. having said all that, after reading that chainreaction agrees with your thinking, I lost interest so I'm not volunteering although the timing is good for me. April / May 2005 would be ideal.

Hi RRSODL - I feel a bit sad and bad reading what you say because really and truly I do agree with you: people should be able to get on well enough over 3 weeks. Guess I'm just trying to prepare myself for the eventuality of doing it on my own. (I WOULD be fine on my own as I AM quite self-contained, but equally it would be even nicer to have other(s) to share the experience with). (especially the repair of my punctures. Ha ha.). My only slight reservation would be someone who talks non-stop! (Especially if its about themself, when I want to talk about MYSELF. Ha ha again) Anyway......There has been a slight adjustment to my plans since I last posted: an adjustment of a mere 6 months!! I am now planning to start my trip on 27th August this year! EEEeeek. Don't suppose you could extricate yourself from all your commitments and responsibilities for three weeks at 11 weeks notice??! Rather unlikely I think!

(Please note "Mike G" if you read this: I have remembered to use paragraphs!) Just to put you in the picture - I like the idea suggested by um.... "CoffeeJo" above re: WarmShowers.org Someone has now downloaded their 'ap' (is that the right word?) onto my phone so I can view all the people I can hopefully arrange to stay with. Just hope I'm not too late and they're all full up (or fed-up) with overnighters. I am starting to plan my route now and have begun by taking um....oh yes "MikeG's" advice, so have booked my accommodation in Thurso for the night of my arrival at JoG. Am now about to book a flight back from Inverness (was only £47 yesterday - to Bristol) + organise my bike's return trip. Last time it was going to cost me £60 to get it home so, for aprox £110, me and my bike should arrive back in one piece. Well that's my plan; no doubt the reality will be different. The start (at Lands End) won't be a prob as my husband wants to drive me down there. That's a bit of luck!. (we have a bike carrier that takes two bikes so one other person would be welcome).

Do you think I need to re-post, now that I've changed the date? I still find this site confusing to use. It took me ages to work out how to reply to YOU even! Hey ho. I am getting there tho. Going on a bike maintenance course soon too! Needless to say, the bike shop man will have to have the patience of a Saint as my powers of retention aren't what they used to be. My husband would teach me (he says) if it weren't for the fact that his blood-pressure would probably go thru the roof in the process. Oh dear. What a to do.

 

[chainreaction-nic]

back in 2004 while planning my second LEJOG for 2005 a guy on the ctc forum was asking for a ride buddy after I contacted him we chattered over the phone as he lived down Horsham sorted most of the trip out , then our first meeting was as I got of the train at Penzance... we have done the west coast Scotland , I took a week in the lakes and over the French alps and still get on very well .....

That all sounds very positive "theloafer". But the way in which you did it was - sort of - as I had planned to do it. ie. to get to know the person a bit beforehand - in your case over the phone - I was hoping to meet up for a couple of rides together first ideally, but I'm sure that telephone chats would suffice. Thanks anyway. I am getting lots of hints and ideas from CycleChat. I've asked "RRSODL" but I will ask you also: do you think I should re-post, now that I've changed the date of my trip? Or rather.... how do I do that? Do I edit my first post or do I do a new one and if I so, would a new one link up with all my 'conversations' so far? Its so debilitating being so rubbish at IT.

 

[chainreaction-nic]

Thanks for that tip. I'm interested in this as my son does "Couch-surfing" (same sort of thing). He started off his year-out in Hong Kongdoing this and made a load of friends through it!
Anyway, I tried copying and pasting the Warms showers' email address into my Contacts list but it keeps telling me "Address Invalid"?? (This was the simplest form of by-passing my spam filters. They also recommended another method but that was far too involved and complicated!.)

FYI: I have now managed to register with WarmShowers.org Thanks again for the tip.

 

[chainreaction-nic]

Would also recommend the Warm Showers Community as an option for accommodation.

Have been reading some of your posts. Are you near Taunton?

 

[coffeejo]

Have been reading some of your posts. Are you near Taunton?

Guilty as charged

 

[chainreaction-nic]

Guilty as charged

Do you fancy a cycle ride some time? I like to do a lot of my cycling on my own but company sometimes is always nice. Went out with Wellie Wheelers today. Got as far as Honiton for coffee and they were going on to Sidmouth but unfortunately I had to get back so couldn't join them for the last leg.

 

[chainreaction-nic]

Guilty as charged

P.S. Obviously we'd have to see if we were at a similar sort of level speed-wise. My average today to Honiton and back was 11.7. It was a pretty hilly ride and I was being pulled along a little faster than was comfy. If you're much faster, there wouldn't be much point I guess

 

[coffeejo]

Most of my rides tend to be quite spontaneous but I'm thinking about rejoining Wellie Wheelers so might catch up with you there.