LEJOG Complete!

[db7db7]

Hi,
I have just returned from my successful 11 day LEJOG and wanted to share some info with you. This website has been a massive help to me in the past and i wanted to give something back and put some info up which might help others. So...

Courses:
Basically, we wanted a safe route that would avoid the worst of the A roads. In Cornwall i used parts of "Jeremy's Passage" - great route, scenic and not too tough - but some dodgy tracks, i had a hybrid with 28 Marathon Pluses and felt a bit uneasy at times - i wouldn't use anything less robust. In Devon/Somerset we used "Rob's Passage" to avoid Cadbury Hills - great route - again, check your tires or carry your bike down small parts.
The rest of the route was good and the A9 section was using the cycle paths and old A9. I wouldn't use the B road again out of Brora as this was terrible and snapped my rack - the A road (further up the A9) it joins afterwards was good though. Also, the Glasgow - Inverness section was very tough due to lots of climbs and cycle paths - not as easy as roads, but safety was my first priority - and views were great.
If anyone needs any info on these find courses below and i'm happy to answer specific questions:

1 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804497
2a http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804473
2b http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804463
3a http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804442
3b http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804425
4 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804417
5 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804401
6 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804384
7a http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804361
7b http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804341
8a http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804324
8b http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804311
9a http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804295
9b http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804283
10 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804267
11 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354804254

Kit:
We mainly camped so i took a cheapo £12 Asda tent as it was one of the few that was small enough when packed - worked like a charm - easy to set up, water proof and could just throw it away for the last leg. I rode a Specialized Sirrus Comp which was perfect for the job. Useful things i took included shoelaces (tied pannier rack together when it broke), Paper map with route marked, Anker portable battery (got around 4-6 charges of phone/Garmin), decent quality sleeping bag, chamois cream (ouch), cable ties (useful for everything), Garmin Edge 200 - amazing bit of kit and relatively cheap - just set it all up before you begin. I just took 3 bits of everything - 1 to wear, 1 to dry from prev day and 1 clean for night. I would take some sort of inflatable pillow next time - sore neck.

Accommodation:
We mainly camped and didn't pre-book anything as we wanted to see how many miles in we could get. This was fine generally for camping, but a pain if we wanted a B&B. My advice would be plan a rough 10 mile radius "end point" and record possible B&B locations and numbers - phone/internet signal was hit and miss. All welcomed cyclists though - campsites were generally about a tenner and hotels/B&Bs £40-60.

Training:
I'm not a cyclist. i only use it to keep fit and break the monotony of gym/running. Therefore, ANYONE can do this - provided they train! I only trained on the bike about 5 times a week for around 10 weeks. Generally included about 3-4 15-30 miles sessions and longer 30-65 miles weekend sessions. For me the key was regularity and consecutive days out rather than pure distance - get the body (and bike) used to what it will be doing daily.

Finally:
This was an amazing experience (one i'm not sure i'll repeat though) and the best way to see the sights of this beautiful country. If you're thinking of doing it - do it. But, plan and prepare properly - this can't be "winged" and at times you can be going 40 miles with no soul in sight and you need to know a bit about your bike and routes etc.
Without the help of this website, CTC forum and some useful e-mail advice from Nigel Bradley http://nigellejog.wordpress.com/ i wouldn't have been able to do it.
So, if i can be of any help, please ask and thanks again.

D
Officially a LEJOGer!

 

[lejogger]

Congratulations!

Great feeling eh?

 

[Hill Wimp]

Bravo and the tips are great for any type of distance ride.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

congratulations.

Shall have a good look at your route around Devon & Cornwall, JOGLE for me next month so just at the route planning stage. But I'm doing a west coast route via Durness & various Islands (weather permitting of course!) over 3 weeks (2 weeks with my OH and then to the end by myself).

 

[James Morley]

Well done, and thanks so much for sharing. I can see you had a lot of great suggestions from people here and built them into your route, so you've then made it a huge amount easier for me than trawling through everywhere.

I'm on a road bike so I guess I'll have to take into account some of your comments about the rough parts (the roads that is, not the cities!). You can find my tentative route at https://www.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ms...&ll=52.548801,-2.936783&spn=0.079541,0.140247 if you want to have a look and have any suggestions. The first two days are rather odd though as first night is back with the family in a holiday cottage, and second night is with friends who run a (very cycle friendly) B&B on the bottom edge of Exmoor. Then I need to get motoring!

 

[theloafer]

congrats and well done

 

[DaveyM]

well done

 

[db7db7]

route looks good to me - just make sure you're aware of some of the dangers posed on the busiest roads e.g. a30, a82 - it wasn't something i wanted to risk, but i respect everyone's personal decisions - just make sure they're informed ones. If i can be of any specific help please ask.
Gd luck with the planning!
D

 

[numbnuts]

well done

 

[PeteXXX]

Well done!
I hope to do LEJOG as my retirement present to myself in about 5 years..

 

[DWiggy]

Superb achievement! Kudos

 

[James Morley]

route looks good to me - just make sure you're aware of some of the dangers posed on the busiest roads e.g. a30, a82 - it wasn't something i wanted to risk, but i respect everyone's personal decisions - just make sure they're informed ones. If i can be of any specific help please ask.
Gd luck with the planning!
D

Thanks for this. I am missing the A30 entirely, and the only bits of the A82 are an early start out of Glencoe on Day 8 then another stretch along Loch Lochy a short while later - I'm not sure there's any real way to avoid those, unless I did the Aviemore route that you took, but I think that will add quite a bit to my route as I've committed to going over to the west coast.

 

[fossyant]

Well done

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Thanks for this. I am missing the A30 entirely, and the only bits of the A82 are an early start out of Glencoe on Day 8 then another stretch along Loch Lochy a short while later - I'm not sure there's any real way to avoid those, unless I did the Aviemore route that you took, but I think that will add quite a bit to my route as I've committed to going over to the west coast.

your only other option is what we are doing, over onto the Isle of Arran (from Ardrossan), Arran to Mull of Kintyre, up to Lochgilphead and Oban, then Oban to Craignure, cycle to Tobermoray, ferry to Kilchoan, cycle to Mallaig, ferry to Skye, back via the Skye bridge of mainland and up that way. Should be great, but need to time the ferries carefully... unless you cycle from Oban to Fort William on the A828. We have previously cycled the A83 & A816 which was not a problem and there is a very long winded cycle route that takes +30 miles more than the main road does which you can also do should you really fancy it...NCR 78 beautiful scenery but probably not what any of us are after on a JOGLE/LEJOG

 

[James Morley]

your only other option is what we are doing, over onto the Isle of Arran (from Ardrossan), Arran to Mull of Kintyre, up to Lochgilphead and Oban, then Oban to Craignure, cycle to Tobermoray, ferry to Kilchoan, cycle to Mallaig, ferry to Skye, back via the Skye bridge of mainland and up that way. Should be great, but need to time the ferries carefully...

Hmmm, probably too tight a schedule to try that one

unless you cycle from Oban to Fort William on the A828.

That's the current plan, with one of my stops happening to fall along there near Glencoe. So you say that route's OK?

We have previously cycled the A83 & A816 which was not a problem and there is a very long winded cycle route that takes +30 miles more than the main road does which you can also do should you really fancy it...NCR 78 beautiful scenery but probably not what any of us are after on a JOGLE/LEJOG.

I was advised to get the one ferry across to Dunoon, then I'll cut across from Inverary to just north of Oban, including a stretch of the A85. Anyone got any experience of that?