LEJOG Completed Jun 15 - Getting from start finish

[mikey951r]

I just came back from a successful LEJOG - Solo/unsupported/camping in 13 days. Before I went I did the usual trawl around the various sites looking for hints and tips. I noticed there was always lots of discussion about the virtues of the various methods of getting from start to finish and I thought I would add my experience of what I think is an under utilised method, the one way hire car. I live in Lincolnshire and was able to hire a one way car from Enterprise Newark on Trent to Penzance for £45 and it cost me £49 in petrol for the 322 miles. Even better Enterprise have a policy of collecting and dropping customers off, so on arrival in Penzance I asked to be taken to the Lands End Hotel, which saved £25 in a taxi or an hour and a half ride only to come back the same route.

From JOG I could have taken a Europcar from Wick Airport; however that would have worked out at over £120 so I caught the train from Wick to Inverness for £12.40 (booked 2 days in advance) and again hired a one way car from Enterprise in Inverness to Newark, which cost £74 plus £54 in petrol for the 474 miles. Both hire cars were booked with just 2 days notice.

To me the benefits are:

it's a lot cheaper than the train unless you book a long time in advance
You can set off when you like
You don't have to worry that the bike isn't booked on the connecting train
You don't have to change train twice or even three times.
You don't have to sit by some idiot on the train.
You can get two people in a car with the back seats down or could hire a van if there were more than two

I know it's not that environmentally friendly.

I used a specialise Tric-cross in standard fit straight out of the factory in 2013, 2 x Avenir 20 litre panniers with a 7 litre Avenir handlebar bag. Tent was a Vango Banshee 200 which went across the top of the panniers. I took absolute minimal kit and clothes and used paper maps I had cut out and highlighted before setting off. Route was about 950 miles up west side and using Isle of Arran, but bolting up the A9 from Inverness in the face of approaching wet weather to Wick in a single day. Weather was mainly overcast throughout with no extremes and the odd showery day, but cold. No major dramas, mechanicals nor even a puncture.

 

[Arrowfoot]

@mikey951r Well done. If you don't mind could you share what went well and what did not go to plan.

 

[Douggie954]

Well done Mikey. 4 weeks today and I will be on the road.

 

[mikey951r]

Arrowfoot happy to share as follows:

• Specialised Tri-cross straight out of factory in 2013 with an old but sturdy rack from the garage - once or twice fancied having one more lower gear on the back cog but on the whole very happy

• Small tool kit with a spanner/allen key for every nut and bolt plus puncture repair kit, spare tube and piece of old car tube for a patch just in case and some cable ties - Didn't need anything apart from one allen key when I noticed a nut had worked loose on the rack one day.

• Avenir panniers and handlebar bag all performed fine and loved the 7 litre bar bag with lots of pockets - water prooof covers worked well in the daily showers

• Tent was a Vango Banshee 200 with Vango sleeping bag and self inflating mat - Just right for one man with his panniers etc next to him. Tent performed very well considering it rained practically every evening and there were showers most days

• Did not take any cooking equipment so ate out every day. Usually a cooked breakfast somewhere or in a supermarket, meal deal sandwhich, crisps and drink for lunch and bread, olives, sun dried tomatoes etc for evening to eat whilst relaxing. No beer. - Must have worked well because I was exactly the same weight on the day I got back as I was the day I set off.

• Took 3 cycling tops, two shorts, one longs and waterproofs. In additon had a fleece jacket, one pair of long walking trousers and three t-shirts plus hat and gloves and 4 pairs of socks - just about right.

• Tooke very small first aid kit along with sudocreme, sunblock and midge repellent - Didn't need anything too cloudy for sun cream too cold for midges.

• I printed out OS strip maps at work and highlighted my route which I chose from all the ones I've seen others post over the last year. I cut them in to bar bag size pieces and each day consisted of 15 or 20 strips and each day I threw the previous days away. This worked really well because I was never lost and I could see a few miles each side of the route. I deviated quite a bit from the planned route but stayed roughly a few miles either side. I mainly deviated from lanes or cycle paths on to roads because I found them less busy than I expected.

• I camped every night except night one where I got a room in the Mess at RAF St Mawgan, night five where I stayed at my Brothers and night 9 where it rained that much in the night my tent would not dry so I got a room in the Onich Hotel for £35 B&B and had a short day, whcih I really benefitted from because I was refreshed the next day and raring to go again.

• I thought it would be easier to find campsites than it was because I just thought there were more in Britain than there actually is. I didn't book any sites I just turned up and was always found a pitch. I wild camped two nights because I couldn't find anywhere. Once near the Severn Bridge where I camped in the meadows running down to the River Severn only a mile or so from the bridge and once north of Oban on the loch side. Nobody troubled me at all. The most Paid for a pitch was £10 the least £6.

• As previously stated the one way hire car worked very well and I believe is under utilised

• The weather was not great, I started in the fog, cycled mostly under overcast skies and there were frequent nightly showers

• If I don't add in the cost of food because I have to eat whether i'm at home or away I estimate the whole thing including hire cars has cost less than £400.

• I cycled roughly 75 miles per day with the lowest being 55 miles and the most 96 miles. The day after 96 miles I only had 17 miles each way to JOG and back to Wick to do. My average speed was 10.3 mph

• I'm 48 years old and weigh 14 Stone. I'm reasonably fit; however, I did no specific training apart from I do cycle 12.5 miles each way to work roughly four times per week and occassionaly go for a long ride at weekends of circa 50 miles. I didn't feel sore or have any injuries apart from the odd achilles tendon twinge. It took 3 days for my body to get used to the fact that its new job was to cycle for 8 hours per day after which it felt quite pleasant.

• Cornwall and most of Devon are horrible cycling country unless you like wearing white shirts with big red dots.

Yes I did enjoy it and i'm glad I've ticked it off, however, I wouldn't do it again. I would either start north of Carlisle and cycle a circuitious route round Scotland or would cross the Channel on the ferry and head off to the Med for some decent weather.