LEJoG or JoGLE - East or West coast routes

[rob39]

Hi all planning a lejog and wonder if/which route option is easier than the other???

 

[steveindenmark]

Look in the touring section on here at the top of the page is a Lejog section. Allegedly, doing it from North to South is easier to get help from the prevailing winds.

 

[Roger]

Prevailing winds tend to be from south/west so potentially south to north gets the benefit, I had gale force southerly winds last August going north to south down in Cornwall. Both are tough rides, climbing both ways, short sharp in sw, longer in Scotland and Cumbria. Some say north to south allows you to get fit for the climbing in south, but your also tired after 800 miles in your legs.

 

[Ajax Bay]

LEJoG or JoGLE - East or West coast routes
Hi all planning a lejog and wonder if/which route option is easier than the other???

The main choke points on an end-to-end are: N/S of Bodmin Moor, Bridgwater, crossing the Mersey (Widnes or Warrington), Preston and Carlisle. That's England.
Let's assume you are talking about Scotland and take it from the PoV of LEJOG.
Three main ways to get up to the Clyde/Forth line:
A. NW to Ardrossan and ferries to Kintyre via Isle of Arran.
B. // M74 to Glasgow (or pass east of the city)
C. N to Edinburgh (using south-going LEL route recommended)
A1. If A you're going 'West Coast' via Oban, Fort William, Great Glen
A11. to Dingwall (via Inverness or Beauly)
A12. 'West coast' to Durness via Ullapool (Note consider going from Oban via Mull , Ardnamurchan and Skye if heading for there)
B1. If B you could cut NE through Dunblane and Crieff to the A9 (to Inverness)
B2. Go north via Killin to the A9 (to Inverness)
B3. Head NW/NNW/N to the A82 (Loch Lomond) to Fort William
B4. Option of the Gourock/Dunoon ferry and 'west coast' via Connel or back to the A82 to Fort William
C1. If C, you're logically heading for Perth, the A9 and Inverness
C2. Tho' maybe via Braemar for some scenery (and to stay off the A9).
After the Moray/Cromarty Firths, three options:
a. Long tour round the west coast via Durness (see A12 above) and east to JoG
b. A9 up the east coast
c. N thro' Lairg and Altnaharra to Bettyhill (and then east to JoG), either via Tongue or Strathnaver

My route was this one: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/8592623
Main preference for me was not to ride long distances on the A9 (the lot of the 'East Coast' warrior), or the A82: had to do some from Corran ferry to Ft William (Banavie) and from the Commando memorial (Spean Bridge) to Drumnadrochit but dived off all I could on parallel roads/towpaths (eg from Banavie and from Bridge of Oich to Ft Augustus).

 

[CXRAndy]

I'm building a route via the east coast and loop around the bottom of London . Nothing fast 60-70miles aday over 2-3 weeks seeing sights etc

 

[Venod]

This was a great route, although I did it on the Turbo.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/lejog-on-the-turbo.215976/

 

[Ice2911]

Ajax Bay helped me with my route which was fantastic. LEJOG but included going through Arran,Mull and Skye, Arran and Mull was some of the best riding IMHO. 1150 miles in 14 riding days. Hardest climbing ( or because I wasn’t used to it at the time on fully loaded touring bike) in Devon and Cornwall but I did shorter days and was fresh. Boy was it hot as well when I did it. I took my time and thoroughly enjoyed the whole ride. Gained lots of useful advice on here.

 

[Ajax Bay]

OP has not been back since May (thankfully after my 'chokepoint /options post). But the post will hopefully be useful to others who discover it.

 

[Mini58]

This was my route.