London-Edinburgh-London is one of Britain’s greatest cycling challenges. Taking place only every four years, you’ve got just under five days to ride from London to Edinburgh and back: 1444km (about 900 miles). The route passes through an incredible range of scenery: through villages of Essex and Hertfordshire, the fens of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, the undulations of the Lincolnshire Wolds and the Howardian Hills, the Humber Bridge, climbs across the Pennines up Teesdale and past Yad Moss ‘ski resort’ with stunning views of the Dales, after crossing into Scotland at Gretna, heads north then NE, handrailing the upper stretches of the River Tweed, and after turning at Edinburgh, returns south through the wilderness of the Scottish Lowlands dropping down the White Esk valley back to England and reprises the outbound route, in the opposite direction. The recommended route uses quiet country lanes and B roads, and avoids A roads where possible. Along the route there are control points where the rider can get hot food, showers and sleep (inflatable beds and blankets in sports halls), if they want.
My route, with some variations, mostly deliberate, from the
recommended route, is in this
RidewithGPS link.
Started at 1145 (117:05 limit) with a plan to long stop/sleep for at least 5 hours at pseudo-Pocklington (qv); Moffat; Barnard Castle and Spalding, giving me 4 days of ~315km, finishing off with 180 odd from there to complete in a personal target of 100 hours.
Made good time north - with the mearest hint of a shower but the roads were often wet so there had been rain for earlier riders. Rode off the front of ‘V’ and started picking up ‘U’s chatting with some, including a Swedish guy (Ulf Lindgren) with whom I had been working as a volunteer for the last two days, setting up the start, before pushing on. As planned, took an off-tarmac
BOAT NNW of Shepreth saving 2.4km, with only a small reduction in speed on the rough surface. The first ‘W’ caught me and we rolled into St Ives at 1530: I bounced out. Linked up with a couple of others for a while, but all going slower (I was aiming for 100 hours completion). (As planned) took the old A16 NE from Crowland rather than the River Wellow lane. Reached Spalding half an hour ahead of schedule, at 1751 and had food (though they had run out of meat in the stew – I had the gravy on cous-cous). Tried for jam with the rice pudding but told: “we are saving it for breakfast” – who was going to be having breakfast in Spalding (not many, I think – I do know someone (Laid Back Rich) who was planning to, but he had done the London Prudential 100 ride as an ECE before his 1600 start). On north to Louth: again route variation got the better of me and at Kirton I carried straight on through N through Boston and used the B1183 and the Greetham/Salmonby road across the Wolds. Lovely road and easy to navigate: shorter route (~3km) but more climb. Accessed bag drop at Louth (arrived 2127) to change socks, replenish on-the-go food and eat supper. Left with a Bristol cabal but they were going too slowly (and I was ‘stopping short’) so after a while, pushed on; met up with a pair and went over the Humber Bridge with them, but then headed west to check into the (pre-booked)
Travelodge near Hull (South Cave - 30km short of Pocklington) at 0110 Monday. Had experienced no rain to speak of all day and the wind had pushed me along. Was bang on schedule – based on 26kph rolling and 2 hours for stops.
Shower and seriously excellent sleep, recharged everything, and away by 0630. Into Pocklington at 0746 and enjoyed breakfast. Good progress on the recommended route across to Thirsk (though got lost in the town; arrived 1106 Mon) and more food (in retrospect I should have not ‘wasted’ time eating again; but the food was both visually tempting and very tasty). N out of Thirsk I turned left at Waraby and went ‘off piste’ via Thrinton, Great Langton and Scorton to Middleton Tyas. With a side wind on the back roads to Barnard Castle, I arrived there at 1440. More food. In my enthusiasm to leave (and because of where the water taps were) I didn’t fill up my bottles – sorted at a roadside house near Middleton before the long (14km) drag up to Yad Moss (“are we there yet?”) part with a couple of guys – one RAF and one Royal Navy. Exhilarating descent down to Alston and its cobbles and fell in with Hummerstone (who’d broken a spoke (drive-side on a 36 rear)) for a while, before pushing on. Waited with a 100 hour Belgian rider at the level crossing outside Brampton (0700 start?): he’d been having ‘problems’, but could still get back on track, provided he kept the sleep stops short. Brampton at 1914 and accessed my second bag drop and food. Another change of socks and a fresh top this time (swapping my Mille Pennines one for a ‘Devon’ one). Headed for Moffat in increasing darkness (but dry) in company partly, up the B7076 parallel to the M74. Checked into Moffat an hour ahead of my 100 hour schedule at 2322 and ate lightly. It rained hard shortly after I arrived (lucky me).
A lack of discipline meant that I spent circa 7 hours there, shower and 5+ sleeping and on Tuesday left (not very) early doors for Edinburgh, starting with the Devil's Beef Tub climb - sure I was going to climb into low cloud but the cloud base rose as I did, and I stayed dry. People seem to be moaning about the road surface of the A701. I really don't recall it as an issue (on 25s). However I lost time on the cycletrack after Rosslin ("there are lots of tyre tracks: this must be the way" err no) but efficiently through with a quick second breakfast. The arm and legwarmers stayed on for the first leg south (rather than the zig-zaggy NCN via Carrington, I went SE through Gorebridge to Middleton) and were supplemented by a gilet for the descent to Innerleithen. Oiled my chain. Bike going well with my ancient Brooks chatting away. Pressed on to Eskdalemuir - chirpy volunteers including locals rightly proud of their community - and in company of two/three thence Brampton by Tuesday evening (1858). Now dead on my 100 hour schedule. Given the tailwinds going north and the serious headwinds being forecast for Thursday am, I ought to have left earlier for Edinburgh and spent a bit less time at each control - generally a little more urgency required. Left with a Leicester Forest guy and he related his PBP experiences: we were well matched. So as we approached Alston this left me with a dilemma. I had planned to overnight at Barnard Castle (57km further than Alston) and would have good company all the way, but it was getting dark, and cooling down – we stopped to get jackets on and were attacked by midges – and I knew that Alston was using the youth hostel there as ‘back-up’ beds, so I resolved to stop there. Alston, since not a control, was massively under-used and the volunteers were clearly pleased to see each and every rider who visited. They were kind enough to acquiesce to my keen request to get a bed in the hostel (as opposed to the gym floor) – perhaps swayed by me saying I was going to be there for 6 hours (and I was). So another night in a comfy bed and 4+ hours good sleep, with charging on hand and loos and showers adjacent. I shared with Marcus, with whom I’d ridden part of Brevet Cymru. He was a 100 hour rider but had not been able to keep food down and had then lost his appetite. The kind control staff had taken charge of him and pressed the need to just get some decent sleep – which he did – he came past me a day later, moving well, completing in about 110 hours.
My intended destination on Wednesday was Spalding – it was going to be a long 372km day (because I’d ‘stopped short’ at Alston). I crept out of the hostel at 4, swiped out at the control resisting the attraction of food/drink, rode up the cobbles and out of town towards Yad Moss. Feeling good, the climb went well – I didn’t stop at Drew Buck’s van – an omission, but I was on a mission to get to Barnard Castle and feeling strong. Hit the top of Yad Moss, with its incongruous traffic light controlled contraflow, right on sunrise and wrestled the bike off the road up a hillock to get the best view north-east. A couple went past and I chased after them down the wet roads. A strong German came past through Middleton-in-Teesdale and I jumped on his wheel, attempted to talk but he ‘had his hat on’ and I was close to the limit. After 10km he eased off and I took a turn on the front which lasted till the climb in Barnard Castle, when he powered past. It had taken 150 minutes from Alston to Barnard Castle (arrived 0642) – good progress. After a hearty breakfast I set off for Thirsk and rode it alone – not helped by missing the turn at Yafforth and heading into Northallerton on the Romanby road. Not wishing to back track I pressed through town (navigating by my strip map from a de-paged atlas) and took the A168 SSE (I should have taken the A167 which rejoined the recommended route only a few km south). The A168’s daytime traffic made the ride less pleasant. More food at Thirsk (arrived 1028) and, like a fair proportion of those riders who treat the recommended route as a suggestion only, I took the A19 south to the Easingwold turn and thence via Sherrif Hutton and Stamford Bridge to Pocklington (arrived 1451), content that I’d visited the Howardian Hills on the way up. More food – is this a theme? Did I see @DC Lane there as well as at another control (or two) that day? SE of Market Weighton I carried on on the A1034 to South Cave and crabbed across parallel to the A63 through North Ferriby to the Humber Bridge. This 97km leg was the hardest of the ride for me and not because persistent rain set in as the skies darkened. After Caistor I stopped in a pub at Rothwell for half an hour – for a quick half and 20 minutes rest in the warm. That and a raid on my emergency jelly baby ration (replenishment available in my bag drop at Louth) got me going up into the Wolds and down into Louth, the last 10km in company with a couple of Randonneurs USA. One attempted tell me the ‘Dave’ joke: I was too tired to know when to laugh but all credit to him for having the energy and extroversion to tell it. I had resolved to call it a day at Louth (arrived 2140) – the idea of carrying on in the dark and wet for the 84km leg to Spalding was not attractive. Since I was now 3 hours behind my 100 schedule, the chances were that I’d only get back on track by taking 3 hours sleep rather than 5 and even then the forecast headwinds across the fens would mean I’d be up against time (self-imposed) all the way and in danger of too much Type 2 fun. Did finishing in less than 100 hours (from a 117 hour start) mean more to me than a decent sleep, the chance to ease off and chat with those I caught, the opportunity to chat at controls; with both volunteers and riders. I decided not. And my bag drop was at Louth so a sleep there would mean I could integrate sleep and drop bag activity. Duly ate, showered and asked for a 5am shake (implied a 6 hour sleep – ha ha!).
Come Thursday’s early morning – I woke before 4 – the rain had passed through and the temperature benign. 270km to the finish on the menu today, with the hors d’oeuvre a ride to Horncastle and a long main course into a serious headwind from there to St Ives (120km’s worth). A good breakfast and a certain amount of faffing, including a change into my CS Dynamo (East Devon) cycle top, meant I did not get away till 5:30 – what was the hurry – I had plenty of time in hand. A couple of VC167 tops departed ahead of me but I did not expect to see them as I’d decided, in the early morning, to take the A153 direct to Horncastle rather than the zig-zag minor roads route suggested. Surprise, surprise so did they, as I discovered climbing the first hill after the bypass. With Deano – on fixed – and Graham we rode the 20km steadily but they stopped at the town sign “to send a few texts” and I separately needed to sit down and do a second bit of paperwork. South of town now into fenland, caught a rider every so often and rode along chatting before pressing on. The wind was adverse but not yet testing and after Kirton there was a certain amount of shelter. Avoided the centre of Spalding by using Park Road and reached the control at 1012. More excellent food and chat and a general girding of loins for the challenge ahead – the wind was getting up. I hung around briefly but no one seemed to be about to leave so I cracked on alone, and ‘there was wind’. Personally, if the forecast wind is more than 20mph I invariably decide that that day’s a day not for riding, so like most (I suspect) the conditions were a nearly new experience. To Crowland the road changes direction from time to time: sometimes, then, an on-the-nose headwind, at others a gusting sidewind, vicious in its effect intent on forcing me onto the verge. Worst of all (later on) lorries thundering the other way generated sufficient turbulence to throw off anyone who did not keep a firm grip of the bars (on the drops to cheat the wind). After 12km, outside Crowland, having not seen a soul, I sat down for a rest. When no one had come past after 10 minutes I pressed on, did another 10km and sat down again in the sunshine. I joined a rider coming past – an Italian from Genoa - and we chatted. A rider swept past so I made my excuses and jumped up to him, exchanged pleasantries and gained permission to follow his wheel, echeloned going south by west in a southwesterly wind. Duly recovered I attempted a turn on the front but this was only tolerated for a minute before I was put back in my place by an Afrikaans voice: “Don’t bother; save yourself” – thank you
Wimpie van der Merwe. Then Martin S came up to us on his speed machine and I was duly number 3 in the echelon (closest to the gutter/verge (ha ha)) with the two of them tucked down on TT/tri bars (in the wind!). We stuck together almost to St Ives (too much chatting with Martin frustrated Wimpie who pushed ahead) and I used the cycle path to avoid the long queues of vehicles in the roadworks approaching the control. Half alone, half in company I averaged 19kph rolling speed on this leg from Spalding to St Ives, arriving at 1426. Reasonably efficient: swipe, stamp, bottles, food, coffee, map and routesheet change - through the control (I wanted to make the finish by last light and had 125km to go). Out of St Ives on the cycleway alongside the guided bus lan the surface was great and I sped along making the most of the part tail wind, so much so that I missed the Girton turning and went on to the Cottenham road before turning south into suburban Cambridge. I had picked up a Taiwanese follower ‘Choi’ to whom I explained that we were off route but I’d confidence I’d get us through Cambridge successfully. Using the cycle lanes where possible I found the Trumpington road and picked up a group of about 5 and led them out towards Great Shefford. This group fractured and reformed with additions wiggling its way across through Henham and Broxted to the Great Easton control (a notice at St Ives had warned of the generously chipped roads close to the control – would not have been fun in the dark) reaching it at 1910. Some final sustenance and I left alone – I planned to bang straight down the B184 through Great Dunmow and Chipping Ongar – a fine, fast route choice (as opposed to zig-zaggy back lanes). As it got dark I crabbed across to join the recommended route at Toot Hill, and made to stop at the junction, where I had a clipped in fall moment, at 0mph. I laughed, wrestled the bike and I upright, checked the brakes and a group came round the corner. “Going to London?” they asked. “Yes’ where have you come from?” I queried. Quick as flash came the answer “London!”. Yeah! Someone still firing on all cyclinders. Rode this last bit with a stem twisted 5o out and an STI skew-whiff but the body compensates (though a bit disconcerting round fast corners). Together we threaded our way through Theydon Bois to Loughton and the finish – checked in 2226 Thursday (106:41 total time, with lots of time to spare (limit 117:05)). The dining hall was vibrant, half full of happy completers from around the world, and some supporters. Beers were had: then some sleep.
This ride’s character is heavily influenced by the support every rider enjoys from the volunteer-run controls all along the route. I experienced nothing but kindness and sociability from all those who’d given their time up to help – I thank each and every one. It was great to chat with volunteers and meet again some who, having set up the start Friday and Saturday, travelled north to work at a control. I helped set up the start on Friday, particularly the extensive bike park, and on Saturday my main stint was breaking the back of distributing the clothing from the tent, which gave me hundreds of opportunities to offer a welcome and wish each rider good luck. Otherwise it was just understanding what was going on and being able to answer questions and offer directions to any rider who, seeing a volunteer in a t-shirt, came and asked. At the end, after a bit of sleep early Friday morning, I helped clear up at the finish, until late on Friday, leaving once the M25 transformed from car park to orbital road).
Yours are excellent.
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