Cycling Land’s End to John O’Groats – 10 years on

As the editor of the John O’Groat Journal, I hear about all sorts of different end-to-end challenges – some quirkier than others – but each person who completes the long journey from Land’s End (or the other way around) under their own steam deserves recognition in my book.

I remember realising quite how far the journey is just by getting to the start. I wanted to sit back and let the train take the strain without having to change every couple of hours, so I booked the most direct train I could.

This took me from Edinburgh to Penzance in the same seat (after getting a train from Inverness to Edinburgh and staying overnight at the Premier Inn) – during that long train trip I witnessed about three or four changes of crew, and each one commented on the length of my journey as they checked my ticket!

That was ten years ago this month, when I met my dad – who had made his own way south – at Penzance railway station. I can’t remember what time it was, but darkness had fallen, and we had a short ride to the youth hostel where we would stay the night before pedalling to Land’s End the next morning for our official start.

Our own journey was a long time in the planning, and there was real anticipation as we embarked on what turned out to be more than 1000 miles of wonderful cycling through the length of Britain.

I’d spent a long time plotting a route, poring over OS maps and localised cycle maps to find a way that took quiet country lanes and cycle paths but without straying too far off course. We didn’t stick to the National Cycle Network all the way, although we used good sections of it where it made sense, but opted to use short stretches of busier routes here and there just to keep the route more logical.

Every Lejog journey is individual and done for personal reasons.

For my part, I was raising funds for the Special Care Baby Unit at Raigmore Hospital where all of my children spent time after they were born prematurely. My dad was riding for the Christie Hospital in Manchester, where my late mum was treated for cancer.

But for both of us, there was the sense of an adventure that we wanted to share. I’d ridden the popular C2C coast-to-coast route in England with my dad (in horrendous weather conditions)  previously and this was a big step up.

At age 69 at the time, I guess my dad might also have been wanting to complete the journey while he was able – although he is still fit and active 10 years later, despite his advancing years. He did always tell us he planned to live to 110…

It’s difficult to sum up such a rewarding and diverse ride in a few paragraphs. The scenery; the fresh air; that wonderful feeling of fitness; the people you meet along the way, however fleetingly. It all added up to an experience that even now is one I treasure – as well as wishing I could capture and repeat.

The preparation was a big thing. I enjoyed all those evenings devising routes and problem solving awkward stretches of the country, trying to fit in visits to relatives and friends along the way – including a detour to the street where I spent my childhood. Training just enough to feel confident that you can enjoy the journey, too.

We were in no rush. I booked three weeks off work for the trip, which we’d planned to take two-and-a-half weeks to complete. I packed all my kit, including camping gear, into four pannier bags on my trusty touring bike (which I still have, but is in need of some TLC) and, now here’s a confession – I actually made a spreadsheet outlining what was in each bag!

Basically, the two back panniers were set aside for overnight kit, one for wet gear (outer tent, waterproofs etc), one for dry kit (sleeping bag, inner tent, spare clothes), then at the front I had a day bag and one for food and other kit.

Once on the road it was just a joy from start to finish. I recall the steep hills of Cornwall and Devon, followed by the flat plains of Somerset, crossing the Severn into Wales, briefly, before heading into northern England.

The route through Lancashire, the Pennines and into the Lake District was fantastic, and I discovered some excellent country roads. Then it was north into Scotland – at just about halfway.

It might not surprise you to hear me say that it just gets better the further north you go. We went from Perth to follow the NCN route along the line of the A9, then our approach in the Highlands was to head from Inverness up to Lairg, then go via Altnaharra to Tongue, then head east to John O’Groats – via the mainland’s most northerly point at Dunnet Head, of course. I also made us go via Duncansby Head, as to me that is the true north-east corner of the country.

It’s hard to believe that this all happened a decade ago. It’s been nice to reminisce, but it’ll be even nicer to find a new challenge to aim for over the next few years.

Our end-to-end journey may not have been particularly quirky, but we did it in our own way and created memories that will last a lifetime. I hope yours will do the same.