Lands End To John O'Groats By Bicycle

DIARY

 
 
The Route
Diary
Mileages
Main
Pictures

Accommodation
 
Day 1:
The Journey started with a small cycle ride to Lichfield to get the train at 2.00 pm which was due to arrive in Penzance at 9.15 pm. As is tradition the train arrived about half an hour late and therefore arrived late in Cornwall. The First nights accommodation was in a cheap hostel called Whitesands Lodge in Sennen which was comfortable enough but was not an ideal start to the tour as they were also accommodating 2 stag parties and a Hen night. Ordinarily this would have been welcomed but fireworks going off at 3 am is not conducive to a good nights rest. This was coupled with the fact that my room mate snored worse than Boss Hog !!! I did eventually nod off about 4 am and managed to get about 4 hours sleep - Ideal preparation!
Day 2:
Followed the A30 for a couple of miles down to the very tacky lands end. There is a 'Theme Park' at Lands End which is in very strange contrast to the stunning natural scenery. As I arrived at 08.30 it started to pour down and there was no one around to ask to take my photo as proof of my visit. Lands End does have a resident photographer for end to enders but they obviously enjoy lying in on Sundays, which is quite in keeping with the Cornish attitude to Life. After hanging around for about half an hour I finally managed to find another tourist who kindly took my picture.  After signing the obligatory end to end book I set off up the A30 towards Penzance. The Road is incredibly undulating to Penzance, thereafter flattening somewhat for about 5 miles past the Mount of Saint Michael. The A30 is not a particularly scenic route as it is shrouded by grassy banks and trees. I deviated from the A30 to visit a couple of Cornish Towns, St Austell and Truro both of which were well worth the visit. Straying off the A30 is not recommended as Cornwall is exceptionally hilly and very tiring on the legs. I really wanted to see The Eden project but after cycling up a gruelling 4 mile steep hill to go down into a valley to have to come back up again, I thought better of it and decided I would return at a later date ..... with a car! I turned up in Bodmin at about 6.00 pm exhausted with reservations about whether I had bitten off more than I could chew. The b&b I stayed in was right opposite the town hall. I received a really warm welcome from the couple who ran it and their encouragement after the first day was most welcome.
Day 3:
Following a hearty breakfast I went to the Post Office to get my route sheet stamped as proof of my stay in Bodmin. I set off again on the A30 and stopped after about 15 miles at the famous Jamaica Inn. The views of the moors in this part of the country are breathtaking and the museum is worth a look around. The most notable part of this day was leaving Cornwall and the laborious A30 a great sense of achievement passing through my first county. I stopped at Launceston - apparently the capital of Cornwall and had lunch and a look around the shops. It is a very quaint place though I remember it being remarkably busy for a Monday. I continued up towards Okehampton using the old A30 which is a famous motorcyling road as you can see most of the road ahead and there is a distinct lack of speed cameras, though there was no chance of me breaking any limits as my legs were still screaming from the previous days efforts. After arriving in Okehampton at about 4pm I decided to treat myself to a beer for making good time. A few pints to the good I ventured into the Tourist Information office to be broken the bad news that whilst the postal town of the b&b I was staying in was Okehampton it was actually about 8 miles away in a place called Lydford. I had already resigned myself to the fact that I had finished for the day and the final 8 miles proved to be harder than the rest of the day even though it was along sustrans route which followed an old railway line. To compound my problems the heavens opened and it became really dark whilst cycling on the final 2 miles over Dartmoor. As I had not anticipated cycling late into the night I had not brought any lights with me and this proved to be a little unnerving when traffic is flying past you in low visibility weather conditions. I arrived at the B&B at about 7.30 pm, which was an isolated farm on Dartmoor, tired, soaked, hungry and demoralised - It could only get better or so I hoped.
Day 4:
After a night on the farm I now think it is impossible to sleep in late with the animal chorus you get in the morning, I don't think farmers get up early because they are busy, it's just that it is impossible to sleep through the cacophony. Farm folk however do serve up a fantastic breakfast and after the heartiest cooked breakfast I have ever had I set off for Somerset. The route I was following lead me through country lanes very similar to those I had trained on and I remember feeling relatively good about the day as the hills were very gradual and the scenery lush. However another crisis loomed when I realised that the Road Atlas I had photocopied wasn't accurate enough to record the minor roads I was forced to take after finding a road closed for resurfacing on my intended route. I may as well have been walking around a cornfield in a blindfold for an hour as the antiquated signposts I tried to follow from village village lead me a merry dance back to where I started. A good hour wasted. I eventually found my way back on to the main drag and passed through picture postcard village after picture postcard village. I continued from Crediton to Tiverton and joined the A38 towards Taunton and another milestone - passing into Somerset. I stopped in Taunton to admire the town and indulge in a well deserved  cider lunch. I then continued onwards towards Bridgwater - home of the carnival. My B&B for the night was a very comfortable residence in the town centre and my Landlord was a keen cyclist who was only to happy to natter at length about my journey. I met a local in the pub on the night who told me about the carnival that they have annually which celebrates Guy Fawkes, as he was from Bridgwater. It apparently attracts more people than Glastonbury does - I was amazed that I had never even heard of it, but on reflection its these little local idiosyncrasies that make the trip worthwhile. 
Day 5:
Started early cycling into a headwind. I headed towards Glastonbury and stopped for breakfast at a Little Chef in Glastonbury. It is exactly as I had imagined Glastonbury would be; scenic, pleasant and full of crap hippy gift stores. The weather improved as the day went on and by the time I arrived in Bath it was glorious. Stopped and had a look around Bath. The 3 Tenors were doing a concert in the park opposite the Royal crescent and all the roadies were setting up the seating and the big screens as I went through. I expected the roadies for a classical concert to be of a higher standard than your average rock band but alas no ... they're still sweaty and hairy arsed. As I was cycling out of Bath towards Stroud I met my first fellow End To Ender, an old boy on a bone shaker, and he was from Birmingham. I was just looking forward to having some company on my journey when he informed me that he was taking an alternative route to mine, as the one I was taking involved massive hills. No sooner had we parted company and I turned left into the biggest steepest hill I have ever seen. It took about half an hour of hard climbing to reach the top but the views from the top were ample reward. The weather took a turn for the worse as I headed towards Gloucester and I sought sanctuary in a lay-by whilst the English weather did what it had to do. A fellow cyclist stopped and I got chatting to him. His name was Robert from Germany and he was cycling all round Europe over the space of a year. He told me that every country he had passed through catered much better for cyclists than England. He reckoned that he had cycled virtually all of Europe on cycle lanes. He was also amazed at how few cyclists there seem to be in England as he had met me alone on his journey from Southampton to Gloucester. I told him it was because of the shitty weather we so often have. I cycled the rest of the day with Robert and found him real good company, though this is probably faint praise as anybody would have been better company than the solitude I had been used to for the last 5 days. Finally arrived in Stroud at about 5.30 pm and checked into my Hotel for the night. After a massive meal and a few beers I was ready for an early night. However the TV in the room managed to distract me into the early hours and yet again I had too little sleep for the hard day that lay ahead... good film though.
Day 6:
Started the day with a fine breakfast at the hotel. The weather was a little inclement but mainly dry. Cycled through a beautiful little village called Painswick where they were building a new estate of Chelsea style flats, which were being built out of old stone, it was refreshing to see quality houses being built as opposed to the shoddy makeshift throw togethers that are so commonplace. The prices however reflected this! I continued through some very rural countryside towards Cheltenham and stopped and had a look around Cheltenham which was whilst aesthetically pleasing had pretty much the same old same old (sic) shops as every other Big town and city. The road became very flat after Cheltenham and I enjoyed the best days cycling I have ever had through the Vale of Evesham up to Redditch where again I bumped into my German Mate Rob, who was on his way to Stratford. I had intended to stop at Stratford but because the going was so easy I made it to Redditch by mid afternoon and thought that I may as well press on and spend a night at home. I continued up through Birmingham City Centre and had the benefit of knowing the back way towards Norton canes where I live. I arrived at 8 PM after the biggest days cycling of the tour very tired and hungry  but looking forward to a day of rest.
Day 8:
After a good day of rest I set off in glorious sunshine through Cannock Chase towards Rugeley. I realised that as I was used to the area I knew exactly what the road ahead was like. I couldn't decide if this was better than being in unknown territory, however a hill is a hill whether it is expected or not. I followed the A51 towards Ashbourne which is a superb cycling road, traffic free and not too hilly. I arrived in Ashbourne at approximately 2 pm and the heat was unbearable (from a cycling perspective) so I treated myself to a few beers in the market square where I met a friendly couple from Birmingham who were on holiday. We chatted at length about football and the Peak District. I assumed that as I was stopping only about 13 miles from Ashbourne that I could indulge in  more beers than I ordinarily would have done. This turned out to be a bad move as these last 13 miles were uphill.
Day 10:
I awoke early and used the youth hostel canteen to make myself some breakfast. I set off at about 08.45 and headed towards Bakewell, a town I have previously visited on a cycling holiday. The Country lanes were well signposted and the majority of the stretch to Bakewell was downhill, much to my freewheeling delight. Yet again the weather was fantastic, it was fast approaching the best summer for years. I stopped in Bakewell for a drink as I was working up quite a thirst in the heat. From Bakewell the roads started to climb up towards Hathersage and then on to Ladybower reservoir where I stopped to take a few photos. I continued climbing up a long but gradual climb which took me up to the dark peaks, so called because they are of a different stone type to the lower peak districts. There are some very steep hills on this stretch of road and it is very popular with motorbikers as there are no speed cameras. This turned out to be a very difficult stage as it was effectively up and down steep hills in very hot weather. Whenever a biker passed me on a steep uphill how I longed for an engine. I encountered the steepest downhill I had ever seen on this bit of road, it was 1 in 5 and had a sign at the top advising cyclists to dismount and walk down. The cheek of it I had just almost killed myself cycling UP the other side and there was no way I was going to throw away my reward. As it transpired the sign at the top of the hill was Very Good advice as the descent was too steep for my brakes to deal with. Fortuitously there was no oncoming traffic as I tried to negotiate hairpin bends at silly speeds. Lesson for the day - heed the signposts. I eventually came out of rural countryside and entered into the town of Holmfirth, where last of the summer wine is filmed. I now know why the program itself is so dreadfully dull, it is a  reflection of the place. As scenic as it is, there is very little to do. Within the space of a few miles though I had ventured into the urban sprawl of Huddersfield on route to Bradford. I remember thinking that most urban places have a gradual change in density from built up to rural, it is very different here though. It looks though green belt policy is strictly enforced here. I continued through Huddersfield up towards Howarth, home of the Bronte sisters. I met a cycle touring club at the youth hostel who were on an organised end to end journey, but doing it the opposite way to me. I had actually enquired about doing this tour but had decided it would be cheaper doing it on my own. According to the lady I spoke to it had been difficult, which filled me with dread as to what was to come. So in true playground fashion I exaggerated about the difficulty of the stages I had done, 1-1! The youth hostel was a beautiful olde worlde building and was very comfortable. I had a meal and a few beers at the local pub before flaking out for an early night about 10.30 pm. 
Day 11:
Headed from Haworth up towards Skipton. It was another beautiful day but this only made the hills of Yorkshire tougher than normal. After having a look around the market in Skipton I headed out towards Kettlewell which was a delightful little village with a few pubs by a river. There were a lot of families with toddlers bathing in the river and it was a serene lunchtime, I could quite easily have stayed there all afternoon. It was here that I saw a road sign warning of a 1 in 4 hill up to a place called Coverdale, so for anyone planning a route AVOID this like the plague. I continued up towards Redmire moor and saw Victoria Wood walking along the road but couldn't think of her name and decided against asking her for a photograph as 'You're that woman off telly, any chance of a photo?' would have sounded quite rude. The hostel I stayed in was an old shooting lodge on the moors and was apparently owned by an ex chancellor of the exchequer from back in the day. It is a very comfortable hostel, albeit remote and the facilities there are probably the best I have seen in a hostel. The lady that ran the hostel gave me a meal on the house as a contribution to the charity. The hostel is licensed which is a good job as the nearest pub is a very long walk away. I spent a pleasant evening sitting on the patio in the sunshine drinking a couple of budweisers chatting to fellow hostellers. Even though the day was very gruelling, being hilly and hot I was feeling a lot fitter and really enjoying my cycling.
Day 12:
Set off after a good old youth hostel breakfast of cereal and fry up. Headed up towards Castle Barnard which involved a lot of hill climbing. When I reached the summit I heard aeroplanes beneath me in the valley and when I looked I could see 2 harrier jump jets low level flying about 300 feet beneath me. It is quite something to be looking down on these. the route I followed took me up to Egglestone and Stanhope. I stopped in Stanhope for a refreshing shandy and then continued up towards Hexham. I stopped and asked a cyclist where the youth hostel in Accomb was and he was going that way so invited me to cycle with him. As he was on a mountain bike he took me down all manner of back lanes and tracks, which may have been ok for his bike but was completely unsuitable for my laden knacker and I had to push down a stepped track as he bombed down it. I finally arrived at the youth hostel which was completely different to the previous nights. It was effectively a cow shed with beds in but it did have a shower thankfully. After checking in with the youth hostel manager, who was a funny bloke from Hull I headed to the pub and rewarded myself with a few beers and a slap up dinner. After getting back to the youth hostel where all the fellow hostellers were tucked up in bed in complete darkness I stumbled my way to my bunk bed, by way of a few others and attempted to get into bed in complete darkness. I realised then that I should either have brought a torch with me or alternatively eaten carrots for tea. 
Day 13:
Set off without breakfast early morning heading for another milestone - SCOTLAND!!!. I headed towards Jedburgh and lost my map out the back of my cycle top. Fortunately the roads are well signed and I headed up the A69 towards Carters Bar - the border! I arrived in Carters Bar which has 2 huge stones with England on one side and Scotland on the other. They have a bagpiper playing here which is popular with the tourists but I thought it was a bit cheesy. However what was quite amusing was the piper goes and sits in his car when there are no tourists about and smokes a fag until his lookout signals him that another foreign coach is on its way, whereupon he 'gets into character' and entertains Johnny Foreigner. I continued cycling through peaceful country lanes down in to Bonchester Bridge, where I stopped for a beer. I got talking to the landlady of the pub who enquired where I was staying. I told her that I was stopping with friends and she apparently knew them - small world. I finished the rest of the journey and arrived in Hawick at about 5pm. I called the people I was staying with but no answer so I decided to go for a beer and leave them a message on their phone advising them where I was. After about 4 hours of hearing nothing I thought that I ought to arrange a b&b. After finally finding a b&b that had vacancies I got showered and changed and headed into town to get some chips for tea where I bumped into Colin, the bloke I was supposed to be staying with. He apologised profusely that he hadn't heard the phone earlier on and had been driving around looking for me for the last hour or so. As it turned out we went and had a few beers and had a good night. The b&b I stayed in was a beautiful old building and very comfortable. 
Day 14:
Headed towards Selkirk early in the morning after a great breakfast. The weather was pretty overcast which was very refreshing after the intense heat I had been cycling in. The 7 miles to Selkirk was completely uphill but it was gradual climbing and so not too tiring. After having a look around Selkirk, which is an old town with beautiful slate roof houses,  I followed a river valley towards Peebles for about 20 miles and the weather started to improve. The scenery here was exactly what I had expected from Scotland - Lush, it reminded me of a scene from Easy Rider when the sun kept breaking through the trees in strobe like glints. The road was really pleasant cycling as it was flat all the way to Penicuik. I continued up to Edinburgh and had a look around the city. I had to cycle through Edinburgh in busy afternoon traffic and after the isolation and solitude of the morning it was a welcomed stark contrast. The sign posts for cyclists are excellent when you enter Edinburgh, however they seem to run dry after a couple of signs leaving you nowhere near the place you are aiming. I found out that the route I was following - up to the Firth of Forth had restrictions for cyclists so I had to Detour on an alternative route which was about 5 miles or so. I finally arrived at the firth of forth bridge at about 5pm in the glorious sunshine and stopped to admire the view and wave at passing ferry passengers. Its not until you actually cross the bridge as either a foot passenger or a cyclist that you actually appreciate the scale of it, a stunning piece of engineering. After crossing the bridge I continued up through Inverkeithing to Cowdenbeath and on to Kinross. I finally arrived in Kinross having no accommodation booked at about 7.30 pm. I tried 3 B&b's who all advised that they were full for the Evening. I started to get demoralised when my last hope in town also advised that she was full for the night. She kindly advised me that friends of her sometimes take in overspill customers and rang through to check if they would on this occasion. Fortunately they did and I just had to cycle 2 miles to the next village of Milnathort. The Elderly couple were great hosts and after I had been out for a few beers and a bite to eat I sat chatting with them over a cup of tea until the early hours. The room was immaculate and ornate and the breakfast in the morning delicious ....all for only £18!  
Day 15:
Started out early in beautiful sunshine after saying goodbye to Viv and Stuart my excellent hosts for the night and headed towards Perth. The road into Perth was flat and tree lined with barely any traffic. I arrived in Perth about 11 am and stopped to get a drink and had a look around. The town is very historic and had some eye catching architecture. I visited the Tourist Information Centre who kindly gave me a map of the Sustrans route - a cycle route - to Inverness. I would spend the rest of the day cycling on this traffic free route through gorgeous scenery. Most of the route is made up of old A Roads and is therefore an excellent surface and predominantly flat. It was along this route I decided to feel that I was leaving civilisation behind as places to purchase drinks from were becoming fewer and further apart. I arrived in Pitlochry at about 3pm and booked into a Backpackers hostel on the high street which was clean comfortable and cheap and full of interesting people to socialise with. After meeting my roomy for the night I checked out Pitlochry and saw a salmon jumping up a salmon ladder which was amazing and sampled some fine scottish ale. I thoroughly recommend Pitlochry as a place to visit, it is very touristy but quaint nonetheless, Blackpool could well learn a lesson!   
Day 16:
Headed up the old A9 towards Aviemore ( on the same sustrans route as the previous day ). I could see the highlands in the distance as I cycled and got scared at the prospect of the steep climbs, but enjoyed the flat cycling while it lasted. I made good progress and stopped in Aviemore for lunch and was amazed at how holiday village the place looks - absolutely characterless, nice fish and chips though! I carried on the cycle route up to kingussie and en route cycled within 6 feet of 2 red deer who were stuck between a stream and a fence for about a 100 metres. I later commented about what an amazing sight this was to a bloke in the pub and he told me that they were considered as pests ' round these parts ' and they are often culled to keep the population down. I felt as if I had got excited about seeing a rat after speaking to him, but in hindsight it was nice to have been so close to them, if only fleetingly. All throughout the day I could hear what sounded like rice crispies popping constantly and I started to wonder about my sanity until some kind soul informed me that it was gorse seeds popping in the heat! I arrived in Tomatin about 4.30 after a good days cycling and headed for the local inn to enquire about a room for the night. I was advised by the inkeeper that there was no room at the inn, but he put me in touch with a couple who ran a B&B a few miles away. They housed me for the night in a fantastic period cottage in the middle of nowhere, finding it with directions turned out to be difficult. The B&B was owned by Lesley and Bob who made me feel really welcome and I went to the pub with them on the Evening. I ended up getting pretty wrecked on scotch whilst talking golf with Bob and awoke in the morning fully clothed and on the floor with a thick head. Oh well when in Rome ..........    
Day 17:
A hint of rain started the day off which was quite pleasant after the torturous heat of recent days and I continued up the sustrans route to Inverness via Culloden Battlefield. Fantastic rural scenery decorated my views and I saw what I thought was the viaduct used in the Harry Potter Film but was advised later that it wasn't, though it was still massive. Inverness was bustling and lives up to its billing as the capital of the highlands. I stopped here to arrange my train tickets in advance for my return, and was advised that even with 3 days notice the cycle spaces on the train had been booked already, hence I had to take a detour to Aberdeen just to accommodate my Bike on the Train. I lunched at McDonalds, which had to be the slowest McDonalds ever, represented by the staff all being starless as well as clueless. The unsatisfactory service offered in McDonalds is more than compensated by the excellence of the Tourist Information here. After having my proof sheet signed by the helpful staff I continued cycling towards the bridge which would take me to the Black Isle. A lot of hill climbing was required after crossing the bridge but this was rewarded with the longest freewheel ever down to the Cromarty firth which would take me along to my resting place for the night Invergordon. Cycling along the Cromarty Firth is mostly flat and scenic, I saw numerous seals sunbathing on rocks. The Firth is littered with oil platforms from times when they drilled for oil which I found quite nice to look at it in the early evening as the sun was going down. However most people look on them as litter and cruel reminders of more prosperous times. I found a B&B at my first attempt and was given a whole house to use to myself for the night    
DAY 18:
Awoke to another beautiful day and headed off after a good breakfast towards Dornoch. I passed the place that became famous as the location of Madonnas wedding and was impressed with the setting. I headed up towards Helmsdale and passed many deserted glorious sandy beaches that looked inviting. I never imagined Scotland would have such good beaches, I was later told by a local that they have beaches in abundance its just the weather that they generally lack! I followed the coastal road up to Sutherland and passed a large statue of the Duke Of Sutherland, an egotistical landowner who had a statue of himself put on top of a hill (So he could keep a watchful eye over his land ). It is apparently a sore point with locals as the Duke was not well received in the area, and they want the statue turned around !! The coastal road is excellent cycling and the views are awesome. However the last 15 miles to Wick tend to be quite hilly and strong headwinds from the sea. I recall the Site of Wick on the horizon like the proverbial oasis in the desert as I was very tired after a gruelling day. The last few miles into Wick involved passing lots of marsh land and in the early evening heat the midges were out in force. I must have swallowed hundreds of the damn things on the downhills. I eventually found a b&b in Wick after about an hour of cycling around and retired to bed early for my easy finishing stretch the next day!
Day 19:
After a good lie in, knowing that I had an easy day ahead, I set off at a very easy pace feeling rather smug that I had actually made it this far. John O'groats was about 30 km from Wick and took about an hour and a half to arrive. There is quite a pleasing long downhill to the signpost which is a fitting end to a long cycle ride. It was quite an anticlimax arriving at the sign and nobody being there to congratulate you with champagne and party poppers. Within about 10 minutes other tourists had arrived and were asking about my journey and I managed to get my photo taken at the signpost. It felt incredibly strange to have endured 18 days toil for the spoils of one photograph. I decided to Celebrate my finish with some well deserved Guinness at the Groats Inn, over which I could plan my next journey................