Cycling Land's End - John O'Groats
(Our correspondents Etienne de Pauw and Bertine Vandecruys report)
Britain, August.September 2007
Looking at the potential distribution list, it seems appropriate to do this
report in English. We cannot think of any other language that could be
understood and hopefully tolerated by honourable citizens from France,
Germany, Italy, Holland, the United Kingdom, Israel and Belgium alike.
A while back, a highly ambitious plan had been developed aiming at bikecovering
the 2,500 km separating Helsinki from North Cape. For a number
of understandable, logistical reasons beyond participants. control the plan
had to be abandoned. It was therefore of the utmost importance to find a
worthy and sustainable alternative.
At my retirement, mid-2006, I received piles of presents most of them to
some extent related to cycling. One wicked individual offered me a couple
of books on the .LEJOG. ride , a tour of about 1,500 km in Britain, going
from the south west to the north east.
The worthy alternative to Cape North had now a name : LEJOG (Land.s
End . John O.Groats) . 1,500 km to go.

Wednesday - August 22, 2007
Take off : Gooik (Belgium) at 9.00 a.m.
We eurotunnel and subsequently drive to Land.s End at an easy pace with
a stop over at Exeter.
On our way we suddenly noticed signs to Stonehenge. We had seen
Stonehenge before but as this seemed like centuries ago, we visited this
English heritage symbol again. And it was worthwhile doing so.
At arrival in Exeter, we strolled for a short while in the city centre,
admired the very pretty cathedral and then went to eat a bite with an
.Eastern European. Italian. No comment.
Thursday - August 23, 2007
A two hour car ride from Exeter brings us to the Cornwall beaches.
Today we are visiting St Yves, the UK beach holiday resort .par
excellence.. The south east at its best ! 35 years ago we were here for the
first time. Time indeed flies.
At St Yves we visited the Tate Gallery, open since 1993.
In one of the shops there was an overwhelming choice of original T-shirts.
One of them I particularly liked : .I limit myself to one drink a day.
Currently I am 5 months ahead. I did not fancy the colour, so I left it
behind.
A room in a cosy little hotel, a good barbecue meal at the beach
restaurant and a beautiful sunset at Sennen Cove, not even two miles
from Land.s End, where it will all begin tomorrow, closed a most relaxing
day.
Friday - August 24, 2007
(Land.s End . Tremorevalley)
(via : St Yves,Portreth,St Agnes,Goonhavern,Newlyn East,St Columb Major)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 116 Busy Roads at times
Total Ascent (m) 1774 Up and down all day
Avg km /h 20 Magnificent scenery
Avg HR 126 Hills and head winds : deadly combination
Celcius 20
Wind NW
Weather sunny
First things first : picture of the victim in front of the sign post .John
O.Groats. at the Land.s End premises.
For some reason, I had thought (hoped ?) that the first stage would be
gently rolling. After 116 km I was convinced of the opposite. Indeed, it
went almost constantly up and down : not very long climbs but my
Garmin regularly announced numbers varying from 10 to 15 % ! On top of
that, the wind came from north-west which did not exactly add to the
pleasure (wind speed 60 kmph). Wind in combination with hills will never
be my best friends. Today was a sunny (20°) St Bartholomew.s day- a
feast day which in medieval times was regarded as the start of autumn .
and ..if the 24th of August be fair and clear, then hope for a prosperous
autumn that year !!.
We used a lot of small country roads and now know that the .La Grande
Bretagne profonde. does exist. The coastal road offered some spectacular
views with dramatic cliffs.
At several occasions, Bertine tried to communicate to me something
obviously very important as her screaming was accompanied by big
gestures. Unfortunately I could not hear her. What she tried to tell me
was that I had to bike on the left of the road. In this country left is right.
Tony (now renamed Gordon) will not disagree. .I will say this only once.,
she added..
One other thing that stroke us is the number of cars. We had the
impression that there are more cars on secondary roads in Britain than
e.g. in France. Brits probably all have at least 2 cars. A rich country
indeed ! In many aspects.
A scone with jam and genuine Cornish clotted cream fairly complied with
our general eagerness to taste some of the local specialties.
Saturday - August 25, 2007
( Tremorevalley - Thorverton)
(via : Camelford,Egloskerry,Launceston,Lifton,Lewdown,Okehampton,Bow)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 120 Left Cornwall behind, now in Devon.
Total Ascent (m) 1693 Beautiful weather
Avg km /h 21.3 Devon also hilly !
Avg HR 119
Celcius 23
Wind NW
Weather sunny
Only a few miles after departure this morning, hell breaks loose : a 2 km
hill with ascent percentages of up to 17-18 ! A Cornish warm-up ? Warmups
at the bar are definitely more user-friendly. Over the full day, total
ascent was again in the region of 1,700 . I found my thrill on Exeter Hill.!
We had some trouble crossing medium sized towns like Launceston and
Okehampton, but in the end we worked it out all right.
Coleford is a nice little village with white houses.
North-west wind was very gentle today.
Tonight we had some good quality pub food in Exeter: hake and sea-bass.
Later that night, there was a lot of (s)haking going on.
Sunday - August 26, 2007
(Thorverton - Bath)
(via : Cullompton,Uffculme,Wellington,Taunton,A361,Glastonbury,A39,
Wells,Paulton,Tunley)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 112 Weather still very pleasant
Total Ascent (m) 1100 Bath is a superb city !
Avg km /h 22.8
Avg HR 113
Celcius 20
Wind NW
Weather Sunny with
some clouds
Today we made our way from Devon into Somerset, covering the distance
between Exeter and Bath.
As long as the weather keeps as is, I will gladly accept the reasonable
north-west wind. This stage was less hilly than the 2 first ones which
clearly shows in the total ascent and in the average kmph numbers.
What cuts the average kmph is not only the hilly environment but also the
small and narrow roads with numerous bends, where hands on the brakes
is a safe option. Once in a while, looking for the road does not help the
speed either. But then again, why bother ?
Typical hills in Cornwall and Devon have grade % which are never lower
than 5-6%, frequently move up to 10-12% and occasionally my Garmin
told me 17-18% !
After a nice shower, we visited Bath, an absolutely superb city with a lot
of musts : Pulteney Bridge, The Roman Baths, the Cathedral, the river
Avon ..
To close a successful day we had a nice meal in a restaurant near the
Royal Theatre : the lamb and the monkfish were delicious although you
probably pay 50% more for it than in France.
Monday - August 27, 2007
(Bath . Tenbury Wells)
(via :
Batheaston,ActonTurville,Luckington,Leighterton,Stroud,Gloucester,Newent,Ledbury,Bro
myard)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 114 Cotswolds : we experienced the
disaster
Total Ascent (m) 1410 Food is better in the west
Avg km /h 22.2
Avg HR 111
Celcius 19
Wind NW
Weather Sunny with
some clouds
Pretty hectic day, this UK Bank Holiday.
We went through a couple of counties : from Somerset into
Gloucestershire, then Herefordshire and finally Worcestershire.
The saddest of all were the Cotswolds. You could still see the terrible
consequences of the July floods tragedy.
Many roads were in very bad condition, some were even totally closed.
As a result, we had to modify our initial itinerary.
The A4173 from Stroud to Gloucester was closed. To avoid to loose too
much precious time, I got into the car and started biking again at the
outskirts of Gloucester. A second problem arose on the way to Ledbury
(B4216), but here we could find an acceptable cycling alternative. All in all
we spent a lot of time road searching.
An interesting piece of information for our Belgian friends from the
neighbourhood of Ghent : Ledbury, one of the places on this route, is
mentioned in the Doomsday Book as .Ledeberge., spelled almost exactly
as the village close to Ghent !
Tenbury Wells, our today.s destination, sits by the Teme River (according
to some Britain.s prettiest river) on the border of Shropshire and
Worcestershire.
A local bicycle maker in Tenbury Wells, T.J. Cycles, builds frames here
with a unique rear end configuration called the .Flying Gate..
The dinner in the Golf Course Hotel was again a pleasant surprise : the
quality of food seems better in the west than in the east. Sorry guys from
East Anglia !
Tuesday - August 28, 2007
(Tenbury Wells - Chester)
(via :
Ludlow,Culmington,Harton,ChurchStretton,Frodesley,Condover,Shrewsbury,Baschurch,Ell
esmere,Penley,Schocklach,Aldford)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 113 Road Finding Day
Total Ascent (m) 868
Avg km /h 22.5
Avg HR 110
Celcius 19
Wind NW
Weather Cloudy
Today we spent almost as much time in road searching as in biking.
We made a bad start in Ludlow but finally managed. The worst part was
yet to come. Around Shrewsbury, we screwed it up totally. In the end I
had to get into the car as time was running by. This unfortunate event
shortened the stage by 14 km. And brought the average down due to
stop-start scenario.
For the rest it was a rather easy trip through the Midlands with some
unpleasant wind still coming from north-west. Where is your brother from
the south-west ?
Between Ellesmere and Penley the tour briefly enters into Wales.
The locals call the area .Shropshire.s Lake District. because of the seven
lakes (or meres . meren in Dutch !)
We are now staying in Chester. British cuisine continues to surprise us :
we had a high standard gourmet dinner in .The Grill Upstairs..
Tomorrow is rest. We need it.
Wednesday - August 29, 2007
(Rest2Rest)
Finally, some rest. No cycling. A relaxed visit to the Saxon town Chester
and a 5 course dinner .Chez Jules..
We call it a day.
Thursday - August 30, 2007
(Chester - Lancaster)
(via : Frodsham,Widnes,Prescot,Eccleston,Crank,AppleBridge,Leyland,Preston,Catforth,
St Michaels-on-Wyre,Garstang,Cockerham)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 84 Traffic becomes a nightmare
Total Ascent (m) 950
Avg km /h 24.0
Avg HR 95
Celcius 17
Wind NW
Weather Cloudy, some
rain
Paul Salter, the writer of the book from where I copied an important part
of the itinerary, must be suicidal. The route goes across the most
industrial part of England : in between Liverpool and Manchester, the
Runcorn.Widnes area over the Mersey River. He writes : . The A557
carries a lot of commercial traffic and feels like a motorway, although it
does at least have a wide shoulder to ride on.. The surface of the shoulder
may be fit for mountain bikes but definitely not for any decent standard
quality race bike. As suicide wasn.t a valid option at this stage, my sports
director ordered me to get in the car and start the tour a bit more up
north on minor roads, close to Eccleston.
We arrived safely at Lancaster. A city that did not impress us at all.
Friday - August 31, 2007
(Lancaster - Watermillock)
(via : Over Kellet,Milnthorpe,Brigsteer,Windermere,Kirkstone Pass,Patterdale)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 70 The Lake District : superb scenery
Total Ascent (m) 1125 Kirkston Pass is tough
Avg km /h 20.3 Over 50% of total distance
covered
Avg HR 120
Celcius 17
Wind NW
Weather Cloudy, some
rain
Today is a short stage. We arrive in Cumbria, the region of the Lake
District National Park. The seven highest peaks in England are in Cumbria
: the highest is Scafell Pike (3205 feet), second and most popular for
hiking is Helvellyn.
Almost immediately after Windermere the stone-walled A592 starts
climbing through rocky fields towards Kirkston Pass, with dramatic views
down to the lake. This is the highest mountain pass in England. It is some
9 km long; the first 5 km are up and down with grade % of 13 to 15 but
you stay at 130 m altitude. As you have to go up to 485 m, again with ups
and downs, the only way to do so is ups from 13 to 17-18 % in grade !
Pretty tough.
The good news is : we are over half way.
Saturday . September 1, 2007
(Watermillock - Dumfries)
(via : Hutton End,Carlisle,Gretna,B721,Annan,Dumfries,Dunscore)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 70 Entry into Scotland via Gretna
Total Ascent (m) 707
Avg km /h 24.2
Avg HR 104
Celcius 16
Wind W (65 kmph)
Weather Sunny Spells
After another exclusive stay at the Rampsbeck Country House Hotel in
Watermillock on Ullswater, we continued our way through the Lake
District desperately in search of the roads which according to William
Wordsworth .man hath never found.. After lunch we crossed the English-
Scottish border at Gretna Green.
Nothing much more to say. Rather flat stage, pretty strong wind.
That night we had our first genuine Scottish meal in a typical inn and
booked B&B at Quarrelwood. Our host was Dutch and dealing art and
antiques. A wonderful place to stay .
Sunday . September 2, 2007
(Dunscore - Neilston)
(via : B729,Carsphairn,Dalmellington,Patna,Tarbolton,Kilmaurs,Dunlop)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 121 Scotland is Scotland
Total Ascent (m) 1271
Avg km /h 23
Avg HR 113
Celcius 12
Wind NW
Weather Cloudy, some
rain
Shortly after Dumfries, we quickly got confirmation that this is Scotland
indeed.
The temperature went down to 10 -13° C and a gentle morning rain
accompanied us. Other .Scottish. typical : sheep, cows, horses,
Landrovers, Passing Places, cattle grids, stoned walls alongside the road
and rolling down the hills.
We went through Drongan, which again our friends from Ghent will
immediately associate with Drongen. Drongan, however was a mining
community whose fortunes suffered when the local pit closed in 1986.
At last, less cars and no road searching : perfect trip. Agreed, it was
Sunday and a sunny afternoon in Glasgow !
Monday . September 3, 2007
(Glasgow - Tyndrum)
(via : Dumbarton,A82, Luss,Tarbet,Ardlui,Crianlarich)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 46 At the gate of the Highlands now
Total Ascent (m) 423
Avg km /h 23.6
Avg HR 115
Celcius 14
Wind NW
Weather Sunny
A remarkable sunny day again. Virtually no wind. And yet it became a
peculiar morning because of the traffic. We crossed the Clyde on Erskine
Bridge. This stage was planned to be relatively short but because of traffic
conditions we were compelled to cut it down even further. Indeed, the
A82 leaving the Glasgow area is a nightmare for cycling and definitely not
a safe option. It would be much safer to bike on the Brussels Ring (though
forbidden) as there is a wide shoulder. Alternative routes are not readily
available : the more you get to the North, the less roads there are.
So we started the stage in Luss.
This is the region of the Lochs : the word lake in English also referred to
as .mere. is named .loch. in Scotland ( I hope that my German friends
won.t get hooked up in wild associative fantasies..)
The climb to Crainlarich in Stirling County, crosses country once roamed
by the outlawed MacGregors also known as .The Nameless Clan.
forbidden to wear their tartan. Their famous son was Rob Roy later
glamorised by Sir Walter Scott. Brrrrravehearrrrt !
The advantage of this short distance was that we arrived early at our free
WIFI equipped .en-suite. B&B , which was perfect for catching up with
washing, bike cleaning, reading and resting.
The lady of the Glengarry residence served us a wonderful diner :
smoked salmon, beef in Stout with creamy mash and vegs, a great
banoffee pie ( a toffee, banana and cream dessert) and Cranachan
(cream, shortbread and whiskey). We went to sleep on a zip of homemade
sloe gin ! Lots of sugar, lots of energy !
One side-note : there is a famous hiking tour called the West Highland
Way, a 95-mile walk from Glasgow to Fort William.
Three residents in our tonight.s B&B, were at day four (out of 6) on this
tour. From our bedroom window we overlooked Ben Lui, one of the 37
surrounding Munros ! ( A munro is a mountain above 3000 feet named
after the author who listed them all)
Tuesday . September 4, 2007
(Tyndrum - Invergarry)
(via : Bridge of Orchy,Glencoe,Fort William,Spean Bridge)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 118 Amazing scenery in the Highlands
Total Ascent (m) 833 Less cars than in England
Avg km /h 26.9 Life is cheaper here vs. England
Avg HR 112
Celcius 12
Wind W-SW
Weather Misty , Rainy
www.bbc.co.uk/weather announced heavy rain. I saw the rain, not the
heavy. Three hours gentle drizzle don.t kill a man.
The tour was .totally normal. probably for the first time, meaning : South
Westerly wind (shy though : 16 kmph), no road searching, total ascent
within acceptable limits, steady cycling at constant pace on straight roads,
no traffic lights. The average therefore went up to 27 kmph. (I must admit
I injected myself with my very last 3CB)
On top of that, we witnessed a miracle : for the first time on the tour we
saw a cycling path along a main road, the A82 north of Fort William has
indeed a newly built two way cycling path a couple of miles long.
Congratulations !
The Highlands offer amazingly beautiful scenery with numerous munros,
lochs, bens and glens.
Leaving Scotland without having slept in a real castle would be a terrible
sin. So we were booked at Invergarry Castle, once the seat of the Chiefs
of the MacDonells of Glengarry, a powerful branch of the Clan MacDonald.
The Castle was rebuilt as a unique project by celebrated architect David
Bryce. He built over 100 Baronial Mansions including The Bank of Scotland
in Edinburgh
Wednesday . September 5, 2007
(Invergarry - Tain)
(via :
A82,Drumnadrochit,Beauly,Duncanston,Evanton,AlnessInvergordon,Milton,Lamington)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 116 Loch Ness
Total Ascent (m) 1060
Avg km /h 24.7
Avg HR 111
Celcius 15
Wind W
Weather Misty ,Drizzle
Loch Ness
The first part of the ride hugs the shores of Loch Ness, Scotland.s most
famous Loch, for about 25 km. A pity that the morning drizzle and the
clouds were hiding the scenery (and the monster) to some extent but we
were able to see some of Urquhart Castle. After 40 km, just passed
Drumnadrochit, there was a serious 3 km climb on the A833 : minimum
12% - maximum 19%. Tough.
After crossing Cromarty Bridge on a very busy A9, we passed by Alness, a
sort of Scottish Silicon Valley and Invergordon along the Firth coastline,
an excellent deep-water anchorage. The port has become a stopping point
for cruise lines : we saw the huge Seven Seas Voyager, 7 stores high !
A hilly minor road took us through beautiful pine woods to Tain. Oil and
whisky are two of Scotland.s biggest export earners. Invergordon is a
centre for oil rig and drill ship servicing, and Tain (where we stay tonight),
is home to the Glenmorangie Distillery, makers of Scotland.s most popular
whisky. Whisky in Gaelic means .Water of life., where Vodka in Russian is
just water !
Thursday . September 6, 2007
(Tain - Berriedale)
(via : A9)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 70 North Sea views
Total Ascent (m) 728
Avg km /h 24.5
Avg HR 109
Celcius 15
Wind W
Weather Cloudy, sunny
spells
Sunny spells. Westerly wind. Short stage. One 8 km climb only, so why
complain ? Unrivalled dramatic landscapes and seascapes from the hills
down to the coast. Smooth ride, done by lunch time.
We left Tain on the A9 across the Dornoch Bridge, which once suffered
another media blitz when Madonna was wed to Guy at the ultra exclusive
Skibo Castle in Dornoch.
At the western end of Loch Fleet the road crosses The Mound, a causeway
with tidal gates. We drove back to Helmsdale, the last town with a few
shops before Wick.
The story goes that in 1567 the Earl and Countess of Sutherland were
given poisoned wine by a rival aunt. The plan came badly unstuck when
by accident the aunt.s son drank the wine too ( the Earl.s sun was late
again from hunting and therefore couldn.t guess anymore who was
coming to dinner that night).
It is said that Shakespeare loosely based his Hamlet on this plot.
The charming and stylish Bridge Hotel stood guarantee for an elegant and
unforgettable Scottish starry night.
One more lap to go.
A Scottish Toast
May the best ye.ve ever seen,
Be the worst ye.l ever see,
May a moose ne.er leave yer girnal,
Wi. a teardrop in his e.e,
May ye aye be hale and he.rty,
Till ye.re auld enough tae dee,
May ye aye be juist as happy,
As I wish ye aye to be
Friday . September 7, 2007
(Berriedale . John O.Groats)
(via : A9,A99)
Tech Stuff Highlights
Trip distance (km) 68 End of Tour
Total Ascent (m) 651
Avg km /h 25.9
Avg HR 119
Celcius 13
Wind W
Weather Cloudy
For the full length virtually, the ride follows the North Sea coasts .
We soon got into Caithness, the historic, geographically diverse triangle in
the top right-hand corner of the British mainland. For centuries Caithness
was ruled by Vikings from across the sea in Norway. The vast interior of
the Far North contains also the famous Flow Country, with its
internationally important birds and plants.
At 50 km from the finish our club sponsor called me. I was just climbing a
gentle hill, so I could pick up the phone and chat a little. Amazing how
sponsors manage to choose the right time to motivate the troops. It gave
me sufficient energy to fly to JOG.
Towards the end, the wind speed suddenly increased dramatically which
made it a challenging last 10 kilometres. A severe fight against strong
gales from the West.
One last photo at the sign post at John O. Groats and all is over.
The final curtain of our .End to End..
Closing Notes
For numbers freaks :
Total distance covered (km) : 1337
Total ascent (m) :14393 (equivalent to 10 Mont Ventoux.s)
Total calories used (kcal) :55906
Heart rate average (bpm) :113
Kmph average :23.2
For normal folks :
How was the weather ?
Surely, one of the most important elements which can decide on success
or failure. We were extremely lucky : apart from maybe 6 hours drizzle all
in all, no rain whatsoever. Temperature varied from 13 to 23 Celsius, on
average probably 17 with a reasonable amount of sun.
Any mechanical failure ?
None. Not even a punctured tyre.
Physical discomforts ?
All went to perfection.
In general terms, it is fair to say that Britain has a lot of beautiful
scenery to offer as well as a number of interesting cities.
Top of the bill in scenery : Scotland, Cornwall, the Lake District.
The cities we liked most : Bath and Chester.
Concerning restaurants : the quality of food has miraculously improved
over the years : we had real nice dinners, some could easily enter
competition with Gordon Ramsey.
Hotels and B&B : perfect !! Our favourites we can fully recommend :
Hotel : The Bridge Hotel in Helmsdale (Scotland)
B&B : Glengarry House in Tyndrum (Scotland)
On the negative side, it is obvious that Britain (Scotland scores better
than England) is not cycling-friendly. Too much traffic everywhere, no
cycling paths. Luckily most of drivers do respect cyclists. (Or was it the
banner on our Vito?)
In summary : a challenging experience with very fond memories.
Last but not least I would like to thank Bertine for the many tasks she
performed during this tour : driving at a 19.8 kmph average/total amount
of time : 75:37 hours, total distance : 2,418 km ( from Belgium) ,route
mapping and searching, participating in writing of daily report and
produce of pictures, food, lodging, coffee, laundry etc. Without her
support , the ride would not have been possible. I only had to do the
pedalling : probably the easier part of the enterprise.
Many thanks also to my friends who extended their support either by
phone or mail.
I will now prepare for the ALC7 (Aids/Lifecycle 7th edition) scheduled in
June 1-7, 2008, a ride of 1000 km from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
an. sae yer all be thankit !