|
|
About Kenny | Racing | Motivational Speaking | Pictures | News Blog| Contact |
 |
|
|||||
|
|
Lands End to John o’ Groats End to End Cycle ChallengeDepart Land’s End Thursday 3rd June Arrive John o’ Groats Saturday 19th June 17 days/16 nights Cycling form Land’s End to John o’ Groats, the furthest possible distance in the British Isles, is a classic challenge that many dream of. Starting at Land’s End on the southwesterly tip of England, we pedal our way through Cornwall, over Dartmoor and north along the Welsh border, skirting the Lake District into Scotland, via lochs and the Highlands to the north coast and John o’Groats. In all we will cover almost 1000 miles, passing through some of the most stunning and remote countryside in the British Isles. This is a fabulous way to see the country and one of the most rewarding things you will ever do! Itinerary Day 1: Land’s End – St Austell Land’s End is stunningly situated on the most southwesterly tip of England. Its rocky cliffs and pounding seas make a fabulous backdrop for the obligatory photos before we start. Then we gather at the start line and begin our challenge. Our journey begins on winding Cornish roads as we head east towards Penzance, cycling along the sea for a short stretch as we pass the famous monument of St Michael’s Mount. Today is mainly undulating but with a few longer climbs and some shorter steep ones. Inland again, we take winding back roads before joining a quiet main road to Truro and St Austell. Approx Mileage: 56 miles. NB We will start fairly early from land’s End so you will probably find it more practical to arrive the night before. We can arrange transport from the nearest mainline railway station, Penzance, the night before as well as hostel accommodation in St Just, 5 miles away. Day 2: St Austell – Tavistock We continue on undulating roads through pretty towns of Lostwithiel and pass over rolling hills into Devon. The scenery is beautiful and we enjoy this relatively short day preparing our bodies for tomorrow’s big challenge. We stop in Tavistock, a lovely town just below Dartmoor. Approx 40 miles Day 3: Tavistock – Sampford Peverell Today we cross Dartmoor, which is generally recognised to be the most challenging section of the ride. From Tavistock we have a steep climb onto Dartmoor itself. The views are fabulous if it’s a clear day, though it can often be foggy on this wild part of southwest England, so we take it easy as we climb towards the village of Two Bridges. There is a great descent into Postbridge, site of the well-known Clapper Bridge, and then we climb again. By the time we reach the small town of Moretonhampstead the harder climbs are over though there are still a few short sharp hills as the road winds its way to the edge of Dartmoor, where it’s downhill all the way to Exeter. Crossing the centre of Exeter as a group, we follow a quiet road north through small towns and villages and finish our day in a quiet village. Approx 60 miles Day 4: Sampford Peverell – Clevedon Continuing north, we cycle mainly on quiet, flat roads as we cross into Somerset and pass Wellington and the busy town of Taunton. On back roads again, we cycle towards Cheddar, enjoying the typically English rural scenery. There are a few short hills but we avoid the steep Gorge itself. We near the Severn Estuary and approach the outskirts of Bristol, stopping in Clevedon. Approx 60 miles Day 5: Clevedon – Hereford We take the Avon Gorge cycle path which avoids some of the busy roads, though care must still be taken as we approach Avonmouth and make out way up to the Severn Bridge. We cross the bridge using the cycle path and celebrate our arrival in Wales. One of the most scenic parts of our route follows, as we cycle the rolling road through the forested Wye Valley, enjoying views of the beautiful ruin of Tintern Abbey and its pretty riverside village. We follow the Wye River to Monmouth where we head north into Hereford with its striking cathedral and red sandstone buildings. Here we see the Wye for the last time as we cross it going into the city. Approx 60 miles Day 6: Hereford – Shrewsbury We head out of town on a quiet road heading to the small village of Leintwardine, crossing into Shropshire a few miles further on. We cycle on undulating country lanes, passing fields and small villages and the lovely scenery of the Hope Valley. We re-join the main road just south of Shrewsbury where we have a short run-in to our hotel. Approx 65 miles Day 7: Shrewsbury – Newton-le-Willows Our morning starts with a gentle cycle through the medieval town of Shrewsbury with its historic black and white timbered buildings and we cross the River Severn – much smaller than when we crossed it two days ago! We head north, turning onto a quiet country road and passing through the small market towns of Wem and Whitchurch. Our route is mainly flat and the miles pass quickly. We head through a quiet corner of Cheshire on main roads into the most built-up area of our journey, by-passing busy Warrington and ending the day’s journey at Newton-le-Willows, just south of Wigan. Approx 60 miles Day 8: Newton-le-Willows – Kendal Today is a long day and depending on the overall level of the group, we may make an early start to avoid busy rush-hour traffic. Continuing on predominantly fast, flat roads, we by-pass Wigan and cross into Lancashire and on past Preston. Heading north on quiet roads once more, we cycle through Garstang and along the edge of the impressive Bowland Forest. The roads are primarily flat as we follow our route through the attractive town of Lancaster, cross into Cumbria and pedal on through Kendal, renowned for its energy-boosting mint cake. Approx 70 miles Day 9: Kendal – Logntown The hills of the Lake District rise to our left as we head towards Shap Hells, at more than 1000ft the most notable climb since Dartmoor. The climb is long but the gradient is fairly gradual. From the top there are great views of hills and rolling green valleys. A fabulous long twisting descent now awaits, taking us almost all the way to Penrith where we cycle past the castle and on to Carlisle. We head north of Carlisle to the small village of Longtown just before the border with Scotland. Approx 55 miles Day 10: Longtown – New Cumnock After only a few miles we cross over into Scotland. We pass the famous blacksmith’s forge at Gretna Green, elopement capital of the world, and head through the village. Our first day on Scottish roads takes us on mainly flat, quiet back roads east, bypassing the pretty town of Dumfries, The morning’s ride is very picturesque with the lush green rolling hills of the Southern Uplands to either side as we cycle northeast through small towns and villages. There are some long but fairly gently climbs and descents as we pass through this beautiful countryside. We pass through the small town of Sanquhar, home to Britain’s oldest post office and a great old tollbooth. In Sanquhar, along with Cumnock and New Cumnock a few miles ahead, look out for memorials and plaques commemorating the Covenanters who rebelled against the religious dictates of the Stuart kings in the late 1600s. Approx 66 miles Day 11: New Cumnock – Largs Leaving the flatter valley roads behind us, we approach Kilmarnock and the roads become busier. We cycle through the town and turn onto quieter B-roads as we head east to the Firth of Clyde via Irvine and Kilwinning. The scenery is stunning as we follow the undulating coast road north, enjoying fabulous views across the water to the Isles of Arran and Bute. We stop for the night at the pretty waterside town of Largs. Approx 48 miles Day 12: Largs – Inverary Our road continues to climb and descend as we cycle along the coast to Gourock where we take the ferry across the strait to Dunoon. We cycle north through beautiful forest and along the shores of Loch Eck, sometimes hidden from view by the trees, at other times we cycle right by the water. This section is mainly flat, until we reach the shores of Loch Fyne where from the small village of Creggans we have a stiff climb to the top of the loch with tempting views of Inverary, a short distance away (as the crow flies) on the opposite side of the loch. We pass the world-renowned oyster beds of Loch Fyne and approach Inverary on flatter roads. Look out for the fairytale towers of the castle among the trees to your right just before the town. Approx 52 miles Day 13: Inverary – Onich Our day starts with a long but fairly gentle climb out of Inverary and we start to feel as though we really are in the Highlands. After a few miles we reach the shores of Lack awe and cycle around the top of it, admiring the ruins of Castle Kilchurn at its head. Heading east to the coast again, we cross over the iron bridge at Connell with great views of Loch Etive to our right and the Isle of Mull across the sea on our left. Our route now is beautiful as we follow the coast road with views of stunning desolate beaches and hilly islands and peninsulas across the water. Inland, the higher peaks are visible in good weather. Skirting the forests of Appin, we head north again still following the coast to Ballachulish where the road splits off to the famous Glencoe. We cross the Ballachulish Bridge and head for Onich a little further along the coast. Approx 65 miles Day 14: Onich – Drumnadrochit Our route continues along the banks of Loch Linnhe enjoying the flat start to the day as we run into Fort William. In good weather we may get good views of Ben Nevis and the surrounding high peaks. We climb out of the town, passing the impressive Commando Memorial after about 6 miles and cycle an undulating route alongside Loch Lochy. We follow the Caledonian Canal to Fort Augustus with its impressive ladder of canal locks and the foot of Loch Ness which will be our companion for many miles. We pass Invermoriston and then the ancient Urquhart Caste, very picturesque against the backdrop of the loch before reaching our day’s goal at Drumnadrochit. Approx 62 miles Day 15: Drumnadrochit – Bonar Bridge Another day of beautiful Highland scenery awaits us as we head further north. We are nearing our destination now, taking the hills in our stride and we feel great! From Drumnadrochit we leave Loch Ness and head north again, uphill, to Beauly, skirting the end of the Moray Firth and on to Dingwall. Look out for seals as we pass alongside Cromarty Firth. The roads are flatter here but we start to climb again as we take the back roads from Alness across bleak but beautiful moorlands to Dornoch Firth. From the great viewpoint above the Firth we have a fantastic descent to Bonar Bridge. Approx 55miles
Day 16: Bonar Bridge – Bettyhill Today’s terrain is not easy and we will deserve our rest later today! Leaving Bonar Bridge we head due north once more, passing through Lairg at the foot of Loch Shin and encountering our first long climb of the day. Now in northern Scotland, the Highlands are behind us and the landscape is much bleaker with rich peaty moorlands and clear rivers. A few miles from Lairg we turn onto single carriageway road, which is the standard for the rest of the day. We will encounter very few vehicles on this road. Look out for herds of red deer and birds of prey such as osprey or even the elusive golden eagle, as this area is very untouched. Our road is undulating and can be hard if there is a strong wind. We reach Altnaharra, the most sparsely populated region in Northern Europe – the nearest shop is about 20 miles away – and turn off to cycle alongside the beautiful Loch Naver, is one of the most beautiful stretches along our route. We head north, and after another couple of climbs we reach the north coast with lovely views of isolated golden beaches. We stay at the small villages of Bettyhill. Approx 62 miles Day 17: Bettyhill – John o’Groats Our day starts with a long climb out of Bettyhill on a two-way road again. After the villages of Melvich and Brighouse, a few miles further on the road becomes flatter. We pass the power station at Dounreay and approach Thurso. From this point we pick up mileage signs for John o’Groats – welcome and motivating encouragement. The small town of Thurso comes as a slight culture shock after all the miles we have cycled on near-deserted roads in the last few days. A few miles further, our road passes through the high sand dunes of Dunnet Bay with its beautiful white sand beach and renowned birdlife. We pass the turn-off to Dunnet Head, Scotland’s most northerly point and pedal the remaining miles along a mainly flat road to John o’Groats and our finish line. Large celebrations! Approx 60 miles Depending on the ability of the group, we should arrive at John o’Groats by late afternoon. We can arrange optional transport to Inverness (good onward transport links) and accommodation at a hotel in central Inverness if required; should enough of the group want to do this we can also arrange a celebration meal in Inverness – further details will be given nearer the time. Weather UK min/max average: 8 – 20 C. The weather in June should be generally good, though it can be changeable, especially in Scotland where there is an increased chance of rain and strong winds. The prevailing wind direction will have more of an impact on the cycling difficulty than rain. The cycling is mainly undulating over rolling countryside though there are some longer, tougher climbs (primarily in Dartmoor). Discover Adventure Ltd, Throope Down House, Blandford Road, Coombe Bissett, Salisbury SP5 4LN
|
||||
Land's End to John O'Groats cycle 