Land's End to John O'Groats Cycle Ride

Our riders successfully completed the ride, arriving in John O'Groats
at 6pm on Monday 23rd August.

Please support us by making a donation.

Land's End to John O'Groats Cycle Ride

More than a year in the planning and its all over!

923 miles including 66,478 feet of climbing in 8 days which included
one climb of 25%, several at 20% and loads of 14%.

The weather generally was kind to us with the south to north itinary
meaning we had the benefit of the prevailing winds.

Day 1 at 104 miles and 10,746 feet of climbing took us through
Cornwall over the King Harry ferry and then the relentless undulations
from St Austell all the way to Tavistock before the biggest single
climb to North Hessary Tor. A foretaste of what was to come, this was a
rude awakening for many in the team.

Day 2 from our campsite at Postbridge was 128 miles with 6,857 feet of
ascent. A delightful (if damp) descent to Moretonhampstead the took
us to Exeter followed by the fast and uneventful A38 before we crossed
the River Avon on the Clifton suspension bridge. After the rigours of
Cornwall and West Devon this was almost a rest day !

Day 3 took us from just south of Gloucester on a 120 mile route with
5,981 feet of climbing via Ashbourne before the big climbs to Bakewell.
This included the lovely little 21% hairpin at Over Haddon. A double
booking at the Bakewell Scout HQ meant our pre arranged massage was
accompained by a 30 piece Brass Band practice session.

Day 4 was tough. 107 miles and 9,474 feet of climbing took us
alongside the Ladybower Reservoir, over the 25% climb of Strines Moor
west of Sheffield before negotiating the hills and traffic of
Huddersfield, Halifax and Keighley before reaching the calm of the
Dales. Firstly Skipton and Kettlewell before the big climb out of
Wharfedale followed by the very challenging climb at the very end of
the day from Bolton Abbey before reaching our campsite at Reeth.

Day 5 was just as tough. At 120 miles and 12,042 feet, the steep
climbs started almost immediately from Reeth in very wet weather. This
whole section was extremely remote with some fantastic scenery, good
road conditions and very fast descents before reaching Kielder Water
and a soul destroying session into a strong head wind and rain. Once in
Scotland the weather improved dramatically before reaching Selkirk.

Day 6 was the day for practicing group riding skills. Flat roads, good
conditions and little traffic meant we arrived at Edinburgh quickly
ready for the Forth Road Bridge. After Perth the terrain became more
lumpy until reaching the Spittal of Glenshee. Despite the "easy" (?)
days climb of 7,590 feet, at 118 miles the day was tiring !

Day 7 was the highlight of the whole trip for many. On paper, a route
of 99 miiles and 7,200 feet of climbing looked the easiest of the trip
but a sequence of very long climbs and equally long descents were
glorious. Visibility was excellent and the cool temperatures meant the
horrendous 20% climb at Cock Bridge was manageable ... but only just !

The last Day brought wind, rain and the traffic of the A9 north from
Inverness to John O'Groats. Whilst the traffic eased the further North
we went, the weather worsened such that we arrived at journeys end in a
downpour. This was a very long day of 120 miles mostly into a headwind
with 6,588 of climbing.

The route always was going to be tough and it was. I was surprised at
the inaccuracy of the route planning software in working out the total
height climbed ( predicted 50,000 feet compared to the actual height
climbed of 66,478 feet ). The support team were fantastic with their
feedstops and managing the campsites ready for our arrival.

For the record, the team were:

Scout Leader Cyclists; Me ( Dave ), Adam and Chris
Beacon Roads CC; Richard, Phillip, Mark and Trevor
Redditch Road and Path CC, Mike and Alan
Solihull CC; John and Ian
Bridgewater CC; Roger

and the support team:

Martyn, Avril, Roy, Neil, Mark, Pete and Pete.

If you haven't donated anything yet towards our fundraising efforts
please feel free to do so using the button at the top of this page.

If you have donated ... thank you!

Please enjoy the following photos of our trip.

Dave

Feel free to e mail Dave with any
questions on this event or future adventures,click here

Birmingham city centre direct route

Click to download Birmingham direct.gpx

Finally a note of thanks to our commercial sponsors.

1st_tidbury_green_scouts_LEJoG jersey.gif

Johnsons Coaches who were the main sponsors for the jersey.
Anglo Holt, Hartle and Crossroads Service Station for additional jersey sponsorship.
Intaride for the loan of bike to bike radios.
Honnor Butchers for providing bacon and sausages.
Sainsburys for a food donation.
The First and last Inn at Sennen, Runnage Farm campsite at Postbridge, Gables Farm campsite at Gloucester, the Glenshee Bunkhouse and the John O Groats campsite for discounted camping fees.
Scout headquarters at Bakewell, Selkirk and Inverness for low cost accommodation.
Land Rover for the loan of the support vehicle.
McDonalds at Lichfield for a food donation

Thanks to Cult Racing Cycles for the support over the past year with technical advice, discounted rates and spares backup over the event.

Click Here to find out more about them.

1st Tidbury Green (Wythall) Scout Group