Lands End to John O'Groats Itinerary

On the day of departure we will be making an early start from the famous signpost at the most westerly point on the English mainland, Lands End, the Romans called this dramatic area of the coastline the Sea of Storms and before we leave we might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Wolf Rock Lighthouse and maybe even the Scillies if the weather is very clear. The first day is perhaps, one of the toughest. The hills in Cornwall are not particularly high, but they are steep and there are a lot of them, any miles that are done in training, prior to the ‘big trip’ will reap huge dividends on this early stage.

The second day of the journey will find us with a little more ‘Cornish cycling’, short and steep ascents followed by a quick descent. The first major conurbation of our trip is Plymouth and once clear of Plymouth we converge on Tavistock and shortly afterwards make the steady ascent up onto Dartmoor. The famous grey fortress style prison makes a dramatic landmark as we regroup and spend the rest of the afternoon bowling along through one of the most spectacular landscapes in the country.

The next day of our adventure will begin with some hilly cycling as we negotiate the back roads towards Exeter. As we leave Exeter behind the terrain becomes a little easier and after lunch, as we will be wending our way to Street in Somerset and spending the night at the Swiss chalet style youth hostel close to Glastonbury with views of the Mendip Hills.

There can be no finer feelings than cycling in the morning sunshine through the Isle of Avalon, that is exactly what we intend to do. We will be leaving Street and the memorable view of Glastonbury Tor behind us as we make our way through the wildlife rich, former Somerset Levels towards Wells. A sharp climb out of Wells is rewarded with some fine cycling across the top of the Mendip Hills, and then a break at Chew Valley Lake, one of the countries finest bird watching locations. The journey from Street to Monmouth is possibly one of the best day’s cycling on the whole trip.

The fifth day of the journey is perhaps one of the easiest, there are very few hills to speak of and the scenery is stunning with the Black Mountains in the distance. The roads are very quiet and the only major city to negotiate is Hereford. We will be cycling to the west of Leominster and eventually stopping for the night at the recently restored watermill, called Clun Mill Youth Hostel. Clun is a friendly little town with a good selection of real ale pubs and places to eat.

Bishops Castle, Ellesmere and Chester are the significant names, which will mark the journey on day six, once again the roads are very quiet and the terrain is flat. If we are lucky enough to get a Southwesterly wind then we should arrive at Chester in time for afternoon tea. Cycling from Clun to Chester is one of the uncovered gems of Britain. The easy cycling makes this part of the trip ideal for daydreaming, or listening to the noises from the fields and hedgerows.

The end of the first week is marked by a day of navigation and the tour leader will be doing quite a bit of the hard work. Leaving Runcorn we will be weaving along lanes and back roads. The cycling is flat but the navigation is tricky because we will be avoiding main roads, our company ethos is safety first, so we will be taking lefts and rights, crossing under motorways, over motorways, maybe a canal towpath and a city cycle track as we finally break free of the built up areas such as Warrington and Wigan to the west of Manchester. As the day wears on we will be arriving to the north of Blackburn where the countryside beckons once again.

After spending Saturday evening in Slaidburn, Sunday will see us cycling through this area of outstanding natural beauty, some of the scenic delights on offer will be the Forests internationally important heather moorland, its blanket bogs, picturesque villages and hopefully we will sight some of the rare birds which frequent the Forest. The cycling really starts to get exciting in the afternoon as we begin to stretch our legs on some of the challenging ascents that define the Lake District.

On the second Monday morning, the ‘daily commute’ or the ‘school run’, will be the last thing on our minds, as stiff limbs from the Lake District are forgotten we will be navigating through the tail end of the Lake District towards the city of Carlisle, the terrain flattens out around this historic city and the cycling becomes relatively easy as the day wears on.

Tuesday will begin with some hilly cycling as we traverse the Carsphairn Forest and travel northeast to follow the cycle paths and quieter roads, which lead into Glasgow. At Larkhall on the southwest of the city we join the River Clyde cycleway, and as we cross the city we will be enjoying a traffic free ride through one of Europe’s more vibrant cities, which is now defined by its old and new architecture, as well as interesting sights such as the Clydebank Docks and Glasgow Harbour. With the Trossachs ahead of us, we will be heading for Loch Lomond and staying in the large country house, which is now one of Scotland’s premier hostels.

As we depart from Loch Lomond we will be greeted with some amazing scenery as we head north, we will hopefully be feeling the benefits of our Derbyshire training runs and a week and a half in the saddle, as the long steady, spectacular ascents open up glorious views of the Grampian Mountains around Crianlarich and the Bridge of Orchy. Eventually we will find ourselves in the historic and stunning Glen Coe, the Three Sisters to the west marking a wonderful backdrop as we arrive at Glen Coe Youth Hostel.

As we leave Glencoe, we will be riding along the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe towards Fort William, as we follow the road through Glen Albyn we will continue have beautiful Scottish lochs to the east, Loch Lochy finally gives way to the gorgeous Loch Ness as we approach the capital of the Highlands, Inverness.

Leaving the city behind we will be crossing the Moray Firth via the Kessock Bridge ascending onto the Black Isle before descending towards Dingwall. Just out of Dingwall brings another ascent onto what the locals call the ‘Struie’. As we reach the top of the ‘Struie’ we will be amply rewarded with impressive views of the Dornoch Firth and away in the distance Loch Shin. The final few hours are spent descending down to Bonar Bridge and then the steady climb to Lairg and beyond which is our destination for the evening, The Crask Inn, arguably the finest and friendliest of pubs in the UK.

A freewheeling descent from the Crask Inn and the dazzling backdrop provided by Loch Naver and Ben Klibreck will make this morning truly unforgettable. As Loch Naver gives way to the famous salmon runs of the River Naver, we will be enjoying some of the finest cycling of the whole journey. Around lunchtime we sight the Atlantic Ocean at Bettyhill and the final afternoon will be spent making progress along the northern coastline of Scotland towards John O’Groats. The final few hours of the afternoon will find the terrain flatten out and we are rewarded with an easy ride to the finishing line at John O’Groats, where the champagne corks will be popping.