5 - 18 July 2003

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“THE poetry of motion! The real way to travel! The only way to travel! Here today - in next week tomorrow! Villages skipped, towns and cities jumped - always somebody else’s horizon! O bliss! … O my! O my!” from “Wind in the Willows” - Chapter 2 II THE OPEN ROAD

Sat 5 July: Plymouth > Inverness

Harald Simpson (Devon DA CTC) teamed up with me and compared several routes to work out the best/quickest route between John O’Groats and Lands End. He had hired a Skoda from Europacar at North Road Station (Plymouth). Having left Plymouth at 9.45am, we arrived in Inverness at about 11.00pm. 660 miles. Hire cost £58.00. Petrol £60.00. The shared cost of a hired car was the cheapest way Harald found of doing the journey between Plymouth and Inverness.  Slept in Car

Sun 6 July: Inverness > J. O’Groats

“We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.”

 Left Inverness railway station 11.18 arr Thurso 2.50pm. Cycled to John O’Groats via Dunnett Head (northernmost point), arriving J. O’Groats about 5.30pm. Train fare to Wick: £12.80. 31 miles

Cold and grey.
Mr A L Grant
John O’Groats Guest House
The Broo
John O’Groats
Caithness
Scotland
KW1 4YR
http://johnogroatsguesthouse.co.uk
Tel: 01955 611251

£25 p/p
 
Mon 7 July: J. O’Groats > Tain

A99 from J. O’Groats thro’ Wick, Latheron wh. continue along coast on A9 via Dunbeath, Berriedale (steeply sided valley), Hemsdale, Brora, Golspie and across road bridge to Tain. 91miles

This was a shorter route than the alternative routes west along the A836/A897, which I would have preferred. It had the merit of taking us through one of the northernmost townlets of Scotland (Wick) but missed out the barren splendour of the remote moorland of Scotland. Heavy rain in Helmsdale held us up for about an hour but afforded time to book accommodation ahead at the Tourist Information Centre (TIC). The ascent from Barriedale was long and steep.

Cold and showery.
Mr & Mrs McLean
Northfield
23 Moss Road
TAIN
Tel: 01862 894087
http://www.may-mclean@northfield23.co.uk

£20 p/p

Tue 8 July: Tain > Fort William

 Continued on the A9 towards Inverness but branched R on the A862 to Dingwall (elevenses). Followed signs for Maryburgh to A862 through Muir of Ord, Beauly, Balblair wh. L on A831 and then R on A833 to Milton wh. L on A831 to Drumnadrochit (lunch and TIC). Continued ca. 2.45 on A82 to Fort William and Badabrie. 97 miles

The route on the A833 was steep but scenic with a very abrupt descent to the A831. A82 rather narrow and busy with both lorries and cars. Undulating till Fort Augustus then pretty flat all the way to descent starting just above Spean Bridge and Fort William.

Sunny. Warm.
Braeburn B&B
Badabrie
Fort William
PH33 7LX
Tel: 01397 772047
email: mackinjj@hotmail.com
web: http://www.accommodation-fort-william.com

£25 p/p
 
Wed 9 July: Fort William > Crianlarich

Continue on A82 from Fort William through Onich, North Ballachulish, Glencoe wh. enter village and take back road to rejoin A82. Aonach Eagach mountains on L. Begin long ascent to counties’ border (about 20 miles). Descend to Crianlarich. 57 miles

The ascent from Glencoe is not too arduous, though it is long. The effort is worth it for the splendid mountain scenery along the way. This day we were blessed with quite fine weather and fair visibility. Not too much traffic on this stretch.

Some bright intervals. Hazy. No rain.
Mrs M Anderson
Northumbria
Glenfalloch Road
Crianlarich
Perthshire
Tel: 01838 300253

£25 p/p
 
Thu 10 July: Crianlarich > New Cumnock

Continue on A82 from Crianlarich to Erskine bridge. Into Erskine and follow A726 through Paisley to M77 RAB where SO to next R for Newton Mearns. Follow signs for Stewarton (B769) and there A735 to Kilmarnock wh. pick up A76 thro Mauchline, Cumnock to New Cumnock. 93 miles

The long downhill stretch from Crianlarich along Loch Lomand and the views were spoiled by torrential rain and poor visibility. Soaked through, we stopped in Inveruglas to recuperate. The road surface along Loch Lomand was the worst anywhere on the trip. There were many coaches using this very narrow strip of road. The only redeeming feature was the long, gradual descent. However, it would be an extremely long and difficult haul on this route to Glencoe. One definitely to avoid going north. The Scottish Open Golf Championships meant that a long stretch of road just before Alexandria was reduced to one lane, making for very crowded and unpleasant riding conditions.

Continuous rain in the morning, brightening in the afternoon.
Shortly before Alexandria on the outskirts of Glasgow Harald and I got separated when I followed a cycle path to avoid the heavy traffic. He continued SO. We failed to re-establish contact via mobile phone in spite of numerous attempts, his phone or mine being switched off at pertinent times to save battery life. We were eventually so far adrift that it only remained to complete the journey solo. There was no accommodation in New Cumnock and I had not booked ahead. I was very fortunate to be offered shelter (9.00pm) by Rob MacKie, who allowed me to sleep in his caravanette, saw that I was fed and watered and saw me on my way again the next day. Many thanks to Rob for his great kindness. Apologies to Harald for the ensuing delays to him.

It would have been better if our destination for the day had been agreed in advance or at least one of us had his mobile turned on all the time after we separated.
 
Fri 11 July: New Cumnock > Penrith

A82 to Dumfries. Carry on past TIC and follow signs to Bankend. B724 to Annan. Then B721 to Gretna and A6071 to Longtown wh A7 to Carlisle. A6 to Penrith. 92 miles

A very easy and fast route except for A7 and A6 which were just a little hillier. The B roads after Dumfries were extremely quiet and a very refreshing change from main roads.

Cold and showery, improving in the afternoon.
 Mary & Tom Winter
Ash Grove
Alexandra Road
Castletown
Penrith
Cumbria
CA11 9AN
Tel/Fax: 01768 864353

£25 p/p
 
Sat 12 July: Penrith > Wigan

A6 through Kendall, Lancaster, Preston, all the way to Chorely then follow signs to Wigan and A49. 86 miles

Penrith to Shap quite hard with significant climb into moorland, then long descent to Kendall. Easy riding to Lancaster and Preston. Roads not too busy on last leg of journey through industrial Lancashire since I arrived there after the rush hour.

Good dry day, plenty of sun. Not too hot.
Charles Dickens Hotel
14 Upper Dicconson Street
Wigan
Tel: 01942 323263

£24 p/p
 
Sun 13 July: Wigan > Ludlow

Continue on A49 through Warrington, Whitchurch and Shrewsbury to Ludlow. 95 miles

Being Sunday, there was less heavy traffic than usual. The journey to Whitchurch seemed endless. Had lunch in grounds of petrol station. Arrived Shrewsbury ca. 5.30pm. Purchased rail ticket from Penzance to Plymouth - £10.80. Shrewsbury to Church Stretton was hard - although the road looked flat I believe there was a gradual climb to Wenlock edge. Fast descent to Ludlow.

Hot and sunny.
Brian & Sue Wilkinson
Nelson Cottage
Rocks Green
LUDLOW
Shropshire
SY8 2DS
01584 878108
http://www.ludlow.uk.com
info@ludlow.uk.com

£25 p/p
 
Mon 14 July: Ludlow > Chepstow

Still on A49 to Leomintser (TIC). Then on to Hereford (lunch and visit to cathedral). Branched R on A466 via St Weonard (visited church) to Monmouth. Pleasant road though several steep hills rewarded by fast descent into Monmouth. After Monmouth followed River Wye still on A466 to Chepstow. 66 miles

Even hotter and sunnier.
Jane Cooper
The First Hurdle
Guest House
9-10 Upper Church Street
Chepstow
Gwent
NP16 5EX
Tel: 01291 622189 Fax: 01291 628538

£25 p/p
 
Tue 15 July: Chepstow > Tiverton

Climbed back up A48 to RAB and turn off to cross Severn on cycle path. A403 and then A4 under Clifton suspension bridge. Join A38 and follow through to M5 where A361 sp Barnstaple and first left off A361 through Sampford Peverell and Harberton to Tiverton. Join A396 and follow to Bickleigh. 87 miles

Very heavy traffic on A38. Bristol quite a serious proposition. Parting of A37 (Wells) and A38 (S West) particularly difficult owing to heavy traffic, narrow roads and road works. Possibly worst traffic so far. Pretty hairy.

Continuing hot and sunny.
Mrs D M Lock
Willow Grove House
The Orchard
Bickleigh
Nr Tiverton
EX16 8DR
Tel: 01884 855263

£22 p/p
 
Wed 16 July: Tiverton > Plymouth

Follow A396 to Exeter. R to St Davids and R over level crossing to Exwick. R at B3212 through Longdown, Moretonhampstead, Postbridge, Two Bridges, Princetown, Yelverton to A386 and Plymouth. 51 miles

Fairly quiet roads but steep climbs over Dartmoor.

Muggy and damp. Some showers.
Own home

Thu 17 July: Plymouth > Camborne

Into Saltash via road bridge over River Tamar, using cycle path. Through town and join A388 to Callington and Kelly Bray. Then L on B3257 to A30. L on dual carriageway to Camborne and Barripper. 76 miles

I chose this route for quickness, but the A30 was no fun at all with heavy lorries and fast moving cars. The road narrowed in several places with no cycle lane.

Cool. Mainly dry. Some showers towards evening.
 Cycling friends in Barripper with whom I toured Crete at Easter 2003

Fri 18 July: Camborne > Lands End

From Barripper to Carnhill Green wh L. @ T R through Leedstown, Marazion to Penzance. Follow seafront to RAB wh. R back onto A30 and on to Lands End. 25 miles

That’s right. It’s not the same bike I started with. It’s my Marin Bear Valley. I was knocked off the Thorn on an experimental cycle path just before the Tamar Bridge in Plymouth less than a mile from where I live. A car turning left onto the dual carriageway cut in front of me and caught my front wheel. The bike ended up with bent handlebars and damaged brake levers. I was very fortunate indeed to get away with no more than a few minor scratches. The A30 between Penzance and Lands End is the proverbial sting in the tail with numerous steep hill climbs making the final 9 miles a real test of patience. On the way back I finally met up with Harald who was making his way to Lands End. I was still unable to establish how we were unable to make contact, since he said he had not turned his phone off. Funny things mobile phones! Although we did not have time for detailed comparisons, I gather my continuation route was similar to the one he followed.

Wet start to day, soon clearing with long sunny intervals.
  
Total Distance: 916 miles Total Accommodation cost:
£210 

General Observations:

The route above used almost exclusively main roads. I would avoid this if I did the End to End again because of the heavy traffic. Such roads gave little incentive to enjoy the scenery I passed through and the journey ended up as a “bash”. Thorough investigation of alternative quieter routes is essential before departure. In general I attempted distances between 85 and 95 miles per day. Far too much for comfort. 65 miles per day on rural roads would have been ample.

Booking accommodation ahead at Tourist Information Centres was a good idea and it was possible to find accommodation for the same sort of price for one person as for two sharing, usually between £20 and £25 per night. TICs usually charged £3 per booking plus 10% of the accommodation fee. Cheaper accommodation is available, but you would need to search it out before departure. Most mornings I stocked up on food at local supermarkets: three bananas, three apples, bag of fruit and nuts, flap jacks - usually enough to keep me going for a day and a half. I disposed of my polythene water bottles, preferring the untainted taste of water direct from shop bought plastic bottles. 2 litres was not enough on the really hot days. The sparkling variety seemed more refreshing even when tepid.

Gearing - both my Thorn and my Martin are low geared with 44-32-22 triple and 28-12 seven speed block. Even so I preferred to give my back a rest by getting off and pushing up some the steeper hills or at the end of the day. In spite of the exertion my weight was exactly the same at the end of the tour as at the beginning.

Colin and Fiona Langdon arrange cycle tours for the CTC specialising in doing the End-to-End, between Land’s End and John O’Groats but also run beginners weekends, C2C2C tours, the famous C2C route combined with the Reivers route in Northern England, a folding bike tour in Wales, and now Cuban tours. If you don’t fancy organising your own tour and relish the social side of cycling, their website is definitely worth a visit.

If you intend to plan you End to End route around campsites an excellent directory of campsites in Great Britain is to be found at http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/

Bike Gear:

Cycling clothes: shorts, socks, T-shirt, cycling shoes, rain coat, wind coat

Carradice Saddle bags: (1) Night wear: pyjams, travelling alarm, megalite torch, earplugs (2) Casual wear: lightweight trousers, socks, T-shirt, pullover (3) Clean clothes: cycle shorts, T-shirt, socks, mobile phone recharger, disposable briefs (4) Tools: 2 spare inner tubes, puncture repair kit, tyre levers, spanner, allan keys and screw driver, pump (5) Wash gear: rechargeable razor, toothbrush, Theramed toothpaste, soap, flannel, scissors, lightweight towel, 8 pegs and string (in plastic pill box).

Top bag: grub, map, lock, keys

Handlebar bag: notebook, pen, comb, digital camera, mobile phone, cash/cards

A final thought:

“What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.” - William Henry Davies (1871-1940)