Anyone point me in the direction of Lands End?
Discussion
So then, I like setting myself challenges and I believe this to be the biggest thus far.
A local project needs to raise £160,000 (previously mentioned on here - Skateboard park for local youths...) and I have somewhat stupidly suggested to cycle John O'Groats to Lands End in the Summer of 2009.
Well PH being the font of all knowledge I could do with some guidance...
Will I have enough time to train? How long should it take? What route needs to be used, etc?
Look forward to hearing all of your views, this one should at least give me something to concentrate on for a while.
A local project needs to raise £160,000 (previously mentioned on here - Skateboard park for local youths...) and I have somewhat stupidly suggested to cycle John O'Groats to Lands End in the Summer of 2009.
Well PH being the font of all knowledge I could do with some guidance...
Will I have enough time to train? How long should it take? What route needs to be used, etc?
Look forward to hearing all of your views, this one should at least give me something to concentrate on for a while.
According to Google it's not that far.
Assuming that you can cycle say 90 -100 miles a day, it should take 10 or 11 days
(note I also clicked on walking and It requires you get a ferry to NORWAY first !!!)
Driving directions to Land's End, Sennen, Cornwall, UK
902 mi – about 1 day 0 hours
Via B3135/The Barrows, A361, A38, B3227, B3227/New Rd, A396 - remove all
John of GroatsWick, UK
1. Head west toward A99 0.2 mi
2. Turn left at A99 13.0 mi
3. Turn left to stay on A99
Go through 1 roundabout 20.0 mi
4. Slight left at A9
Go through 1 roundabout 56.1 mi
5. At Nigg Roundabout, take the 3rd exit and stay on A9
Go through 2 roundabouts 28.9 mi
6. At Longman Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A82/Longman Rd
Continue to follow A82
Go through 3 roundabouts 1.4 mi
7. At Telford Street Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A82/Kenneth St
Continue to follow A82 14.6 mi
8. Turn left to stay on A82 12.7 mi
9. Turn left to stay on A82 28.7 mi
10. Turn right to stay on A82 8.6 mi
11. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A82/Belford Rd 0.6 mi
12. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A82
Go through 2 roundabouts 51.0 mi
13. Turn right to stay on A82 16.4 mi
14. Turn left to stay on A82
Go through 1 roundabout 15.9 mi
15. At Stoneymollan Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A811
Go through 1 roundabout 0.9 mi
16. At Carrochan Rd, take the 3rd exit onto A813/Carrochan Rd
Continue to follow A813
Go through 3 roundabouts 3.8 mi
17. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A82/Stirling Rd
Continue to follow A82
Go through 3 roundabouts 10.5 mi
18. Slight right at Great Western Rd 0.1 mi
19. Slight right at A739/Crow Rd
Continue to follow A739 2.8 mi
20. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit and stay on A739 heading to Greenock/Paisley/M8/Cardonald 0.7 mi
21. Turn right at A761/Paisley Rd W 0.8 mi
22. Turn left at A736/Sandwood Rd
Continue to follow A736 2.0 mi
23. Turn right at A726/Hurlet Rd 364 ft
24. Turn left at A736/Glasgow Rd
Continue to follow A736 1.1 mi
25. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Aurs Rd 2.3 mi
26. Slight right at B769/Dodside Rd 1.0 mi
27. Turn left toward A77/Ayr Rd 0.8 mi
28. Turn right at A77/Ayr Rd
Continue to follow A77
Go through 1 roundabout 7.1 mi
29. Turn left at A719
Go through 1 roundabout 8.9 mi
30. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A76 8.9 mi
31. At Templeton Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A76
Go through 3 roundabouts 7.9 mi
32. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A76/Afton Bridgend
Continue to follow A76
Go through 2 roundabouts 36.1 mi
33. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A75
Go through 3 roundabouts 23.8 mi
34. Slight left toward B7076/Glasgow Rd 0.9 mi
35. Turn right at B7076/Glasgow Rd
Continue to follow B7076
Go through 1 roundabout
Entering England 1.1 mi
36. Continue on A6071 3.1 mi
37. Turn right at A7
Go through 2 roundabouts 8.7 mi
38. Slight left at A6/Spencer St 0.2 mi
39. Continue on Brunswick St 0.2 mi
40. Turn right at Tait St 476 ft
41. Turn left at A6/Botchergate
Continue to follow A6
Go through 2 roundabouts 17.7 mi
42. Slight left at A6/Middlegate
Continue to follow A6 0.9 mi
43. At Kemplay Bank Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A6/Kemplay Bank
Continue to follow A6 25.6 mi
44. Turn left at A6/Bridge St
Continue to follow A6 0.8 mi
45. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A65/Burton Rd
Continue to follow A65
Go through 1 roundabout 5.5 mi
46. Turn right at B6385 2.7 mi
47. Slight right at B6384 0.4 mi
48. Turn left at A6/Beetham Rd
Continue to follow A6 6.4 mi
49. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit and stay on A6 0.1 mi
50. Turn left to stay on A6
Go through 1 roundabout 6.9 mi
51. Slight right at A6/Caton Rd 154 ft
52. Turn right to stay on A6/Caton Rd
Continue to follow A6 0.3 mi
53. Turn left at A6/Parliament St
Continue to follow A6 0.2 mi
54. Turn left at A6/Rosemary Ln 52 ft
55. Turn left to stay on A6/Rosemary Ln
Continue to follow A6
Go through 6 roundabouts 25.4 mi
56. Slight right at Lostock Ln 148 ft
57. Turn right at A49/Wigan Rd
Continue to follow A49
Go through 2 roundabouts 13.4 mi
58. Turn left at A573/Crompton St
Continue to follow A573
Go through 4 roundabouts 6.9 mi
59. Turn right at A572/Newton Rd 102 ft
60. Turn left at A573/Parkside Rd
Continue to follow A573 2.2 mi
61. Turn left at A49/Newton Rd 0.1 mi
62. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A49/Newton Rd
Continue to follow A49
Go through 3 roundabouts 2.7 mi
63. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A49/Fennel St
Continue to follow A49
Go through 4 roundabouts 4.3 mi
64. At the roundabout, take the 5th exit onto A49/Tarporley Rd heading to Whitchurch
Continue to follow A49 6.0 mi
65. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A49
Go through 1 roundabout 9.3 mi
66. Turn right to stay on A49 12.0 mi
67. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto B5476/Tarporley Rd 0.8 mi
68. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto B5395/Bargates 249 ft
69. Turn left at B5395/London Rd
Continue to follow B5395
Go through 2 roundabouts 1.7 mi
70. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A41/Heath Rd 1.2 mi
71. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A49 8.9 mi
72. Turn left to stay on A49
Go through 3 roundabouts 8.3 mi
73. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A5 heading to N Wales/Shrewsbury
Go through 1 roundabout 3.2 mi
74. Slight left at Hereford Rd 0.8 mi
75. Continue on A49
Go through 3 roundabouts 36.3 mi
76. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A44 0.8 mi
77. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A49
Go through 1 roundabout 3.4 mi
78. Turn left at A417
Go through 1 roundabout 13.3 mi
79. Continue on A4172 2.8 mi
80. At Preston Cross, take the 2nd exit onto B4215 6.7 mi
81. Turn left to stay on B4215 7.2 mi
82. Slight left at A40 1.0 mi
83. At Over Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A417/Over Causeway
Continue to follow A417 0.7 mi
84. Slight right at Royal Oak Rd 0.2 mi
85. Continue on A4301/The Quay 0.2 mi
86. Turn left at A4301/Commercial Rd
Continue to follow A4301 0.6 mi
87. Continue on Bristol Rd 1.8 mi
88. Slight right at A38
Go through 1 roundabout 2.3 mi
89. At Cross Keys Roundabout, take the 4th exit and stay on A38 0.1 mi
90. Turn left to stay on A38
Go through 6 roundabouts 28.9 mi
91. Slight left at North St 423 ft
92. Slight left at A4044/Bond St 0.1 mi
93. Slight right to stay on A4044/Bond St
Continue to follow A4044 0.7 mi
94. At Temple Circus Gyratory, take the 2nd exit onto A4/Templegate 0.2 mi
95. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A370/York Rd 0.5 mi
96. At Bedminster Bridge Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A38/Bedminster Parade
Continue to follow A38 0.3 mi
97. Turn left at A38/Dalby Ave
Continue to follow A38 0.4 mi
98. Turn left at B3120/St Johns Ln 0.2 mi
99. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto B3122/Bedminster Rd
Continue to follow Bedminster Rd 0.7 mi
100. Continue on A38/Bedminster Down Rd
Continue to follow A38
Go through 3 roundabouts 12.0 mi
101. Turn left at New Rd 0.6 mi
102. Continue on Turnpike Rd 0.1 mi
103. Slight right at The Square 305 ft
104. Continue on Cuck Hill 0.6 mi
105. Continue on Shipham Rd 1.4 mi
106. Slight left at Axbridge Rd/B3135
Continue to follow B3135 0.6 mi
107. Turn right at Barrows Rd 0.3 mi
108. Slight right at A371/Upper New Rd 174 ft
109. Turn left at B3151/Lower New Rd
Continue to follow B3151 0.8 mi
110. Turn left to stay on B3151 2.9 mi
111. Turn left at B3151/Cheddar Rd 440 ft
112. Slight left at B3139/The Borough 0.1 mi
113. Turn right at B3151/Grant's Ln 0.1 mi
114. Turn left at B3151/Billing's Hill 472 ft
115. Turn left at B3151/Dando's Ln
Continue to follow B3151 3.7 mi
116. Slight right toward Shapwick Rd 446 ft
117. Turn left toward Shapwick Rd 381 ft
118. Continue straight onto Shapwick Rd 1.0 mi
119. Continue on Station Rd 1.9 mi
120. Continue on Main Rd 0.3 mi
121. Turn left at Shapwick Hill 0.4 mi
122. Turn right at A39/Bath Rd 0.3 mi
123. Turn left at Ridgeway Ln 0.7 mi
124. Turn right at A361 11.5 mi
125. Slight left at A38 0.7 mi
126. Slight right at A3259
Go through 1 roundabout 2.1 mi
127. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A358/Priorswood Rd
Continue to follow A358 0.7 mi
128. Slight right at A358/Greenway Rd
Continue to follow A358
Go through 1 roundabout 1.5 mi
129. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto B3227
Go through 2 roundabouts 11.2 mi
130. Turn left to stay on B3227 6.7 mi
131. Turn left to stay on B3227 85 ft
132. Turn left at B3227/Fore St
Continue to follow B3227 1.3 mi
133. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A396
Go through 2 roundabouts 5.5 mi
134. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A396/Kennedy Way
Continue to follow A396
Go through 3 roundabouts 6.7 mi
135. Turn left toward A396 157 ft
136. Turn left toward A396 56 ft
137. Turn right at A396 2.4 mi
138. Turn left to stay on A396 305 ft
139. Sharp left at A3072 8.3 mi
140. Turn left at A3072/Mill St 0.2 mi
141. Turn right at A377/Charlotte St
Continue to follow A377 4.7 mi
142. Continue on A3072/Beers Hill
Continue to follow A3072 12.0 mi
143. Turn right at B3216 0.1 mi
144. Turn left to stay on B3216 2.4 mi
145. Turn right at A386 0.9 mi
146. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A3072 3.8 mi
147. Turn left to stay on A3072 9.1 mi
148. Turn right at A388/Chapel St
Continue to follow A388 0.4 mi
149. Turn left at A3072/Western Rd
Continue to follow A3072 7.8 mi
150. Turn left at A3072/Bridge St 213 ft
151. Slight left at Union Hill 0.2 mi
152. Slight left at A39
Go through 3 roundabouts 37.9 mi
153. At the roundabout, take the 4th exit onto A392
Go through 2 roundabouts 6.0 mi
154. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A3075 5.7 mi
155. Turn left to stay on A3075 4.0 mi
156. At the roundabout, take the 4th exit onto B3277 0.2 mi
157. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit 0.4 mi
158. Turn right at Kea Downs Rd 0.3 mi
159. Turn left 2.1 mi
160. Slight left 0.8 mi
161. Turn right toward Chapel Hill 0.4 mi
162. Turn left toward Chapel Hill 0.3 mi
163. Continue straight onto Chapel Hill 0.6 mi
164. Slight right at B3300 1.8 mi
165. Turn left at B3301/The Square
Continue to follow B3301 0.3 mi
166. Turn left at B3301/Tregea Hill
Continue to follow B3301 7.8 mi
167. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Carwin Rise
Go through 1 roundabout 0.1 mi
168. At the roundabout, take the 4th exit onto A30
Go through 1 roundabout 6.6 mi
169. At the roundabout, take the 4th exit and stay on A30
Go through 5 roundabouts 11.9 mi
Land's End
Assuming that you can cycle say 90 -100 miles a day, it should take 10 or 11 days
(note I also clicked on walking and It requires you get a ferry to NORWAY first !!!)
Driving directions to Land's End, Sennen, Cornwall, UK
902 mi – about 1 day 0 hours
Via B3135/The Barrows, A361, A38, B3227, B3227/New Rd, A396 - remove all
John of GroatsWick, UK
1. Head west toward A99 0.2 mi
2. Turn left at A99 13.0 mi
3. Turn left to stay on A99
Go through 1 roundabout 20.0 mi
4. Slight left at A9
Go through 1 roundabout 56.1 mi
5. At Nigg Roundabout, take the 3rd exit and stay on A9
Go through 2 roundabouts 28.9 mi
6. At Longman Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A82/Longman Rd
Continue to follow A82
Go through 3 roundabouts 1.4 mi
7. At Telford Street Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A82/Kenneth St
Continue to follow A82 14.6 mi
8. Turn left to stay on A82 12.7 mi
9. Turn left to stay on A82 28.7 mi
10. Turn right to stay on A82 8.6 mi
11. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A82/Belford Rd 0.6 mi
12. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A82
Go through 2 roundabouts 51.0 mi
13. Turn right to stay on A82 16.4 mi
14. Turn left to stay on A82
Go through 1 roundabout 15.9 mi
15. At Stoneymollan Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A811
Go through 1 roundabout 0.9 mi
16. At Carrochan Rd, take the 3rd exit onto A813/Carrochan Rd
Continue to follow A813
Go through 3 roundabouts 3.8 mi
17. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A82/Stirling Rd
Continue to follow A82
Go through 3 roundabouts 10.5 mi
18. Slight right at Great Western Rd 0.1 mi
19. Slight right at A739/Crow Rd
Continue to follow A739 2.8 mi
20. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit and stay on A739 heading to Greenock/Paisley/M8/Cardonald 0.7 mi
21. Turn right at A761/Paisley Rd W 0.8 mi
22. Turn left at A736/Sandwood Rd
Continue to follow A736 2.0 mi
23. Turn right at A726/Hurlet Rd 364 ft
24. Turn left at A736/Glasgow Rd
Continue to follow A736 1.1 mi
25. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Aurs Rd 2.3 mi
26. Slight right at B769/Dodside Rd 1.0 mi
27. Turn left toward A77/Ayr Rd 0.8 mi
28. Turn right at A77/Ayr Rd
Continue to follow A77
Go through 1 roundabout 7.1 mi
29. Turn left at A719
Go through 1 roundabout 8.9 mi
30. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A76 8.9 mi
31. At Templeton Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A76
Go through 3 roundabouts 7.9 mi
32. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A76/Afton Bridgend
Continue to follow A76
Go through 2 roundabouts 36.1 mi
33. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A75
Go through 3 roundabouts 23.8 mi
34. Slight left toward B7076/Glasgow Rd 0.9 mi
35. Turn right at B7076/Glasgow Rd
Continue to follow B7076
Go through 1 roundabout
Entering England 1.1 mi
36. Continue on A6071 3.1 mi
37. Turn right at A7
Go through 2 roundabouts 8.7 mi
38. Slight left at A6/Spencer St 0.2 mi
39. Continue on Brunswick St 0.2 mi
40. Turn right at Tait St 476 ft
41. Turn left at A6/Botchergate
Continue to follow A6
Go through 2 roundabouts 17.7 mi
42. Slight left at A6/Middlegate
Continue to follow A6 0.9 mi
43. At Kemplay Bank Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A6/Kemplay Bank
Continue to follow A6 25.6 mi
44. Turn left at A6/Bridge St
Continue to follow A6 0.8 mi
45. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A65/Burton Rd
Continue to follow A65
Go through 1 roundabout 5.5 mi
46. Turn right at B6385 2.7 mi
47. Slight right at B6384 0.4 mi
48. Turn left at A6/Beetham Rd
Continue to follow A6 6.4 mi
49. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit and stay on A6 0.1 mi
50. Turn left to stay on A6
Go through 1 roundabout 6.9 mi
51. Slight right at A6/Caton Rd 154 ft
52. Turn right to stay on A6/Caton Rd
Continue to follow A6 0.3 mi
53. Turn left at A6/Parliament St
Continue to follow A6 0.2 mi
54. Turn left at A6/Rosemary Ln 52 ft
55. Turn left to stay on A6/Rosemary Ln
Continue to follow A6
Go through 6 roundabouts 25.4 mi
56. Slight right at Lostock Ln 148 ft
57. Turn right at A49/Wigan Rd
Continue to follow A49
Go through 2 roundabouts 13.4 mi
58. Turn left at A573/Crompton St
Continue to follow A573
Go through 4 roundabouts 6.9 mi
59. Turn right at A572/Newton Rd 102 ft
60. Turn left at A573/Parkside Rd
Continue to follow A573 2.2 mi
61. Turn left at A49/Newton Rd 0.1 mi
62. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A49/Newton Rd
Continue to follow A49
Go through 3 roundabouts 2.7 mi
63. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A49/Fennel St
Continue to follow A49
Go through 4 roundabouts 4.3 mi
64. At the roundabout, take the 5th exit onto A49/Tarporley Rd heading to Whitchurch
Continue to follow A49 6.0 mi
65. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A49
Go through 1 roundabout 9.3 mi
66. Turn right to stay on A49 12.0 mi
67. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto B5476/Tarporley Rd 0.8 mi
68. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto B5395/Bargates 249 ft
69. Turn left at B5395/London Rd
Continue to follow B5395
Go through 2 roundabouts 1.7 mi
70. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A41/Heath Rd 1.2 mi
71. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A49 8.9 mi
72. Turn left to stay on A49
Go through 3 roundabouts 8.3 mi
73. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A5 heading to N Wales/Shrewsbury
Go through 1 roundabout 3.2 mi
74. Slight left at Hereford Rd 0.8 mi
75. Continue on A49
Go through 3 roundabouts 36.3 mi
76. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A44 0.8 mi
77. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A49
Go through 1 roundabout 3.4 mi
78. Turn left at A417
Go through 1 roundabout 13.3 mi
79. Continue on A4172 2.8 mi
80. At Preston Cross, take the 2nd exit onto B4215 6.7 mi
81. Turn left to stay on B4215 7.2 mi
82. Slight left at A40 1.0 mi
83. At Over Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A417/Over Causeway
Continue to follow A417 0.7 mi
84. Slight right at Royal Oak Rd 0.2 mi
85. Continue on A4301/The Quay 0.2 mi
86. Turn left at A4301/Commercial Rd
Continue to follow A4301 0.6 mi
87. Continue on Bristol Rd 1.8 mi
88. Slight right at A38
Go through 1 roundabout 2.3 mi
89. At Cross Keys Roundabout, take the 4th exit and stay on A38 0.1 mi
90. Turn left to stay on A38
Go through 6 roundabouts 28.9 mi
91. Slight left at North St 423 ft
92. Slight left at A4044/Bond St 0.1 mi
93. Slight right to stay on A4044/Bond St
Continue to follow A4044 0.7 mi
94. At Temple Circus Gyratory, take the 2nd exit onto A4/Templegate 0.2 mi
95. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A370/York Rd 0.5 mi
96. At Bedminster Bridge Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A38/Bedminster Parade
Continue to follow A38 0.3 mi
97. Turn left at A38/Dalby Ave
Continue to follow A38 0.4 mi
98. Turn left at B3120/St Johns Ln 0.2 mi
99. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto B3122/Bedminster Rd
Continue to follow Bedminster Rd 0.7 mi
100. Continue on A38/Bedminster Down Rd
Continue to follow A38
Go through 3 roundabouts 12.0 mi
101. Turn left at New Rd 0.6 mi
102. Continue on Turnpike Rd 0.1 mi
103. Slight right at The Square 305 ft
104. Continue on Cuck Hill 0.6 mi
105. Continue on Shipham Rd 1.4 mi
106. Slight left at Axbridge Rd/B3135
Continue to follow B3135 0.6 mi
107. Turn right at Barrows Rd 0.3 mi
108. Slight right at A371/Upper New Rd 174 ft
109. Turn left at B3151/Lower New Rd
Continue to follow B3151 0.8 mi
110. Turn left to stay on B3151 2.9 mi
111. Turn left at B3151/Cheddar Rd 440 ft
112. Slight left at B3139/The Borough 0.1 mi
113. Turn right at B3151/Grant's Ln 0.1 mi
114. Turn left at B3151/Billing's Hill 472 ft
115. Turn left at B3151/Dando's Ln
Continue to follow B3151 3.7 mi
116. Slight right toward Shapwick Rd 446 ft
117. Turn left toward Shapwick Rd 381 ft
118. Continue straight onto Shapwick Rd 1.0 mi
119. Continue on Station Rd 1.9 mi
120. Continue on Main Rd 0.3 mi
121. Turn left at Shapwick Hill 0.4 mi
122. Turn right at A39/Bath Rd 0.3 mi
123. Turn left at Ridgeway Ln 0.7 mi
124. Turn right at A361 11.5 mi
125. Slight left at A38 0.7 mi
126. Slight right at A3259
Go through 1 roundabout 2.1 mi
127. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A358/Priorswood Rd
Continue to follow A358 0.7 mi
128. Slight right at A358/Greenway Rd
Continue to follow A358
Go through 1 roundabout 1.5 mi
129. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto B3227
Go through 2 roundabouts 11.2 mi
130. Turn left to stay on B3227 6.7 mi
131. Turn left to stay on B3227 85 ft
132. Turn left at B3227/Fore St
Continue to follow B3227 1.3 mi
133. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A396
Go through 2 roundabouts 5.5 mi
134. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A396/Kennedy Way
Continue to follow A396
Go through 3 roundabouts 6.7 mi
135. Turn left toward A396 157 ft
136. Turn left toward A396 56 ft
137. Turn right at A396 2.4 mi
138. Turn left to stay on A396 305 ft
139. Sharp left at A3072 8.3 mi
140. Turn left at A3072/Mill St 0.2 mi
141. Turn right at A377/Charlotte St
Continue to follow A377 4.7 mi
142. Continue on A3072/Beers Hill
Continue to follow A3072 12.0 mi
143. Turn right at B3216 0.1 mi
144. Turn left to stay on B3216 2.4 mi
145. Turn right at A386 0.9 mi
146. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A3072 3.8 mi
147. Turn left to stay on A3072 9.1 mi
148. Turn right at A388/Chapel St
Continue to follow A388 0.4 mi
149. Turn left at A3072/Western Rd
Continue to follow A3072 7.8 mi
150. Turn left at A3072/Bridge St 213 ft
151. Slight left at Union Hill 0.2 mi
152. Slight left at A39
Go through 3 roundabouts 37.9 mi
153. At the roundabout, take the 4th exit onto A392
Go through 2 roundabouts 6.0 mi
154. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A3075 5.7 mi
155. Turn left to stay on A3075 4.0 mi
156. At the roundabout, take the 4th exit onto B3277 0.2 mi
157. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit 0.4 mi
158. Turn right at Kea Downs Rd 0.3 mi
159. Turn left 2.1 mi
160. Slight left 0.8 mi
161. Turn right toward Chapel Hill 0.4 mi
162. Turn left toward Chapel Hill 0.3 mi
163. Continue straight onto Chapel Hill 0.6 mi
164. Slight right at B3300 1.8 mi
165. Turn left at B3301/The Square
Continue to follow B3301 0.3 mi
166. Turn left at B3301/Tregea Hill
Continue to follow B3301 7.8 mi
167. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Carwin Rise
Go through 1 roundabout 0.1 mi
168. At the roundabout, take the 4th exit onto A30
Go through 1 roundabout 6.6 mi
169. At the roundabout, take the 4th exit and stay on A30
Go through 5 roundabouts 11.9 mi
Land's End
I cycled it 12 years ago (South to North) and again last year (in the other direction), so I've got a few hints that might help. Apologies for rambling on a bit, and if anything is too obvious.
You've got plenty of time to train. It depends on how long you are going to take to do it, but 2 weeks is the most common plan, which includes a few days contingency for most people. If you can cycle 50 miles in a day when you start, then you should be ok because your fitness will improve and you'll be able to average more. Try to allow for a few extra days at the end though in case you get delayed due to mechanical problems, injury, illness, freak weather etc. It was very wet for us last year, but the week after we went a lot of the roads that we took were under 3 foot of water!
In terms of the route, people tend to go South to North because of the prevailing south-westerly winds, but they obviously aren't guaranteed. I've been lucky enough to have the winds behind me on both trips, which more than made up for the torrential rain last year.
If you are on a deadline then stick to the main roads. They may be more dangerous and less scenic but they are quicker and usually less hilly. If you've got plenty of time then take the scenic routes. I stuck to the main routes both times. I spent a while plotting routes on the computer (using a program called MemoryMap) to check distances and amount of ascent etc and the resulting route was the following (which you'll need to reverse):
A30 to Okehampton; cut across to the A38 south of Taunton (the main road from Crediton to Tiverton is quite hilly so back routes are better); take the A38 up to Worcester; pick a route up to the A49 (we used the A449 and A442); take the A6 to Carlisle; then A74 and B7076 (the old A74) into Scotland; pick a route across to the Forth Bridge (we used the A70); take the back roads alongside the M90 to Perth and then follow the A9 and A99 to the end. There are loads of variations but this worked for us and was about 875 miles. The west coast of Scotland is not much longer and has prettier hills to look at, but that is partly because they are bigger hills...
The main climbs on the route we took were in Cornwall, Shap (Lake District) and Scotland. I found that the harder climbs were near the beginning both times (Cornwall first time; Highlands second time) because I got fitter as the trip progressed.
Take a good map with you. I used a mini A-Z road atlas that had the same detail as the big ones but was a quarter the size. And then I ripped out the pages I needed and each day put the appropriate ones in my pocket. I also cheated a bit by taking a RoadAngel GPS gadget.
There are various ways to get to the start/end, depending on where you're coming from. Train is the most popular method and can get you within an hour's ride of both ends, but flying to Wick is an option. We took an early flight from Heathrow and were in Wick by lunchtime (via Edinburgh), which was much quicker than the overnight train would have managed (and cheaper as well, I think). Last year the plane could only take two (boxed) bikes at a time though, so you might need to fly in pairs.
We found the best accomodation to be decent B&Bs where they would let you keep the bike under cover or, better yet, in the room. Failing that Premier Inns seemed much better than Travelodges.
We didn't book anywhere in advance, because we were not sure how far we'd get each day. We'd usually phone around when we felt we had another 10-20 miles in us. This was very flexible but occasionally there would be a bit of difficulty finding somewhere, so do some research beforehand and take plenty of B&B and hotel phone numbers (especially in the north of Scotland). Don't count on finding accomodation using the web on your phone - it can be painfully slow when you are in the middle of a thunderstorm in the middle of nowhere. If you don't have many different phone operators between you then consider paying £10 for a PAYG sim-card from a different operator, because you will be on the limits of coverage in places.
As well as a list of hotels, make a list of bike shops because the odds are that you'll need them. I found several POI (points of interest) files on the web that contained the locations and phone numbers of lots of bicycle shops, Halfords stores and several hotel chains, all of which came in useful.
A comfortable saddle really is essential. I didn't have one the first time and didn't feel happy after a few days (actually I couldn't feel much below the waist, which is why I wasn't happy!). I find the V shaped ones the best, but it's subjective.
Pack light and leave a bit of space in your panniers for easier packing and unpacking. Get panniers with side pockets for the bits that you may need on the way, such as food and tools. Get compression bags for your clothes and mini plastic bottles for just enough toiletries to last the trip (or less - you can always buy as you go). Don't take lots of clothes - take a few sets and wash them frequently. To make washing easier try to take "proper" cycling gear that dries quickly. Don't worry too much about "normal" clothes in the evening. I just took squashable plimsoles and lightweight walking trousers and wore a cycling top that I would wear in the future. So if you're buying a new cycling top then it may be worth going for one that you'd be comfortable wearing in the evening (so not tight yellow ones in my case!).
Make sure you eat and drink plenty during the day and in the evening, otherwise you will probably "hit the wall" in marathon terms. It's easy to simply run out of energy and when you do it can be quite sudden as your internal fuel tank suddenly hits empty. I kept a chocolate bar handy (usually Boost bars with Glucose) in case of such an event.
Most of all enjoy it - completing it gives a great sense of achievement and it's something you'll remember (hopefully fondly) for the rest of your life.
You've got plenty of time to train. It depends on how long you are going to take to do it, but 2 weeks is the most common plan, which includes a few days contingency for most people. If you can cycle 50 miles in a day when you start, then you should be ok because your fitness will improve and you'll be able to average more. Try to allow for a few extra days at the end though in case you get delayed due to mechanical problems, injury, illness, freak weather etc. It was very wet for us last year, but the week after we went a lot of the roads that we took were under 3 foot of water!
In terms of the route, people tend to go South to North because of the prevailing south-westerly winds, but they obviously aren't guaranteed. I've been lucky enough to have the winds behind me on both trips, which more than made up for the torrential rain last year.
If you are on a deadline then stick to the main roads. They may be more dangerous and less scenic but they are quicker and usually less hilly. If you've got plenty of time then take the scenic routes. I stuck to the main routes both times. I spent a while plotting routes on the computer (using a program called MemoryMap) to check distances and amount of ascent etc and the resulting route was the following (which you'll need to reverse):
A30 to Okehampton; cut across to the A38 south of Taunton (the main road from Crediton to Tiverton is quite hilly so back routes are better); take the A38 up to Worcester; pick a route up to the A49 (we used the A449 and A442); take the A6 to Carlisle; then A74 and B7076 (the old A74) into Scotland; pick a route across to the Forth Bridge (we used the A70); take the back roads alongside the M90 to Perth and then follow the A9 and A99 to the end. There are loads of variations but this worked for us and was about 875 miles. The west coast of Scotland is not much longer and has prettier hills to look at, but that is partly because they are bigger hills...
The main climbs on the route we took were in Cornwall, Shap (Lake District) and Scotland. I found that the harder climbs were near the beginning both times (Cornwall first time; Highlands second time) because I got fitter as the trip progressed.
Take a good map with you. I used a mini A-Z road atlas that had the same detail as the big ones but was a quarter the size. And then I ripped out the pages I needed and each day put the appropriate ones in my pocket. I also cheated a bit by taking a RoadAngel GPS gadget.
There are various ways to get to the start/end, depending on where you're coming from. Train is the most popular method and can get you within an hour's ride of both ends, but flying to Wick is an option. We took an early flight from Heathrow and were in Wick by lunchtime (via Edinburgh), which was much quicker than the overnight train would have managed (and cheaper as well, I think). Last year the plane could only take two (boxed) bikes at a time though, so you might need to fly in pairs.
We found the best accomodation to be decent B&Bs where they would let you keep the bike under cover or, better yet, in the room. Failing that Premier Inns seemed much better than Travelodges.
We didn't book anywhere in advance, because we were not sure how far we'd get each day. We'd usually phone around when we felt we had another 10-20 miles in us. This was very flexible but occasionally there would be a bit of difficulty finding somewhere, so do some research beforehand and take plenty of B&B and hotel phone numbers (especially in the north of Scotland). Don't count on finding accomodation using the web on your phone - it can be painfully slow when you are in the middle of a thunderstorm in the middle of nowhere. If you don't have many different phone operators between you then consider paying £10 for a PAYG sim-card from a different operator, because you will be on the limits of coverage in places.
As well as a list of hotels, make a list of bike shops because the odds are that you'll need them. I found several POI (points of interest) files on the web that contained the locations and phone numbers of lots of bicycle shops, Halfords stores and several hotel chains, all of which came in useful.
A comfortable saddle really is essential. I didn't have one the first time and didn't feel happy after a few days (actually I couldn't feel much below the waist, which is why I wasn't happy!). I find the V shaped ones the best, but it's subjective.
Pack light and leave a bit of space in your panniers for easier packing and unpacking. Get panniers with side pockets for the bits that you may need on the way, such as food and tools. Get compression bags for your clothes and mini plastic bottles for just enough toiletries to last the trip (or less - you can always buy as you go). Don't take lots of clothes - take a few sets and wash them frequently. To make washing easier try to take "proper" cycling gear that dries quickly. Don't worry too much about "normal" clothes in the evening. I just took squashable plimsoles and lightweight walking trousers and wore a cycling top that I would wear in the future. So if you're buying a new cycling top then it may be worth going for one that you'd be comfortable wearing in the evening (so not tight yellow ones in my case!).
Make sure you eat and drink plenty during the day and in the evening, otherwise you will probably "hit the wall" in marathon terms. It's easy to simply run out of energy and when you do it can be quite sudden as your internal fuel tank suddenly hits empty. I kept a chocolate bar handy (usually Boost bars with Glucose) in case of such an event.
Most of all enjoy it - completing it gives a great sense of achievement and it's something you'll remember (hopefully fondly) for the rest of your life.
Edited by Ian67 on Thursday 2nd October 13:48
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