John O’Groats To Land’s End (20 days self guided)

Tour Price includes: 

Hotel/B&B
Breakfast
Route information

Tour Price does not include:

Lunches or evening meals (except as noted above)
Snacks or drinks required during the day
Transport to Penzance or from Inverness
Cost of any optional excursions, entrance fees etc.

Itinerary (please read route in reverse):

HOLIDAY DETAILS:

The End to End: Ever since the invention of the bicycle people have been inspired to ride the ‘End to End’. The first official time recorded over the distance is 65 days, 16 hours and 7 minutes, ridden on a penny farthing in 1880, and since then the route has been covered on everything from a bed to a motorised bar stool!! Today the record is held by Gethin Butler who in September 2001 covered the distance in an incredible 1 day, 20 hours, 4 minutes and 20 seconds. The ladies record of 2 days, 4 hours, 45 minutes and 11 seconds is held by Lynne Taylor.

There is no ‘official’ End to End route and thus no official distance. There are various published guides – they all vary in the route they take, but most make the distance around 1,000 miles. Most trips start from Land’s End, the main reason being that the prevailing winds in the UK are usually from the south-west, and so in theory you could have a tail wind all the way to Scotland. On the other hand the hardest part of the trip is generally agreed to be the hills of Devon and Cornwall. By starting in the north you do this section at the end rather than the beginning of the trip. 

The Tour: This is a fully supported holiday with a tour leader (who cycles with the group to ensure nobody is left behind) and vehicle support to carry all the luggage and provide additional assistance if necessary. The trip is designed to enable you to complete the ‘End to End’, while keeping to a route that follows minor roads as much as possible. The total distance is just over 1,000 miles, and to complete this in 15 days is a challenge that you should be prepared for. The daily mileage is between 55 and 80 miles a day, and there are no rest days. Most people do find that they get fitter during the tour (so the final few days through Devon and Cornwall, where there is alot of up and down, are less of a problem than if you are heading the other way), but there are some fairly long days through Scotland to begin with and so you need to be well prepared before you start the trip.

Accommodation & Food: This is a B&B/hotel based holiday and accommodation is generally graded 2-3* or similar. We book en-suite rooms wherever possible but this cannot be guaranteed. Single people travelling alone will be booked into a twin bedded room with another single person of the same sex – unless the single room price for the holiday has been paid. Breakfast will be provided at the accommodation each morning. Evening meals are available at nearby pubs or restaurants. 

Start: The trip starts at Inverness from where a coach takes you and your bike to John O’Groats. The coach will pick you up from either the airport or railway station, leaving Inverness at approximately 13.00 for the 3 hour journey to John O’Groats. The ride starts from John O’Groats the following morning at 09.30.

Finish: The cycling ends at Land’s End on Sunday evening. The price of the holiday includes accommodation at Land’s End that night. The following morning transport is provided to the railway station at Penzance (or you may prefer to cycle and we can meet you there with your luggage).

Cycle Transport: If required we offer a cycle transport service from your home to the start, and from the end back to you home (additional fee is payable).

Documents: Insurance is optional for this holiday for UK residents. Participants from outside the UK must have suitable travel insurance.

Bikes: All types of cycle are suitable for the trip. The most important thing is that your bike functions properly and that you are comfortable riding it. However you should make sure that it has suitable gears as there are some very steep hills on parts of the route, notably in Devon and Yorkshire. Most people will require a cycle with a triple chainset. If you are riding a mountain bike then you should fit it with narrow ‘slick’ tyres. You should also make sure that you are able to carry some spare food and clothing with you on the bike. The route does cross some wild exposed areas with little in the way of shelter and no services, and you can get very cold and wet if the weather is bad.