Land’s End to John O’Groats (9 Day Challenge) – 2024

Itinerary:

Day 0 – Arrive at Penzance. Transfer to Land’s End

Day 1 – Land’s End to Gunnislake – 92 miles
From the tourist complex at Land’s End the route takes you via Penzance through the heart of Cornwall, to the Tamar Valley.

Day 2 – Gunnislake to Cheddar – 104 miles
Leaving Cornwall for Devon we pass around Dartmoor and continue through Crediton and Tiverton into Somerset, before crossing the Somerset Levels to Cheddar.

Day 3 – Cheddar to Ludlow – 96 miles
Today’s route takes us around Bristol, across the Avon and Severn rivers and along the River Wye. We then continue through the rolling countryside of Herefordshire and Shropshire.

Day 4 – Ludlow to Chorley – 116 miles
A longer day that takes us through Shrewsbury, across the Cheshire plains, around Manchester and through the industrial heart of Lancashire.

Day 5 – Chorley to Carlisle – 102 miles
We continue through the rolling hills of Northern England, passing through the Lake District on our way to Carlisle on the Scottish border.

Day 6 – Carlisle to Cumbernauld – 108 miles
After crossing into Scotland we continue through the Southern Uplands, before crossing the Clyde Valley and passing around Glasgow.

Day 7 – Cumbernauld to Ballachulish – 100 miles
We pass Loch Lomond and through the Trossachs National Park and then continue through the Grampian Moutains, crossing over Rannoch Moor before a long descent takes us down to the shore of Loch Linnhe.

Day 8 – Ballachulish to Evanton – 90 miles
We pass through the ‘gateway’ to the Highlands, Fort William, and then continue along the Great Glen, passing Loch Lochy and Loch Ness. We then continue over the hills to Cromarty Firth.

Day 9 Evanton to John O’Groats – 102 miles
The final days ride takes us across the Dornoch Firth and then along the coast to the small settlement of John O’Groats at the northernmost tip of the UK.

Day 10 – Transport from John O’Groats to Inverness from where you continue your journey home.

Tour Price includes:

End to End cycle shirt
Hotel/B&B accommodation (as appropriate)
Breakfast
Evening meal at John O’Groats
Vehicle support
Services of leader/mechanic
Local transfers
Route information
Transport from Penzance to Land’s End if required
Transport from John O’Groats to Inverness at end of holiday
Land’s End to John O’Groats certificate for those that complete the trip.

Tour Price does not include:

Lunches or evening meals (except at John O’Groats)
Any snacks or drinks required during the day
Transport to Penzance or from Inverness
The cost of any optional excursions, entrance fees etc

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 if you are lucky you could have a tail wind all the way to Scotland.

The Tour: This is a fully supported holiday with a tour leader and vehicle support to carry all the luggage and provide additional assistance where necessary (note there is no leader riding with the group on this tour). The trip is designed to enable you to complete the ‘End to End’ as quickly as possible, and the route mainly follows ‘A’ and ‘B’ class roads (although where practical smaller, quieter roads are used). The total distance is approximately 900 miles, and to complete this in 9 days is a real challenge. The daily mileage is between 90 and 115 miles, and there are no rest days. Parts of the route are hilly, most notably the first couple of days through Cornwall and Devon, where there is a lot of up and down. Please note that this trip is aimed at fit, experienced riders only.

Accommodation & Food: The accommodation on this trip is in B&B’s or small hotels, generally graded 2-3* or similar. We usually book en-suite rooms if 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 you have paid the price for a single room (please note that there are only a limited number of single rooms available on this holiday). Breakfast will be provided at the accommodation each morning. Evening meals are available at nearby pubs or restaurants.

Start: The ride starts at Land’s End at approximately 09.00 on Day 1. As this is a full days ride, to enable us to get a prompt start you will need to arrive at Land’s End on Day 0 afternoon/evening. The price of the holiday includes accommodation at Land’s End on Day 0 night. The nearest railway station to Land’s End is at Penzance and transport is provided from here to Land’s End if required.

Finish: The cycling ends at John O’Groats on the evening of Day 9. The holiday price includes the cost of accommodation at John O’Groats on that night. Transport is provided from John O’Groats to Inverness the following morning (Day 10), the coach arrives in Inverness around midday and will take you to the railway station or airport.

Cycle Transport: If required we offer a cycle transport service to return your bike from Inverness to anywhere in the UK (additional fee payable), to save you the hassle of getting your bike home by train or plane. Using a courier service we can also have your bike transported to Land’s End.

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

Bikes: Most people undertaking this trip will be riding a road bike, or a similar machine. 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. You may wish to consider using a cycle with a triple chainset. 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.