ON the 17th June the four of us are setting off from the most south-westerly tip of the British mainland, aiming to reach the most distant corner of Scotland just ten days later.

Our route comprises mostly B-roads and quiet country lanes, with plenty of hills thrown in for good measure. Speaking of which, it may surprise you to learn that the toughest part of our route isn’t likely to be the Scottish Highlands (where the hills, though big, slope relatively gradually), but our first day’s riding through the constant dips and valleys of Cornwall. Apparently the road never stays level. Oh joy.

However, at least we don’t have to carry all our belongings with us. Ollie’s wife Penny has very kindly offered to trail us in a support car – ably assisted by their children Sasha (3) and Luke (2). The fact she’s a physiotherapist may well have its uses, too. We will all carry a basic repair kit of spare tubes, a pump and some tools, though.

The proposed stages are
(click on each link to see map stages)

Day 1 - Lands End to Bude (est. 95miles)

Day 2 - Bude to Cheddar (est. 100miles)

Day 3 - Cheddar to Leominster (est. 95miles)

Day 4 - Leominster to Knutsford (est. 95miles)

Day 5 - Knutsford to Tebay (est. 105miles)

Day 6 - Tebay to Peebles (est. 105miles)

Day 7 - Peebels to Fowlis Wester (est. 100miles)

Day 8 - Fowlis Wester to Tomintoul (est. 105miles)

Day 9 - Tomintoul to Lairg Lodge (est. 105miles)

Day 10 - Lairg Lodge to John O Groats (est. 95miles)

FAQs

Isn’t it better to cycle from John O’ Groats down?
That was our original plan. Mainly because psychologically it seems like we’d be heading downhill! However, we were soon put right on that. The prevailing winds blow from the south-west and the thought of pedalling into a headwind for 10 days didn’t really appeal.

1,050 miles? Can’t you make it any shorter?
Well, we could, but we don’t really want to. Firstly we don’t fancy pedalling up motorways and secondly we’re only likely to do this once and wanted to enjoy as much of Britain’s lovely scenery as we could – so that means keeping away from large urban centres. As a result our route is a fair bit more twisty than it looks on the map to the right…

Where can I see your route in more detail?
We’re working on it. In time the map will become interactive – you’ll be able to click on it to see each stage of our trip. At the moment we still haven’t got it absolutely nailed down, as we’re trying to plan in overnight accommodation with friends and contacts to reduce costs. If you know anyone who might be able to help (if they run a B&B or hotel, for instance) then please let us know.

Can I come and watch?
Of course – but wouldn’t you rather cycle with us? We thought it might be fun for other friends to come and join us on either the first or last day – but be warned this will be a tough 100-mile ride. Get in touch with Hugh if you’re interested in either pedalling away from Lands End, or into John O’ Groats.