Diary
Day 1 I caught the 06.10 train from Derby to Penzance on the 6th May which arrived at 13.15. This gave me all afternoon to get Lands End and then cycle back to Penzance where I had booked into the Youth Hostel. (YH). I took the A30 directly to Lands End and signed the End2End book at the visitor’s centre. I also asked somebody to take a picture of me in front of the sign post. 
Ready for the Off At Lands End
The sun had come out by the time I had finished an ice cream and decided to take the coastal road back to Penzance. I passed by the Minack theatre but was not able to see anything of the stage. You have to pay to be shown around which I did not want to do. I’m sure more of the theatre was visible 18 years ago when I last visited the spot. I then cycled to Lamorna Cove and Mousehole before returning to Penzance and signing into the hostel.
Lamorna Cove
I fell off my bike twice on the return journey due to not changing gear quickly enough at the bottom of two very steep hills. I could not remove my feet from the SPD clips in time so hit the ground - not a very good start.
I met a chap at Penzance hostel who had spent 90 days walking from JOG which must have been hard work. I also met up with three other cyclists, Colin, Tracey and Stan who, like me, were just starting their trip north. I would see them again the following night at Golant YH.
Day 2I set off from Penzance at 8.45 and headed along the cycle path along the front which can be accessed from the railway station car park. This took me to Marazion with fine views of St Michael’s Mount.
St Michael’s Mount
I followed the CTC route to Godolphin Cross which involved several steep climbs. I stopped for a break at an old tin mine here.
Godolphin Tin Mine
Whilst asking for directions to Stithians a couple told me that the King Harry ferry at Trelissick had not been working the previous week. I decided to carry on and see for myself. Sure enough there was a sign saying it was out of order. Colin later told me that a new ferry was being commissioned but the chains were incompatible with the sprockets on the boat ! The lack of a ferry meant that I would have to go up to Truro, adding an extra 15 miles. I had a look round the very fine cathedral and also bought some spare pants and socks at M and S as I had forgotten to pack them.
Truro Cathedral
It was the day of the ’run for life’ so many ladies dressed up in track suits with numbers attached to them. The sun continued to shine. I decided to pick up the CTC route again rather than cycling along the A390 to St Austell. 
Bridge near Ruan Lanihorn, with short bloke spoiling the view!
It was a pleasant afternoon with little wind and the sun shining. I did however manage to get a bit lost and ended up at Portholland on the coast. This was before I had my compass visible at all times to check my direction of travel. I had sausages and chips at Mevagissey and then set off for St Austell and then on to Par on the B3082.
Mevagissy Harbour
Unfortunately a sign stated that the B3082 to the East of Par was closed. I decided (foolishly) to ignore this warning and follow the road as I was sure a bicycle would be able to squeeze through any road works. However I found that the road was completely blocked by an 8 foot wire fence and that major earthworks were in progress. The road was being lowered under a railway bridge so extensive operations were in progress. Nobody was about so I squeeze past a fence panel and then gingerly push my bike across the workings under the railway bridge. On the other side there was an even more impenetrable 8 foot wire fence with no panel gaps. I was too tired to cycle back the way I had come (10 miles) so in desperation I cut through the wire joining the fence panels together and got through. I then replaced the cut wire with my nylon cable ties to reinstate the fence. There were signs for CCTV cameras so I hope I did not get filmed. I finally arrived at Golant at 7.30 and met up with Colin, Stan and Tracy who had arrived abut an hour before me. We saw badgers on the lawn outside the YH that evening. Tracey kindly gave me a glass of wine. A long day of 80 miles including a great number of steep hills !
Day 3I had the YH breakfast (good continental) and left at 8.45. C, T and S were heading for Exeter YH but going around rather than over Dartmoor, a long day for them. I was heading for Steps Bridge YH about 7 miles west of Exeter and taking the direct route over Dartmoor. Took the ferry at Fowey (90p + 20p for bike) and then took the small roads to Looe where I had a cup of coffee and a toasted tea cake.
Fowey Ferry
I then took the B3253 and A374 to Plymouth via the ferry. The climb out of Looe was very hard work and there was a second equally hard climb later on the B3253. The A road was much better and made good progress arriving at Plymouth at 1.00. It started raining in Plymouth and I stopped at Sainsburys for a cuppa and some food for the following night and morning. I felt really tired and the thought of cycling over Dartmoor did not fill me with much pleasure. However after eating something I set off in the pouring rain along horrendous roads out of Plymouth onto the A386 to Yelverton. This was the worst main road of the whole trip with fast lorries on a fairly narrow road. The rain didn’t help much either. The climb up to Princetown was a hard slog but at least the rain had reduced somewhat. I ground up the hill 4 mph on my granny gear and took my time over the climb. I had a cream tea at Princetown as a reward and the sun came out, but not for long enough to dry my clothes. There were some further steep climbs (esp. after Postbridge) across the moor but a fantastic whiz down to Moretonhampstead. I reached Steps Bridge YH (after another climb !) at 6.00. This hostel is going to close this year and is currently kept open using volunteer wardens.
Here are some pics of the hostel for posterity.
Steps Bridge YH
Steps Bridge YH Dining Area
Steps Bridge YH – Sitting area
Day 4I knew this was to be a long day so left Hostel at 7:50. Nice ride into Exeter where I bought some more food at a supermarket then took the B3181 to Dog Village and followed the CTC route to Honiton going via Whimple. There were no significant hills and I could stay on my big chain ring for most of the morning. I stopped at a café for coffee and met Marcus who was doing LEJOG but going via Arran and taking 3 weeks over the trip. He had met C, T and S at Exeter youth hostel. They had a long day getting to Exeter and did not arrive until 8.00 the previous night. I took the A30 out of Honiton for 3 miles (horrible) and then followed the white roads to Rawridge and picked up the A303 for a fantastic whiz down to Broadway. I then followed the white roads to Somerton. There were lovely lanes with an abundance of flowers in the hedgerows. Somerton is a pretty place.
Somerton
I arrived at Street at 4.00 and could have stayed at the YH there as recommended by the CTC. However I decided to press on to Bath to make the following day’s cycle to Winchcombe easier. From Glastonbury I took the A69 to Wells and then the B1319 and then the A367 to Redstock. I found this hard going as it was hilly and not very interesting. There were then some seriously difficult climbs to Bath which I did not find easy having already completed 60 miles in the saddle. I finally got to Bath YH at 7.30, my longest day of the whole trip. Total miles that day 93 miles.
Day 5I left Bath at 9.00 after a leisurely breakfast and took the minor road to Lansdown. This turned out to be a busy road and not pleasant to cycle along. I had coffee in Chipping Sodbury and stocked up with some food for lunch. The sun was shining and the roads improved. I followed minor roads to Stroud and then took the B4070 which is a fantastic road, not too many hills and lovely Cotswold countryside. This took me to Cheltenham and then to Winchcombe where my parents in law live. There was a horrible climb over Cleeve Hill but a good run down on the other side. I arrived at 5.00 after 68 miles.
Our intrepid cyclist outside his in-laws' house in Winchcombe.
Day 6I was going to cycle back home to Borrowash so left Winchcombe at 6.30 am. It was sunny all day with no serious hills so very easy cycling. I stopped at Stratford for Coffee at 9.30 am….
Stratford
………and then headed to Meriden, which is reported to be the furthest village from the sea in England. There is a war memorial to cyclists who died in WW I and II and also a seat put up by the CTC in memory of Wayfarer. I sat on this seat to eat my lunch in the sunshine.
Cyclists' war memorial at Meriden.
Wayfarer’s memorial seat.
I then discovered that a portion of map was missing so I ended up following the B4102 to Nuneaton then turned off to Hartshill, and then up to Atherstone. The B4116 took me to Twycross and Ashby de la Zouch then headed to Borrowash along familiar roads via Swarkstone and Weston on Trent.
Locko park Lake about 2 miles from Borrowash
Total mileage that day was 97 miles which took 9 hours. I cleaned and checked over the bike and offloaded some of my maps and charged up my phone.
Day 7This was a day of familiar cycling through the Peak district to Langsett. I actually took the A6 all the way to Bakewell. However a more interesting, but hilly route, is to go to Wirksworth and then the white roads to Youlgreave and then to Bakewell.
Bakewell
Famous Bakewell pudding shop (I stopped here for coffee and pudding)
From Bakewell I took the B6001 to Hathersage which is a very pleasant road with good views over to Froggatt edge.
Looking towards Froggatt
Upon entering Hathersage you will pass this award winning interesting round building which is a spoon making factory. 
The round building near Hathersage
Rather foolishly I decided to go over the moor road from Hathersage rather than the A6013 via Bamford. This involved a steep climb but good views from the top.
Views over Eden valley above Hathersage
Views over to the Eden from the moor above Hathersage.
I then had to take the A57 westwards which was a long drag uphill until I came to the road which crosses Bradfield moor. Crossing the moor was ok but there were several short sharp hills, several of which I walked up. Unfortunately Langsett Youth Hostel was full so I ended up in a pub/hotel (The Gun and Partridge) which cost 55 pounds and is situated about 1 mile West along the along the A628 towards Manchester. This was my most expensive night by some margin.! There is cheaper pub in Langsett, (the Waggon and Horses) but this was also full. I friend from Manchester (Graham) drove over to meet me for a meal which made a pleasant change from my own company. A fellow guest in the pub also promised to send me a donation when I explained what I was doing. Upon my return home I found a cheque for 25 pounds.
Day 8This was one of the toughest days of the whole trip due to the poor weather and several steep climbs. I set off from the Gun and Partridge at 9.00 and took the B6106 to Holmfirth. Note the first bakery you pass makes excellent, good value, sandwiches. Then continued to Meltham and on to Slaithwaite where I stopped for a cup of coffee to get out of the pouring rain. Needless to say between each of these towns there was a considerable climb. It was then on to Barkisland and Sowerbybridge where I found another café and had a soup and a roll and changed some of my wet clothes. The soup warmed me up somewhat and I was then ready to set off, into the rain, to Hebden Bridge along the A646. The climb over to Haworth from HB seemed never ending in the mist and drizzle. I then took the main road to Keightly, Skipton and finally Kettlewell where I arrived at 6.30 but was too late to order an evening meal. However the Kings Head in the village served excellent bar food.
Day 9The day started grey but not actually raining. It was a lovely ride through Wharfedale and Bishopsdale to Aysgarth but I did not stop at the famous waterfalls. Then up to Castle Bolton and Reeth where I stopped for a pot of tea and a toasted tea cake.
A rather grey Wharfedale
Close to Castle Bolton
Then on to Barnard Castle over Barningham Moor. I was quite cold and hungry so stopped at another coffee shop and ate some of the provisions I had brought in Skipton.
The County Durham Border in the mist with no views!
Barnard Castle
There were two more climbs to complete before I arrived at Edmundbyres YH so set off again in the rain along the B6278 Another coffee shop was visited in Stanhope where I arrived dripping wet , cold and fed up. A slice of lemon meringue pie perked me up and I was ready to tackle the final hill over to Edmundbyres. This road crosses the C2C cycle path and then there is a fantastic whiz down to the village. I arrived sopping wet at the very pleasant YH where two friendly volunteer wardens .booked me in. This was my favourite YH of the whole trip and I had a dorm to myself.
I set off in the pouring rain to Blanchland and then on to Hexham. I put on my over trousers as well as my overshoes to try and keep out the wet. It absolutely chucked it down just outside Blanchland and cycling up the road was like being in a river. I ended up putting on my cycling cape as my supposedly waterproof jacket proved not to be. I really felt like giving up and realised that I had to get some better waterproofs if I was going to make any more progress that day. Fortunately I found a Millets in Hexham and got a new jacked and over trousers. Not the best quality but adequate. I headed out to Bellingham on the B6320 which would have been a lovely cycle in better weather, along the North Tyne valley.
The North Tyne valley in the rain
I enquired about B and Bs in Hawick at the tourist information office at Bellingham. I had lunch in the café next door and during my meal the tourist info. lady gave me a printout of many B and Bs in Hawick, good service ! I then took the road to Keilder which is actually a cycle route and was excellent. Good surface and no cars. If it had been better weather it would have been a wonderful cycle. Another stop for tea, this time in Keilder, after which I entered Scotland at about 4.00 pm.
The quietest road to enter Scotland by?
The road from Saughtrees to Hawick was good, mostly following a stream and not too hilly. I found a good B and B on the main road into Hawick which was an elegant Victorian house at a reasonable £22.50. I had a take-away pizza that night but unfortunately left some of my papers there, including my LEJOG record sheet. I went back the next morning but could not raise the owner.
Day 11I had to get to Edinburgh for 3.30 as I was meeting up with an ex neighbour of ours for tea. Fortunately it was only 50 miles away so this would be quite a restful day. The A7 to Selkirk was pretty busy and unpleasant with several climbs, but they were not too steep. The A72 to Peebles was much quieter and was very pleasant following the river Tweed.
River Tweed on the road to Peebles
I then took the A703 to Penicuick which then went all the way to Edinburgh. I managed to get to our friend’s house by 3.30 in Collinton and had a good natter and yet more food and tea. I arrived at the YH at 6.00 after having to ask for directions.. Tip: always ask old ladies for directions, they know everything. A young traffic warden did not have a clue, even thought the YH was only 300 yards away. The Edinburgh YH was a typical city centre hostel. i.e. busy with lost of young people, mostly foreign visitors.
Day 12I left the YH by 8.00 as I had a long ride to Perth to meet my sister in law for lunch. I eventually found the Sustrans path which takes you directly to the Fourth road bridge avoiding the A90 motorway. There were good views crossing the bridge along a good wide cycle path.
The Firth of Forth from the bridge – another grey day.
I headed along the B981 to Crossgates and then up to Kinross next to Loch Leven. There was a small café where I stopped for refreshment before carrying along the B996 to Perth. This was a fantastic road, no traffic and lovely scenery through a wooded valley next to a river. Much of it was downhill which was even better. The sun had at last made an appearance so I was much happier with my lot than I had been. I arrived in Perth at 12.30 and met up with Frances for a pub lunch. It was then on to Dunkeld and Pitlochry using the R77 and R7 which were good and traffic free.
Dunkeld Bridge and the river Tay.
Unfortunately Pitclochry YH was full (school parties) so I stayed at the back packer’s hostel which is on the high street. This was fine.
Day 13I was around half a day behind schedule due to the poor weather in northern England so I intended to cycle to Inverness to make up some time. I followed route 7 all the way up which is an excellent cycle route.
A warning sign before Drumochter pass.
Most of the route uses the old A9 so has a good road surface. There are however some rougher sections before you get to Drumochter summit, but these are acceptable. I was not aware of climbing very much but suddenly I found myself at the top of the pass with not much effort. It was then easy to cycle down to Dahlwhinne for a cup of coffee. A strong SW wind was blowing so the next 25 miles to Aviemore which were covered at between 20-25 mph.
Part of the R7 cycle track
Fantastic cycling, great traffic free roads, wonderful scenery, sunshine and a strong wind at my back. I awarded myself with lunch at an Italian restaurant in Aviemore. I did not follow R7 along the B970 but rather the more direct B9152 to Aviemore.
Part of R7 cycle route looking NE after Kingussie
I then followed R7 faithfully to Inverness stopping off at the interesting Clava cairns en route. I arrived at Inverness after a bit of searching at 6.00.
Clava Cairns nr Inverness
Day 14Left Inverness YH at 8.15 with no breakfast so went to Morrisons to do shopping and have something to eat. My intention was to go on to Carbisdale YH but the warden at Inverness said it was fully booked. Another school party grrr!. I headed out on the A862 and then the B9164 to Beauly. It was bright but rain bursts were visible on the hillsides. Saw the first lock of the Caledonian canal. Heading towards Dingwall along the A862 was a bit wet but it got very grey and damp when crossing over the high road north of Alness along the B9176. There was a good view towards Bonar Bridge when it finally stopped raining.
View from B9176 towards Bonar Bridge. Cold and grey
Had a late lunch in BB then went to have a look at Carbisdale YH, shame I couldn’t stay there for the night. I crossed over by the railway bridge which had been put up there recently, a bit awkward up the steps with a loaded bike.
Footbridge over river Shin to Carbisdale YH
I took the old road to Nairn and stopped off at the falls of Shin and visitors centre.
Falls of Shin
Just past this there was a house with a team of Huskies in the garden – very strange.
Huskies !
I found a B & B in Nairn with a little old lady (only 16.50 pounds including cooked breakfast) I had a horrible burger and chips from the chip shop in the evening. I had to explain to some Americans in the chip shop what a mince was (ground beef to them).
Day 15Day 15 was only a short hop to Tongue of only 38 miles up the A836. This was actually quite a tough ride because of a cold NE wind right in my face. It seemed to take ages to get past Loch Loyal. Great views but rather showery. I glad to reach Tongue YH at 2.30. It had just re-opened after renovation. I asked the warden for the nearest eating establishment and followed her directions to a hotel in Talmine on the other side of the bridge. Fantastic scenery around there and the sun was shining. Unfortunately my camera batteries had run flat and I had used up all my spares. I had a lazy afternoon and prepared for my final day to JOG.
A picture of Tongue downloaded from the interweb.
Day 16Lovely sunny morning but cold with a NE wind. I followed the main A836 all the way to JOG. There are about 6 steep climbs along this road which continue until you reach the county border. There were no inns open because it was a Sunday but fortunately the shop in Bettyhill was open so I could get some provisions and spare batteries. I stopped at the Raye golf club for a cup of coffee (only 60p) then stopped off at the Douneray visitor’s centre. The last time I was there the reactor was working but now the exhibition was all about decommissioning. It was then an easy run to Thurso, where I did not stop, then up to Dunnett. I was considering going up to Dunnet head (the most northerly point on mainland Britiain) but couldn’t be bothered to do the extra 10 miles. I did however stop at the castle of Mey which was most interesting. Charles apparently goes up there for two weeks in the summer with Camilla. I finally got to JOG at 5.00 pm in the sunshine. I have no pictures of my finish because the chap I asked to take a picture fluffed it – too bad. I did however buy a tea towel. By 6 o’clock I was at the Youth Hostel being congratulated by the very kind wardens.
The journey home.I cycled to Wick (only took 1 hour because of the tail wind) and took the 12.40 train to Inverness. I then cycled to Inverness airport (quite a way out of town) and picked up a hire car which I drove down to Perth and stayed with my sister in law overnight. I was back home in Derby by 3.00 the following day.