Route
Route Plan
I'll broadly be following the route proposed by https://cycle.travel/route/lejog_east_coast, with a couple of detours. This takes a slightly longer route than the standard west coast approach, but does so in order to avoid some of the bigger chunks of climbing.* Cornwall and Devon are still unavoidably hilly, as is Scotland, but the middle stretch is fairly flat. It's mostly the same route as we took 13 years ago, and has the benefit of going through Durham, allowing for a nice rest day in the middle.
Detailed routes for each day are given below. I'm aiming for an average of 80 miles a day on the flat, decreasing the distance as it gets hillier. Planned stops are as follows:
Redruth -> Launceston -> Tiverton -> Bristol -> Coventry -> Nottingham -> Selby -> Durham -> Berwick-> Edinburgh -> Dunkeld-> Aviemore -> Invergordon-> Bettyhill -> Wick
*hill climbing on a unicycle can be pretty brutal - no gears and no freewheeling makes it hard work controlling the pace both up and down.
3rd September: Land's End - Redruth
30 miles; pretty flat. I'm travelling down the day before, so while I only need to make it to Redruth today, the plan is to get another 20-25 miles in to take the pressure off day 2.
4th-5th September: Redruth - Tiverton
There's a lot of hills packed into these days, including two huge climbs above Bodmin and Dartmoor. The 4th should be managable if I've given myself a headstart the day before, but the 5th is possibly the hardest day of the tour, at 70 miles and well over 3000ft of climbing.
6th September: Tiverton - Bristol
After a huge day yesterday, this is a much gentler route into Bristol, with barely over 1000ft of climbing - a bit of a chance for the legs to recover before some big days ahead.
7th September: Bristol - Stratford
Heading into familiar territory, out from Bristol and up towards Coventry - though I'll end the day near Stratford to keep the distance manageable.
8th September: Stratford - Nottingham
Into Coventry, out along the canal, and then winding through villages towards Nottingham. Nearly 80 miles, and not as flat as I'd like, though the hills are very gentle compared to Cornwall.
9th September: Nottingham - Selby
A relatively gentle day consisting of 75 miles of pancake flat riding, sticking mostly to countryside and following the Trent north.
10th September: Selby - Durham
The longest day of the ride, at close to 90 miles. This route avoids the Moors and Dales to the east and west, but is still the hilliest day since day 3. Fortunately, tomorrow is a rest day, so I can afford to get a bit tired.
11th September: Rest day!
A much needed day off in Durham - a chance to spend some time with Rebecca and Annabeth after over a week without them, and to give the legs a break to prepare for the second half of the ride (the exact halfway point was somewhere on day 8).
12th - 14th September: Durham - Edinburgh
This is a gorgeous stretch up the Northumbrian coast and into Scotland. I'll kick things off with a half day, rather than trying to fit this entire stretch into two days.
15th September: Edinburgh - Dunkeld
The Scotland route follows the A9 all the way up to Inverness (though making use of the nearby cycle path rather than the road itself). This is the hilliest day since Cornwall, with over 3000ft of climbing.
16th September: Dunkeld- Aviemore
The day starts with a long, but beautifully gentle, climb, as I skirt round the edge of the Cairngorms, before a similarly gentle descent. Scottish days are somewhat constrained by accomodation options, so this is a nice short day after three big ones.
17th September: Aviemore - Tain
Continuing alongside the A9, as I leave the Cairngorms behind and head down to the coast, passing through Inverness and finishing just south of the excellent Glen Morangie distillery.
18th September: Tain to Bettyhill
A gentle climb and descent through spectacular Scottish highlands - last time, this was perhaps the best stretch of the tour. As I approach the end of the ride, this should be a great opportunity to just relax and enjoy the riding.
19th September: Bettyhill to John O'Groats
The finish! 50 miles of bumpy riding along the Scottish coast - though after a stop at John O'Groats to enjoy the moment, I'll need to do another 20 to get to Wick, the train station for the next day. If all has gone to plan, I'll reach John O'Groats 16 days and some number of hours after leaving Land's End, taking nearly 3 days off my record.