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Guest blog: The LEJOG

Written by Fiona June 05 2013
More and more I hear of people cycling – or planning to cycle – the LEJOG (Lands End to John O’Groats). This is a blog account from a freelance collegaue Mike Dales of Big Pond Scotland. He completed the epic  1085-mile journey with his partner Fiona. Here’s what he writes:

LEJOG1055-300x170Wow, what a journey. Land’s End to John O’ Groats – LEJOG. 1085 miles in 14 days of unsupported cycle touring and an unimaginable amount of food. You won’t believe how much food we consumed, and two days after completing LEJOG 2013 we’re still ravenous and eating about eight meals a day.

It was amazing to see the length and breadth of the country in such a short space of time and to make the journey on our faithful old bikes. We now know the difference between the Quantocks and Mendips, and have an intimate knowledge of some of Britain’s quietest and most scenic C roads.

A common question that people are asking us is “What was the best bit?” Our response is that it’s hard to pick one best bit, so here are six highlights in chronological order.
1.  Exmoor – Simonsbath to Exford.
2.  The Bath Two Tunnels Greenway.
3.  Around the western edge of the North York Moors – Flaxton to Swainby.
4.  Northumberland – Amble to Seahouses.
5.  The Black Isle – Tore to Culbokie.
6.  Strathnaver – Altnaharra to Bettyhill.

LEJOG1041-300x169

At some point, I plan to write a proper article about the trip, because there are so many stories to tell and points to make. For the time being I would just like to use this blog to let people know we successfully completed the trip and thank those who helped us in all sorts of ways. To those who provided a bed for the night and food to keep us going we would like to say a really big thank you.

In my previous blog article I explained that we were going to be raising funds for the British Heart Foundation. We would like to thank all those who have already donated and would be grateful for any further donations, however small, that people would like to make. Our Just Giving page can be found here. 

At the end of this fantastic journey we can now call ourselves “End to Enders”. It’s a nice feeling and just starting to sink in. Click here to see our route with distances.

One day I might just do the same!

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