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land's end to john o'groats. richard barrett. cicerone press paperback 227pp illus. £14.95

lands end to john o groats - richard barrett

riding from land's end to john o'groats, on the north east tip of scotland, is a bit like skateboarding or bmx; enthusiasm for riding and/or reading of the longest uk bike ride seems prone to periodical resurgence. i have no doubt that there are cyclists undertaking the distance both before, during and after this review, but highlighting its existence arrives unexpectedly every now and again. a friend of mine rode the opposite way only a matter of years past, while i reviewed paul jones' excellent end to end in march this year. now arrives a compact. and bijou guide to undertaking the ride by our very selves, scribed by the highly experienced richard barrett, should we find ourselves with unfulfilled holidays in the coming weeks or months.

a bit like riding up mont ventoux (chapeau, wout van aert), alpe d'huez or the gavia pass in italy, it's a strenuous ride that surely must feature on the bucket list of many an intrepid cyclist.

"Cycling the length of Great Britain between the two extremities of Land's Eend in the southwest and John o'Groats in the northeast is a challenge that many cyclists aspire to at least once in their lifetime."

only the other day was i forwarded a link to a gcn video featuring the inimitable mark beaumont and james lowsley-williams (hank) attempting to break the record for the quickest ride from south to north. match paul jones with beaumont and lowsley-williams, accompanied by barret's cicerone guide, and you can presumably see what i mean about it's resurgence in popularity.

but honestly, where would you start to prepare for such a ride? aside from training sufficiently to ease the pain, there's the not inconsequential job of preparing the bicycle, figuring out how much stuff to take with you, organising vehicular support, assuming you're not opting for the lachlan morton approach of riding unsupported. and that's before taking care of accommodation needs and the actual 874+ mile route itself. thankfully, mr barrett has removed most of the pain all the foregoing is bound to entail, aside from the training part. he's even prepared an outlne itinerary depending on whether you're going to attempt the ride in ten days or eighteen days. if you fancy minimising that to under forty hours, have a word with messrs beaumont and lowsley-williams.

though there's every likelihood that you'll have other matters on your mind during those long, lonely miles, the author has provided an overview of the geological make-up of the british isles, though it does seem ironic (if i've read the colour coded map correctly), that john o'groats seems to sit upon devonian sandstone and the like. and, in the manner of the ubiquitous travel blog, he lists ten foods to try out along the way, one of which, on the ride through glasgow, is chicken tikka masala from the famous shish mahal indian restaurant.

though mr barrett suggests choosing an appropriate schedule, he does qualify that by pointing out that the availability of suitable accommodation may bring its own vicissitudes to bear. "(this) will also determine where your days begin and end, which could be at places before the end of a stage, into the following stage or perhaps somewhere off the route altogether." i have no practical experience of southern england whatsoever, though i'd imagine the winter months to be the least appropriate in which to begin a lengthy ride such as this. however, scotland is probably not the country in which to schedule any lengthy ride past september. happily, it appears the author concurs with this appreciation, stating that "The best time to go is between April and September, when the days are longer and the weather is at its best."

the book's introductory sections continue by advising just how to get to land's end in the first place, assuming you've decided to lejog, rather than jogle. and if intending to return from scotland by train, mr barrett helpfully points out that the nearest station is in wick, some seventeen miles from john o'groats; perhaps just seventeen miles too far, if you've already pedalled all the way north. aside from travel and accommodation, the author includes a brief section on projected costs, in which he suggests employing the use of a spreadsheet to firm up costs prior to deciding whether you can even afford the ride in the first place.

lands end to john o groats - richard barrett

having decided what you're going to take with you, having put in sufficient training miles on the bike and ensuring that the latter bears the constitution, if not the weight, of a centurion tank, there's the small matter of maps, for it would be sheer folly to try and commit the route to memory. thankfully, according to the author, "This book is designed to be small enough to carry with you and includes linear maps that are entirely adequate for following the route." it does fit in a jersey back pocket - i checked. however, should you prefer to follow the modern-way, there are downloadable gpx files to apply to your bar-mounted gps device or smartphone.

in common with many other cicerone cycling guides, and accompanying turn by turn guides, maps and a profile of each stage, the author has provided a few relevant out-takes where those on the less frenetic schedules may have time to look around.

Glasgow: "From a small rural settlement Glasgow slowly grew to become a medieval bishopric and a royal burgh, with the first bridge over the Clyde being recorded in 1285 and the University of Glasgow being founded in 1451. When the author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) visited the city in the early 18th century when its population was about 12,000 he recorded that it was 'the cleanest and beautifullest, and best built city in Britain, London excepted."

if i ever decide to travel to john o'groats via land's end, this is the very guide book i'd read before i go and subsequently take with me. at only £14.95, it's probably the best investment the prospective lejogler can make. apart from the bicycle, of course.

friday 9 july 2021

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