LEJOG: The Route!

[andygates]

I've had Land's End - John O'Groats on my list since I was about fourteen and first heard of it.  Forty is a good time to do a bucket-list ride, and this three-week trip (some camping, some hostelling, some couch-surfing) is how I'm hoping to do it.  Days are around 60 miles, with nothing centuriffic and a few shorties.  There are rest days in there too, though "rest" and "beer" may be cognate in this context.  The deviations from the CTC's standard route make for a total of about a thousand miles.

1. Land's End - Wadebridge (up the north coast - gorgeous but tough - with chuffy, baggy and cider)
2. Wadebridge - Crediton (coastal to Bude, then pause via home)
3. Crediton - Glastonbury (you can't keep a good hippy down; the chuffbag sabot is fired off home now)
4. Glastonbury - Bristol (a short day, and hopefully a hookup and some ales)
5. Bristol - Cinderford (I've always wanted to ride the Severn Bridge; hope to avoid Monmouth)
6. Cinderford - Clun (if I can get away from being Mum-fed)
7. Clun - Chester (possibly with forum rider types)
8. Chester - Preston (goin' north)
9. Preston - Kendal (lumps!)
10. Kendal - Keswick (short detour to the Lakes; rest day and a paddle)
11. Keswick - Kielder Water (water is a theme, isn't it?)
12. Kielder Water - Edinburgh (this and yesterday could be quite the hack; pick up ravenbait , frood and ales)
13. Edinburgh - Crainlairach (picking up the CTC bikepacker route)
14. Crainlarach - Glencoe (Scotland is big. Really big. )
15. Glencoe - Loch Ness (More lakeside camping, plus monster. ME!   )
16. Loch Ness - Carbisdale Castle (they'll probably repel the English)
17. Carbisdale Castle - Tongue (made up name, surely?)
18. Tongue - John O'Groats (groaty john got groats on his head!)

I'm fizzing with apprehension and excitement in equal proportion, which is probably about right.