The Route!

Sorry, this is only descriptive for now, but I'm sure you'll be able to follow it on a map if you have a road atlas. I am researching ways of publishing a map of the route, I may need to do it somewhere else and provide a link. We'll see...

Any way, the route:

We will be starting at John O'Groats, although we want to take in Duncansby Head, as this is actually the farthest North East, as Lands End is the farthest South West. We will then travel along the North Coast visiting Dunnet Head, the farthest North point on the British Mainland, through Thurso and on to Bettyhill. We then turn South to Lairg, Bonar Bridge, Alness, Dingwall, Beauly and then down to Drumnadrochit. From here we will follow the Great Glen South West along the banks of Loch Ness and Loch Lochy to Fort William.

We will ride out of the Great Glen and up over Glen Coe following the A82 to Crainlarich and then the A85 to Lochearnhead and Crieff. We will be heading down to the Forth Road Bridge and over into Edinburgh next, where we are staying the night with our friends Mhairi and Jim.

From Edinburgh we will follow the A7 South to Selkirk, Hawick, Langholm, and then over the border and into England heading to Carlisle. The plan is to follow the A6 from Carlisle, I am informed that as most of the traffic takes the M6, this is a good cycling road. This takes us to Penrith, over Shap and down to Kendal. Staying on the A6 we will head South to Lancaster and then on to the section we are least looking forward to - Preston, Wigan, Warrington. The route through is yet to be finalised. Reaching Northwich will be a relief as we leave the industrial North West behind us and head through Cheshire.

From Northwich we will be aiming for Nantwich, Audlem, Market Drayton and then into Shropshire cycling past Harper Adams College - hopefully one or two students could keep a lookout? and on through Shifnal. We are aiming for an overnight stop at either Richard's Uncle Allan's or his cousin James' home near there.

The next target is Worcester to Julie's cousins for lunch, so A442 to Bridgenorth, and then the B4555 to Bewdley then following the River Severn to Worcester. We will continue along the Severn on the B4211 through Upton upon Severn (provided it isn't flooded this year!) and on to Gloucester.

Like the A6, the A38 is said to be a good cycling road as most of the traffic is on the M5 and there is lots of space, so we will follow this out of Gloucester to Bristol. How we get through Bristol is still open to debate... We want to be heading to the Cheddar Gorge next, but I get a headache every time I try to map a route through. Any suggestions or help gratefully received! From Cheddar we will be riding through Wedmore and on to Taunton, picking up the A38 again to Wellington and then to Tiverton.

From Tiverton we will head to Crediton and then Oakhampton before skirting the Northwest corner of Dartmoor to Tavistock, one of our favorite places. From Tavistock we are taking minor roads virtually due West to cross the Taymar into Cornwall at Horsebridge, then carrying on through Stoke Climsland, Bray Shop, and Rilla Mill before skirting the Southern edge of Bodmin Moor to reach Doublebois and pick up the A390 through Lostwithiel to St Austell. We are then aiming to cycle down onto the Roseland Peninsular, through Tregony, to take the King Harry Ferry so that we avoid the busy roads round Truro.

From here we have a choice on roads we know quite well. Our aim is to go via the Lizard, so that we pick up the most Southerly point on the British Mainland. we will obviously be spending our last night at home, but whether we go to the Lizard the day before we go to Lands End, or do it on the same day will determine the route from here.

There is no "easy ride" from our house to Lands End, or back for that matter! Our current thinking is Penzance then Newbridge, St Just and then down to Lands End!