“Lands End to John O Groats Unsupported”

Lands End to John O Groats (also known as end to end) is a long-distance cycle touring (or walking) route, which starts at the extreme southern end of Cornwall, Lands End, and finishes in the North Eastern tip of Scotland, John O Groats.

You can cycle it in a seven days, use main roads, and see very little.

An alternative is to follow a longer route (we did 1280 miles), which uses back-roads and by-ways, leading to a route which is, as much as possible, traffic-free (in the 21st century UK).

I first attempted the end to end in 2015, and was knocked off my bicycle in a remote part of the Highlands of Scotland, and postponed.

In 2017 two of use cycled from Lands End to Crewe, in Cheshire. At the end of April 2018, the bicycles were packed, and we set of from Berkhamstead, destination Crewe.

Unsupported

You take everything you need with you, and are essentially on your own.

Supported

You have a support vehicle, and organised accommodation.

Being unsupported is more challenging. But you have far more flexibility, and can stay in a tent, and greatly reduce your costs. This was the option we chose.

August 2017 was a real learning curve. I had trouble with a bad fitting cleat, and an unreliable stove. But you never stop learning :)

Late April 2018 was interesting in that the weather was colder, and I was very glad of my winter sleeping bag :) You could still see the snow on the mountains in Scotland.

My camping gear has remained almost the same, with the exception of a Trangia spirit stove, Trangia triangle, and MSR Titan Kettle. This combination worked perfectly, and packed down very well.

Hard work, but very very enjoyable :D

end-to-end main image