After setting a date for the Lands End to John O'Groats challenge it was time to get the route planned. Myself, Karl and Steven arranged to meet up on Sunday, I was the last to arrive and as I entered Starbucks I saw the longest table in the place already had a map sprawled out across it. We all ordered a large coffee as we suspected it may take a while.
We had found a couple of routes online and so we used those as a guide to follow. Our route would have to be altered as we wanted to add in a visit to each of the charities we are fundraising for and a night in Preston. This would give us chance to restock on valuable supplies for the rest of the journey.
After two hours we were all happy that we had a rough route down. Excitement building it all seemed real now!
The Epic Journey!
Lands End to John O'Groats - 12th June - 20th June
Day 1
Lands End to Launceston
After our landmark picture at the famous Lands end sign we will set off on our epic adventure, cycling the Cornish coastline witnessing some beautiful views on a tough first day to Launceston.
Distance - 94.4 miles
Elevation Gained - 7,432 ft
Day 2
Launceston to Glastonbury
Setting off from Launceston we travel through Somerset (insert dodgy Somerset accent when reading) arriving at the famous Glastonbury.
Distance - 85.5 miles
Elevation Gained - 6,024 ft
Day 3
Glastonbury to Hereford
Hopefully by now we will be used to long days in the saddle and we push on North, cycling the across the Welsh border and finishing in Hereford.
Distance - 89.2 Miles
Elevation Gained - 6,140 ft
Day 4
Hereford to Liverpool
Setting off from Hereford we will travel through Shrewsbury finishing in Liverpool. Our good friend Robert Garth has kindly offered us his hospitality, we will sample his culinary skills as we replenish our calories.
Distance - 118.5 miles
Elevation Gained - 5,335 ft
Day 5
The Charity Leg - Goodison Park to Christie's to The Space centre
Today we will put in some extra miles to visit each of our chosen charities. We will start with Stevens chosen charity Everton in the community which will see us visit Goodison park. Then it is on to Manchester to visit Teddys chosen charity, the Christie hospital. The final leg of the day will see us travel home to Preston where my chosen charity The Space Centre is located. Helping others is the main reason to push ourselves to complete this challenge, we feel taking on a difficult challenge like this is the best way to raise money and awareness for our chosen charities.
Distance - 78.4 miles
Elevation Gained - 3,292 ft
Day 6
Preston to Carlisle
After a night in our own bed we will set off on one of the toughest days throughout the ten days. We will travel through Lancaster and Kendal stopping off for some famous Kendal mint cake. We will then pedal on to the dreaded Shap. Getting to Shap summit will be a tough climb but what goes up must come down and we will look forward to the descent. Then it is on through Penrith finishing at Carlisle.
Distance - 91.5 miles
Elevation Gained - 4,779 ft
Day 7
Carlisle to Glasgow
A slightly shorter day in the saddle as we head to Glasgow, we have been kindly offered the hospitality off a friend that we could not pass up.
Distance - 87.3 miles
Elevation Gained - 4,280 ft
Day 8
Glasgow to Fort William
A tough day in the saddle but some stunning sights along the way. We will cycle up to Ben Nevis and down the bank of the Loch, hopefully spotting the Loch Ness monster on route before arriving at Fort William.
Distance - 115.8 miles
Elevation Gained - 5,899 ft
Day 9
Fort William to Lairg
The penultimate leg. Heading from Fort William to Lairg we will face two leg testing climbs but with the finishing line in our sights we will ride on.
Distance - 107.3 miles
Elevation Gained - 6,618 ft
Day 10
Lairg to John O'Groats
The final leg of our journey, relying on adrenaline to get us through to the finishing line, working through the Scottish highlands and heading to the finish line!
Distance - 94.4 miles
Elevation Gained - 5,323 ft
This will be an epic challenge, we will push ourselves to make sure we are prepared for this, it would be great if any cyclists would like to join us for any legs of the journey. If you would like to donate, my just giving page is accessible by clicking the link below.
https://www.justgiving.com/end2endJD
Thank you for taking time to read my blog!
Twitter - @Jordy_Dash
Our Journey