#JOGLE Final round up.

A few days have now elapsed now since we finished JOGLE. It was 25th September. We started out on 3rd - riding every day.

While I could write exhaustively about our 22 day journey I have decided I am going to limit is to two bullet point sections. The first section will cover our thoughts and tips learned about how we approached JOGLE. The second section will be some thoughts about the Great Britain we passed through in our journey from top to bottom - or is it end to end?

I have set out below our route/stops.

In the main we followed the Sutrans route. However while we faithfully followed it through Scotland and most of England when we got into the West Country we chose to go down the middle so to speak - instead of following the suggested route which hugged the north coast and appeared to us to be a bit of an unessesary detour.

SECTION ONE - HOW WE APPROACHED JOGLE AND TIPS FOR ANYONE PLANNING TO DO IT.

Please see my previous JOGLE blogs re planning and rationalle behind choice of route.
While LEJOG is the more popular route I previously gave my reasons for choosing to do it the other way around - start at John O Groats rather than finish there. I think we made the right decision for us although it could have been different if the prevailing wind had been more consistent and stronger. Reasons 1) while we faced with a strong prevailing wind at times (and it did make cycling much harder - particularly in Scotland) in my view it did not in itself justify LEJOG over JOGLE. 2) One arguement for JOGLE is it prepares you better for the challenge of the Devon & Cornwall hills ie you are cycle fitter at the end than the beginning. For us and particularly for Mike this was very much the case. 3) I think it also helped us psychologically to be cycling south towards home - a small point - but a more significant point 4) is it was much easier for us to be picked up with our finish at Land's End than John O' Groats. We knew our set off date but could not be precise until the last couple of days when our finish time would be. Being closer to home made making arrangements much easier than if the journey to the pick up was close to a 1000 miles. At the end of the day all of this comes to weighing up the factors that might affect you most.
We chose to do the Sutrans route. I bought the GPX coordinates from the Sutrans shop and Mike loaded them onto his phone using Kamoot. This with the NCR signposts, and the Sustrans LEJOG book (which personally I found very useful) was our principal means of navigation.
Our philosophy. We were 2 older guys - not seasoned or experienced cyclists - who bought secondhand bikes and the gear we thought we needed to attempt this blue riband challenge. Why did we want to do it? Of course for the challenge but more than that. We wanted to see Great Britain. This is why we chose the longer more convoluted Sustrans route. We allowed 3 weeks - when it can be done in 10 days or less on racing bikes and with pre arranged overnights. The down side is the fast routes are the ones used by the most traffic. Sutrans does offer routes with very limited or often no traffic and we were camping - carrying a lot more gear than the racing bikers. We were also not sure about how far we could get each day so we had no prearranged accommodation bookings. I think when you chose to take on LEJOG/JOGLE you should be clear in your mind why you are doing it and what you want out of it.
What bike? I was concerned about the tracks we were likely to encounter. Someone on the NCN Facebook page said the Sutrans route is not rough. He was right. The roughest tracks were often tow paths but I think you definitely need more than a racing bike.
When I was doing research I read - best advice - travel light. When I set off from JOG the weight of my panniers was too much. I boxed up some stuff at Pitlochry and sent it home. We jettisoned some more when my brother Rob picked up more excess gear from Mike and I at Taunton - to help for the onslaught of the Devon & Cornwall hills. I think the excess weight was basically stuff I took for contingencies. My advice is pack - repack and pack again!
Panniers. I made the mistake of not having fully waterproof panniers so had to add rainproof covers. This was fiddly. I have now bought a set of waterproof roll top ones!
Use of a cape! Again as a novice cycling tourer I made pre enquiries on the NCN FB page - to the mirth of some - but others recommended it. I ended up buying a proper one produced by Carradice. I found it a good bit of kit to have. Excellent in heavy showers because you can get it on and off so quickly.
We bought a midge head net for Scotland. We only used it once but boy did we need it.
The weather presents major challenges - how do you stay reasonably dry and not get too cold. Of course you can generate a lot of body heat when you are pedalling hard. Base layers can get damp and cold can set in. My regime - good quality base layers. I wore a PRO V Reflex 36 running jacket a lot. I wore shorts everyday. My most flexible kit which I love to use is a Berghaus Paclite Gortex rain jacket and waterproof trousers. As it says on the can - they are very light to carry (and wear). They keep the rain out but they keep the wind out too.
How to keep phones charged? We used charging blocks - but they are heavy. Following extensive subsequent research I am pretty sure the way to go is a front wheel in hub dynamo.
Which tent? I have raised the point of travelling light above. There are a miriad of tents on offer - ultra lightweight - up to 4 seasons - specialist ones for cycling - and of course many come at a cost. We met a couple on a tandem. They had all the gear. I spotted a slim package on their rear rack and asked them about their tent. It was a Big Agnes. They said it was great but they are expensive (and I think a bit complex). My brother Mike bought a Terra Nova - not one of their most expensive 4 season ones - but it was half the weight of mine and he was very happy with it. For myself I had several options. In the end I took a Vango Blade 200. My rationale was it is the simplest tent to put up and take down - because it has just one pole. (a virtue at the end of a tiring day or when you want to get off quick in the morning.) While I have concerns about its ability to stand very rough weather - it is a 2/3 season tent - it is fine in heavy rain & there is usually somewhere you can find in the lee. The 200 is of course a two man tent - and this is where I am out of step with my own advice. Personally (it is a personal thing) I am prepared to carry some more weight for the extra space. We were often in our tents from 6.30pm to daybreak - often sorting wet gear - and cooking of course. I enjoyed the extra space. If I was cycling in fair weather or for a shorter period I would probably take the Vango Blade 100.
Last thing on gear. What to cook on? Mike now has a Jetboil cooker. They are super efficient and lightweight and not as scary as the petrol ones. He is very impressed with it. For myself I continue to use a tiny ultralightweight titanium burner which is fuelled by meths. The reason I like it is its total simplicity. There is nothing to break. Nothing to go wrong. It works for me.
Most of the time the Sutrans route was either adequately or well sign posted. Where we had grief and wasted a lot of time was traversing urban areas. It happened in Inverness for instance. The route took us around the back of housing and through industrial estates it what seemed to be contorted and unnessary complication. There might be a case for following a ring road!
Wild camping. We found some good spots but it is not easy. Sensitivities to covid made it trickier and we choose not to set up on privately owned land as a point of principle.
We did camp on 12 nights however and we really enjoyed it. Leg power cycling and a small tent cooking on a little meths stove is back to nature - simple and lovely.
One small observation - we passed through many villages looking forward to a convenience store for something to eat etc. So many villages no longer have shops.
How far can you go in a day? On the face of it you think you will be able to do most on a flat surface. However it is more complicated. Flat and narrow tow paths and bridleways can be slow progress. A hilly route gives a quick gain going down the otherside. Road surface makes a huge difference as of course does wind direction. Towns are the slowest.
Pretty much without exception we got a warm reception from everyone - even motorists. I think what fosters sympathy (admiration - lol) is stuffed panniers. I think many people guessed what we were up to and they were supportive and complimentary.
I have done a lot of trekking on steep terrain. You take the incline out by zig zagging. It works on a bike providing there isn't a tractor coming down the hill lol! I think the longest hill we went up was 13 miles long.
Beware any place with "bridge" in the name! It almost always means you are running down hill to a river crossing with the inevitable - a steep climb out again!
A personal approach to hills. I took on every hill as a personal challenge - me and the hill. My mantra with anything hard has always been "the only thing that keeps you going is not stopping".
Finally - 22 days - cycling every day. About 1150 miles carrying quite a lot of gear. How hard was it? It is a mental challenge. It can be tough. But cycling is not running. Running you get physically drained. I never got to that state on any day although of course you can get exhausted for a short time on individual hills and very tired overall - very much looking forward to time out of the saddle. A bummer is not knowing where you can stop when you are ready to overnight. (eventually we started planning further ahead as we started to understand the distances we were capable of covering - and would book a campsite the day before if possible).
On planning ahead - we spent a fair bit of time trying to find campsites actually on route. The last thing you want to do is to cycle off route and have to retrace the next day. I think we could have done some prior research but covid made it more difficult because many campsites were either not available or restricted.
JOGLE was a fantastic achievement in many ways and will be a memory that will last for ever. It is not easy - it is a test of character - you just have to keep going - so the challenge is clear cut and simple really. It was very satisfying indeed to get safely to the finish.

SECTION TWO - THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS ABOUT GREAT BRITAIN

Previously I had not been north of Inverness or the Western Isles. There is an awful lot of Scotland north of Inverness! It is wild, beautiful and largely uninhabited. We spent 3 or 4 days cycling in the Highlands. Much of that we were on our own - for long periods I was cycling in my own little world. I speculated about living in such an out of the way isolated place - out of the rat race - away from covid. It has its attractions - but at the end of the day I think you might go stir crazy.
On this subject there are grumbles in the Highlands about extra interest in property from southerners wanting to escape covid. They have had a major issue with second home owners too. As in so many areas the claim is young locals are priced out. I happened to chat to a lovely lady - probably in her 80's - been farming on the same farm all her life. Scottish accent so broad it sounded like a different language. She said young people do not want to stay - life is tough and they want more. She also made the observation - the glass boxes you see are the newcomers coming in with their posh cars. Typically they stand it for 6 years and then sell up and move back to where they came from!
Interestingly she was very much against Scottish Nationalism. She said Scotland is too small to make it on its own. Certainly it is easy to see much of the Highlands has no agriculteral use. Settlements are sparce and gradually becoming depopulated.
The Scots are big on fish and chip shops. They love their pies and their haggis and black pudding. We loved them too but we felt we needed to replace the calories lol!
Much of lowland Scotland and the borders - was wonderful too. Greener - softer - farming estates - beautiful rivers - wildlife - fly fishing. A privilege to be in the landscape.
Having said that if you are a purest - time and again I stopped to gaze at a landscape and been irked by the intrusion of pylons, wind turbines or telegraph poles.
It took us a week to get out of Scotland. We experienced real weather. We experienced fantastic quiet. I mentioned the owls in a previous blog. A precious week. I think September is a great time to be in Scotland. Memories for life.
And we get to Gretna - and then we are suddenly back in England. It felt significant. We are going ok. We can do this! (it happened to be one of the wettest days.) A lorry driver we met at a burger stand (a haven for us) put us onto The Metal Bridge Inn just over the border in England. They do camping - but in the end we took a room and dried out. What a good stay that was!
Thoughts of England - thoughts of my country. There is much beauty. Cumbria, N Lancs moors - and every leg of our daily route onwards offered something special. Agriculture is still massive in the UK - huge swathes of land that is still green. We are very lucky.
On agriculture - we were going through the land when grass was being cut for silage making. Even in the remotest areas we often seen massive modern tractors and wagons operating. Goodness knows what they cost. It is easy to see why the small scale farmers are being squeezed out.
But there are concerns - negatives too. Much of our urban landscape is horrible. Scruffy. No pride. One clear observation. So many urban shops and particularly pubs closed with premises up for sale - a sad scene. (Cannabis smell often evident!)
A general observation it is increasingly hard to find true natural silence. Road noise is so obtrusive and can carry for miles.
Rivers and canals can cut a lovely scene. People are drawn to water. There is not enough time to do everything but narrowboating is a lovely way of spending peaceful times although we went past some very busy locks and basins.
It is not easy to wild camp in England.
Us southerners can easy have the view the north is industrial and bleak. Of course much of it is not. It is the opposite.
Have you heard of Elephant Grass? Mike and I both commented on this very tall crop being commonly grown by our farmers. What is it? How is it used. I asked one farm hand. He was grumpy about it. He said they burn it! He said locals hate it. I was puzzled what he meant? Burn it? It is used as a biomass fuel.
While doing JOGLE is a fantastic way of seeing Great Britain - even at our modest pace we were going too fast. There is so much to see - to explore and delve into - simply to enjoy. As I said before every Sutrans leg offers a lot. I have pencilled in a couple of local ones to go back to. Gloucester to Bristol was lovely and Bristol to Taunton - over the Mendips, Wells and then across the absolutely special Somerset Levels. I could go on - Devon what a county - those deep narrow quiet lanes! We camped near Nomansland. Have you been there lol?
I cannot do our island justice by description. All I can do is recommend a bike ride as a very good way of seeing it. xxxx

SOME THANK YOU's & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS :

I would like to thank :

Sutrans - a charity that have done fantastic work opening up bike friendly routes all over the country.
The NCN facebook page for their advice (and humour!)
Mike and I were helped by 2 different bike repairers on route. Arragons - Penrith. Fantastic service late on Saturday. Sorted out my busted spokes in no time. The other was Mark of One More Bicycle - Nantwich. Mark is a real expert. He tuned our gears and smoothed our way in no time. Highly recommended.
I have listed the places we stayed above. I would recommend them all without hesitation.
I want to thank friends and family for their support and encouragement. All my offspring were wonderful as usual.
I especially want to thank my son George of course. He drove Mike and I to John O Groats - a huge undertaking. But not only that - George insisted on picking us up from Lands End. It was a fantastic warm gesture. It means so much of course.
Finally I have to thank my kid brother Mike for his great company and massive role in our success. Mike navigated us all the way down. We have done a lot of testing things together over the years. Mike is unflappable - stalwart - he just gets things done with no fuss and common sense. Mike understands moaning changes nothing. You have to just get on with it. As a team we just chat things through and make a balanced decision - and that is priceless.

Here are a few photos. In the end up I virtually stopped taking them. The main reason - there was a photo around every corner and rarely can you capture what you actually see. I am left with a kaleidoscope in my mind - regretfully impossible to share - but available to view to anyone - especially on a bike xxxx (Sorry the photos are all over the place - not always in chronological or route order but you will get the idea!)