THE END TO END CYCLE ROUTE LAND’S END TO JOHN O’ GROATS by Nick Mitchell 2 POLICE SQUARE, MILNTHORPE, CUMBRIA LA7 7PY www.cicerone.co.uk About the Author Nick Mitchell is a passionate long-distance cycle tourist, who has thousands of cycling miles to his credit and is the veteran of numerous End to Ends. He qualified as a National Standards Cycling Instructor in 2009. His comprehensive knowledge of the route, built up over many years, is to be found in this, his first cycling guidebook. Nick has previously cycled from Munich to Sheffield and Harwich to Bergen, topped off with John o'Groats to Land's End, and he recently cycled halfway round the coast of Britain. In 2015 Nick researched a new long-distance route from the Hook of Holland to Vienna. When he isn't in the office writing up cycling routes, Nick can be found out on the road guiding long-distance tours. © Nick Mitchell 2016 Second edition 2016 ISBN: 978 1 85284 858 3 First edition 2012 ISBN: 978 1 85284 670 1 Printed in China on behalf of Latitude Press Ltd A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated. © Crown copyright OS PU100012932 Mapping produced by Lovell Johns Ltd www.lovelljohns.com Acknowledgements In memory of Sheila Hinton of Shrewsbury Updates to this Guide While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/858/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom. Front cover: Tandem team on the Cross of Greet (Stage 8) (photo courtesy of Rick Robson, www.cyclesportphotos.com) CONTENTS Overview map Map key Introduction Things to see Getting there Accommodation Getting back Which way and when to go Health and safety Training fitness What to take Food and drink Using this guide The Route Stage 1 Land's End to Fowey Stage 2 Fowey to Moretonhampstead Stage 3 Moretonhampstead to Street Stage 4 Street to Monmouth Stage 5 Monmouth to Clun Stage 6 Clun to Runcorn Stage 7 Runcorn to Slaidburn Stage 8 Slaidburn to Keswick Stage 9 Keswick to Moffat Stage 10 Moffat to Loch Lomond Stage 11 Loch Lomond to Glencoe Stage 12 Glencoe to Inverness Stage 13 Inverness to the Crask Inn Stage 14 The Crask Inn to John o'Groats APPENDIX A Route summary table APPENDIX B OS maps covering the route APPENDIX C Accommodation APPENDIX D Tourist information APPENDIX E Cycle repair shops en route APPENDIX F Other useful resources APPENDIX G OS grid references