I cycled Land's End to John O'Groats (Lejog) 🚴🏽♂️ In a HEATWAVE!
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
- A day by day account of my bike packing adventure from Land's End in Cornwall to John O'Groats in Scotland also know as Lejog.
14 riding days and 989 Miles cycled.
Enjoy the adventure!
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An amazing video delivered by a decent and determined man.
Ah thanks! Appreciated :)
Really interesting video, loved watching your cycle of LeJog as it's not something I would ever be able to do so enjoyed joining you via UA-cam! Glad you got decent weather and had a good time on your adventure, you've earned a new subscriber! Keep up the good work
Thank you for your kind comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it and you could join me vicariously through my video :)
really enjoyed this whole adventure! you must have the power to control the weather! clear blue skis on majority of your journey
Thanks! Yes was very lucky with the weather on this trip
Cheers 🍻 well done, I did it in 1982 1100 miles in 12 days, had to see Lake District and Loch Ness some highland deveastions, so fit after did a 25 miles timetrial in 53 minutes Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺 😊
Thanks! Good going :)
Good experience
I like your tent
Nice and spacious!
Thoroughly enjoyed that, something i would love to try myself. Well done 👏
Thank you it's a great adventure!
Wow what a ride! That hour and nine minute video flew by and I didn't even notice the time, I was so absorbed.. Beautiful drone footage that showed the best of your ride. Thanks for making such an inspiring and interesting video. Hope you enjoyed the Orkney's and Shetland.
Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed it! The Orkneys and shetland were so good!
at least going home its downhill 😀
That's one of the best videos of LEJOG on UA-cam. Excellent adventure and some good ideas for the journey next year. Thanks for sharing.
Wow thanks! And thanks for watching. Hope you have a great trip when you do yours 😁
How weird just watching one of your video's. Plus you've enlightened my music appreciation. Dma's are incredible. Thank you Phil. Peace-love-life. Chris ....
Best LEJOG video I’ve seen on UA-cam.
Wow. Thanks! Best comment on the comments sections 😁
Well done
Thanks!
Nice video. Very brave of you to ride through that dark canal in Birmingham.
I tried to ride from Wolverhampton to Birmingham about 10 years ago. My journey ended prematurely once i reached that canal. 😂😂
Thanks! Not a fan of dark tunnels then?
@@WestGoesEast it was the fear of the unknown for me.
Now that I've seen you do it, I may try it again in spring, now that I'm much older and wiser. Ha ha
@@donrennis7585 go for it!
How were so lucky with the weather!
Yes quite jammy. Was a bit too hot at times though
Epic 🔥 cycle buddy! Well done for putting together an awesome video together too.
Cheers mate! Orkneys and Shetlands to come 😎
Amazing! I loved that. Loved your nephew 💙he made me laugh! You loitered at a farmhouse where I used to live when I rode horses on Mendips. I want to do Lejog next year, have just started serious training, so hope I can do it (not a spring chicken and I am a very tiny person😄 no carrying a bike up steps for me) So I decided on May as there shouldn't be any midges, Oh how wrong. I so enjoyed this vid, ego free, funny and inspiring, well done and thanks!
Ah thanks for the nice comment.
I think the midges get worse or maybe I had them cos it was so warm. Either way it's a great adventure and I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
Loving the vlog.. just subscribed 💪💪💪👌👌👌
Nice one! Thanks 🙂
great video
Thanks!
Well done! Great video. Really enjoyed watching this. 😊
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Brilliant video
Thank you!
Enjoyed the whole video thank you! Would be interesting to see the preparation you did going into this. I’m planning a 1225 mile trip from Southampton to Inverness
Thank you! I didn't do much prep tbh...I don't even cycle much inbetween trips either. Ha.
I did try and follow each stage destination of that book I had though albeit loosely.
Any questions you have about the trip I'd be happy to answer them.
Congratulations on your fantastic achievement! 🎉 Brilliant video, really enjoyed it and loved the drone shots!! 👏👏👏👍
Thanks Dan, appreciate that and thanks for watching :)
What a lovely video. That was an hour and 10 mins well spent watching this :) I´ve done "LEJoG" 3 times; first solo in 1987, second time for charity and with a friend in 1990, 3rd time with my ex mrs in 1999. Each time via different routes mapped out using paper maps and staying in hostels and the occasional bnb. Each time over 10-12 days and each time over 1000 miles due to route variations. It is a truly epic journey, and yes, the first few days through Cornwall and Devon are brutal. I remember my wife sitting by the roadside mid morning on the 2nd day, exhausted after the first day having ridden up to Tintagel from Lands End on what turned out to be the hottest day of that year, via rollercoaster lanes along the coast, sitting by the roadside facing yet another long climb and crying, saying she couldn´t go on. But she had a moment, got back on her bike and kept going. And got stronger and stronger as we headed north. We travelled a bit lighter than you, no camping gear, stopping off at home in Leeds en route to do laundry. We had a few minor mechanicals, got lost in the lanes in Devon, got sunburnt in Cornwall and soaked in the rain in the Scottish central region. We avoided most major towns and cities riding up the Cotswolds, the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales and the Borders, then tracked North west to the west Highlands and Glen Coe, where we had got married. We avoided the worst of the Scottish midgies though as we did it in September. We stayed in a castle (Carbisdale) which was at the time a hostel (SYHA) and sneaked through a hole in the wall, crossed the railway bridge above the river to the pub at the other side and got a bit tipsy, and then stumbled back. We won a pub quiz in Kirby Stephen and gave away the gallon of ale prize to the locals at our table. We encountered all manner of characters along the way, other cyclists doing the route, walkers, a crazy religious American guy at Sterling hostel, a lovely old woman who had been walking the coastline of the UK for 1.5 years (at the time we met her) at Tongue hostel, getting to and from her start and finish point for the next day via post vans and buses (do they still exist?) and an elderly gent in a classic open top sports car on that long, desolate road from Bonar Bridge north to Tongue, who was revisiting places he´d been with his wife before she passed.
Cycle touring is, in my opinion, still the best way to see a country; because you see SO much of it, feel so much of it, physically and mentally, and meet so many people from all walks of life. And like Life itself, it shouldn´t be hurried; stop and enjoy the view along the way. Smell the flowers. Talk to people. Because like this journey, it all has a start, and and end.
And when we arrived into John O´Groats and passed the sign that says " a warm welcome at the end of the road", my wife cried. For her it was a massive achievement, because she had been told all her life that she shouldn´t take risks, should stay safe. After doing this, her career went through the roof. And although it´s nearly 20 years since we went our separate ways when I left England on the bike and never came back, (I now live in Norway having gone across Europe on the bike in 2004, and have for the last 17 years), I´m still so very proud of her for achieving that.
So thanks for this. It really brought back a lot of fond memories, and reminded me just how beautiful the landscape of the UK is
Wow, 3 times! Seems like you have had quite the experience on them too! :)
Glad my video could bring back some memories for you! Thanks for watching!
Seeing you now live in Norway, perhaps you might be interested in some other videos on my channel... A couple years ago I cycled from Brighton to Bergen and documented the whole trip creating videos for pretty much every country I passed. There is also a single video of when I cycled from London to Istanbul which might be interested in too!?
Great vid! Sky high production value and great soundtrack
Thanks for the kind words!
Fantastic video, both the ride and editing what should become a classic in time.
Thanks again! Im not sure about that but hopefully you're right :)
Mate full credit to you... carrying all your stuff ..pitching up after a long ride...cooking..navigating ..filming..the lot wow
I did the lejog in 2010 but it was b and b all the way.... so pleased for you .
Thank you! Yes, there's a lot to think about when doing it solo with camping and filming but it all adds to the adventure. B&B's does sound nice though! :)
Really enjoyed this video. Was nice to share the adventure with you!
Thanks for watching it and for the nice comment :)
Brilliant video. We met you at JoG on the Ferry to the Orkney Isles & later at the Ring of Brodgar. It was great to see some of the roads & routes we cycled too. Look forward to your Orkney film
Thank you, and yes I remember you guys. I'll be uploading the Orkney/Shetland film next week so keep an eye out.
Loved it! That wasn't a Farmer...... that was a Nutter!
Haha! I think you're right
Congrats on an amazing ride. Thanks for sharing 👏👍👌
Cheers and thanks for watching!
This is so good!
Thank you! 😎
Well done, massive achievement. Thanks for sharing your journey. This has reminded me to buy a midge hat for when I attempt to ride from Suffolk to Lands end, John o Groats and back to Suffolk in September on a 50cc moped.
Thank you. Your trip sounds like a great adventure!
A great record of a beautiful ride, well done 👍
Thank you 🙌
Phil--really fantastic video! One of your best standalone trip vids. Great job on the video and on the ride. It's inspiring, for sure!
Thanks Tom, kind of you to say so and glad you enjoyed it!
Just stumbled upon your channel Phil. Seen a few of these lejog/jogle experiences and yours is up there as one of the best. Going to watch your back catalogue. All the best and thanks for the adventures.
Wow, thank you! Appreciate that. Hope you enjoy my other vids!
This is an amazing video!
Thanks so much!
Great video Phil ❤ i liked your journey a lot.
You're a Goal ❤
Thank you and thanks for watching!
Great video Phil, good footage 🚴♂️ and very well presented 👍
Thanks Tony. Much appreciated!
Fantastic video 👍. Thanks so much.
Thank you! Much appreciated 😎
Great video thanks
Thanks for watching
Superb film, loved it.
Thank you, appreciate that!
Great record of your trip, Phil 👍
Thank you! 🤙
Great vlog...great trip. Hoping to do this in a couple of years when I retire.
I suffer from heatstroke and the tried and tested cure (apart from you needing sleep) is 10 minutes under a cold shower/bath to reset the old hypothalamus!
Keep bikeling!
Thanks! Enjoy it when you get round to doing it.
And cheers for the tip!
Really enjoyed this. Would love to do this one day and your film makes it seem much more achievable than people would have you believe. Congratulations and thanks for sharing.
Thank you. Go do it!
Absolutely one of your best Phil, worked so well as a feature length, loved it! That day 14 loch camp site. Incredible. Impressed you got this all together so quickly too and with brilliant voiceovers etc. Hope to get on a ride with you one bloody day!!
Cheers mate! Yeah I thought it would be better to make it as one video even if it is over an hour!
Yeah that camp spot by the Loch was incredible. I had a stong contender in Shetland too!
I'm actually working in Chichester next week for 4 days so perhaps could meet up if you're about?
Thank you! Yes I was very lucky with the weather on this trip
Excellent journey, Thanks for sharing... Well done 👍🏻
Cheers! Thanks for watching 😊
Your best video yet Phil! I’ve been with you since the Isle of Wight coastal path vlogs which inspired me to start up my own channel, so thanks! 😁
Ah nice one Jack! That means a lot. Well you just gained 2 more subs! :)
@@WestGoesEast that’s amazing, thanks so much!
I want to make a same journey in this summer if good willing
Thanks for your demonstration
Hope you get to do it! It's a great experience :)
Fab vid I have been up in the Lakes for a week and watched your film in parts over the last few nights yes great ride in beautiful weather lol next time you hear someone moaning about the weather being crap in the U.K. point them in the direction of this film 🤣 when its good its great 👍 looking forward to watching the ride in the islands 😁
Nice one and hope you've had good weather for the lakes!
Great achievement Phil, looked an epic ride!
Thank you and it really was :)
Well done Phil what an achievement
Thanks Emma!
i'd love to do something like this
Go and do it!
I am so impressed. You did these long legs in all kinds of terrain. I don't know much of inland UK but I have walked almost all of the Cornish coastal path and it is REALLY hilly!! Thank you for showing this great journey. It was really interesting to see the changes in the environments. And thank you for the lovely greeting from Lucy in Fowey 🥰 Looking forward to see Shetland and the Orkneys 🤩 I myself will walk the towpaths along the Forth And Clyde and Union Canal from Edinburgh to Glasgow in September 😄
Thank you and good luck with your future walks... So you you're moving from Cornwall to Scotland walks!
@@WestGoesEast Thank you :-) Just this one. Next year I am heading down South West again 🙂
nice one Phil! that was awesome!!
Cheers dude!
i love bareley meadow , stayed there twice myself , lovely little room for campers
I particularly remember the shower being pretty great there! 👍
Hi Phil Great film, I met you (with my mate Jez) whilst doing JOGLE the week before last, at a junction after you had slept the night in the bird hide. You were deciding whether to turn right, hope you did. Congratulations on your LEJOG. We were impressed with your tales of the ride to Istanbul too. Great aerial footage. I made it to Lands End, with sunshine all the way, like you. Cheers, David
Hi David, congrats on making it to Land's End. How were the hills of Cornwall and how many days did you do it in?
I did turn right and it turned out to be one of favourite days so very glad I did :)
Oh good.
I got to Land’s End in 15.5 days. I’m from Truro, so my training had been down in Cornwall. Good challenge though and enjoyable experiences along the way. It was so warm though wasn’t it!
@@davidmortonedmondson5752 nice work! Yes it was very hot but I guess it got hotter for you the more south yoy cycled.
Great video Phil - I really enjoyed watching that! I live 5 minutes away from Mow Cop and have a spare room you could have used, although you probably had nicer views from your campsite than my house!
Cheers! Thanks for your offer but the camp site worked out well and was close to that castle. 😊
Nice going mate you got very lucky with the weather, I did enjoy watching the video, I hope to do this myself one day, Cornwall hills are the pits, I know I live here near Bodmin.👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks for watching. Yeah the cornish hills were killer!
Hope you get good weather when you get round to doing it!
Phenomenal effort
Thank you 🙏
Epic!
Thank you!
Excellent video. I shall be doing the same thing in the first 2 weeks of my retirement...........Fingers crossed. A man plans. God laughs!
Thank you! Well I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Brilliant..well done mate have subbed ya too 👍🏻🚴
Thanks and thanks for the sub :)
Awesome filming Phil, I really enjoyed it, can I ask what tent were you using, loved how you was able to keep your bike safe in it
Thank you :) it's the Vango Scafell 300 Plus 3 Man Tent. I've not really experienced any extreme weather in it yet but I like how it has a double entrance and has a draw string bag for ease of packing away.
My previous tent the berghaus peak pro 3.3 which was basically the same but only had one door and was bright green/yellow so wasn't very stealthy but the material was excellent and was totally waterproof even in a mental storm I experienced in Bosnia.
Wow very cool ride 😂
Thanks 😎
Glad the flapjack did it’d job 😂
Haha, sure did :)
Great video! You do a great job of sharing your experience both with your words and with video. As an American thinking about doing LEJOG, I am curious about your route choice where you had sections of unbikeable terrain (Cornwall?). Why would you choose that over a paved road? I get you won’t have cars on the one, but the tradeoff seemed extreme. Not trying to judge, but trying to understand so I can make decisions.
Thank you.
Just poor planning. I didn't mean to take that unpaved road. It looked like a short cut on google maps, plus google maps told me to go that route but you can't always trust google maps. There are probably much better apps for cyclists on offer, I just haven't used them but probably should!
Enjoy if you do decide to do it!
Hey there. Loved this video.. Can I ask...was the book you showed at the beginning any help? Also, how did you get water on the less urban areas?
Thanks! The book was helpful to gauge where I needed to be at the end of each leg. I basically used that as a guide to put into Google maps.
As for water I just made sure I had enough water for that leg. There's normally places to fill. I did have to use a tap in someone's drive once and perhaps a few public loos too.
Absolutely fantastic video and super well done to you , you should be very proud of yourself😊 It was a pleasure meeting you , Im glad you enjoyed your Irn Bru .
Haha... I was like who is this and then I read the Iron Bru comment!
Cheers mate, pleasure to meet you too and hope you caught some juicy salmon 😎
@@WestGoesEast Had the best fishing Ive ever had, my biggest fish was over 20lbs. unfortunately they shut the river on the wednesday due to the water being too warm. Im going back up when i finish work on Sunday for 4 nights.
@@muzza6047 nice one! Glad had some good fishing despite the river closure. Enjoy your next trip!
I'm sorry this is very specific and understand if you can't remember, but where were you at 20:02? It's absolutely stunning!
Tbh I can't remember exactly where it was. As you can tell from the video I think it was from the leg into Bristol. It was only a small section like that. Have you been to Cheddar gorge? That's similar but on a bigger scale.
I'll check it out, thank you! Such an incredible video it was so enjoyable to watch your entire experience.@@WestGoesEast
@@Wolfiiee ah thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it. Always nice to recieve messages like this :)
Great video, glad you made it a full length vid with great detail. I am sitting planning my trip over to UK next year for family and a LEJOG. What was the book you had? Would you recommend? Any advice on route, positive or negative? Being cheeky now, Any chance of your gpx?
Thanks for watching! Glad you liked it! The book was good but tbh it was just a tough guide to make sure I was on track. You're probs better off just looking at my strava. Search for Phil West (let me know if you cant find me) Highlights were camping by Loch Moy, Betty hill and hiking to the top at JOG. I'm so glad I went to Orkney and Shetlands too so if you get a chance I would defo do that! Hope that helps?
@@WestGoesEast Thank you for getting back to me, appreciate it. Searched Phil West, United Kingdom. Strava athlete search is so poor, because your surname is West it assumes the directional aspect! 8 pages of Phil's, about 6 Phil Wests and none that looked like you or more than a bunch of rides logged. Even less in Sussex. I am Mark Maddison Waikiki Australia
Check out my activity on Strava: strava.app.link/SXkjnvsKMCb
Hey! Do you have any information on the full route you took please? I’m 24 from Bristol and planning to ride from here to Padstow at the end of this month!(August) I’ve never done anything like this before and would appreciate any tips or suggestions that you have!
Thanks, Jake!
Here is my strava that has all my routes strava.app.link/PXF2npt40Bb
Is there anything in particular you want tips for?
@@WestGoesEast. I’m not really sure what to ask, sorry😂 I’ve never gone past my limit so do you have any tips for when you’re out of your comfort zone, when you feel like you’re on mount stupid for example lol! I’m only really concerned about the mental aspect of the trip and continuing even if I doubt myself, if you have any tips on how you pushed through your mega ride here I’ve got open ears! Plus tbf I’m also worried that I’m getting in over my head/skill level with this trip because it’s my first time bikepacking/touring England and I haven’t done any training apart from riding short trips everyday as I usually do and being fairly fit anyway🤷🏼♂️ I’m not sure what to ask and I’m nervous about this trip and now I’m rambling lmao idk
@@jacobwood8320 It's normal to feel worried before going on a touring trip but as soon as you're on it, that feeling will go....I feel a bit that way every time I go.
but you'll be in the UK so if you do have any problems it'll be easy to resolve, it's not like you're riding in the middle of Kyrgyzstan.
I barely cycle between my trips and my fitness comes from cycling every day on the trip. Just take the things you need, make sure you have enough water and snacks and you'll have a great time. Its an amazing experience and real sense of freedom. Have a good one and enjoy! :)
Not sure if you've mentioned... but I'm just curious how much you spent?
I'm not sure tbh. The expensive part was the train tickets but if you get them in advance it's not so bad. Campsites were around £10-15 a night and then food. With the Orkney and shetland islands included it probably came to around £600?
Hexagonal Sun Simulator glare machine evidently Liberal daily chemtrailing over the UK makes cycling an unhealthy pursuit nowdays😢
Ha, nope...Sometimes the UK is actually that sunny!
@@WestGoesEastyou're too young to know the golden light of the real Sun which I have rarely seen since about 2003.
I think it was not a good example to place your sticker on the sign , maybe on the rear
Superb video. Really enjoyed it. Sub’d to the channel
Nice one! Thanks on both accounts :)
Those awful gates you had to endure to get all yoiur bags and panniers off and carry the bike over, not many people could mange that, isn't it. awful they put them on cycle routes
Yeah there were some annoying obstacles on occasion!
Why didn’t you call it west goes east goes north?
Or west goes east goes south then goes north and then goes home south again?
My channel has been called West Goes East way before I cycled Lejog. Check out my earlier video where I cycled East to Asia :)
@@WestGoesEast i bet that took you years at your pace 😂
@@Will-it1px remind me what you've done?
@@WestGoesEast more than 70 miles a day. No ‘rest days’ (lol). And also, I can actually lift my loaded bike over fences/styles. Weedy lil puss. Wtf does your tidy missus see in you, drip👦?
Well done
Thanks!