Lands end to John o' groats
by Penny Rother
Cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats has been on my bucket list for a number of years. In August 2025 my grandson Caelan was stillborn. My daughter and her family continue to receive great support from Sands (Stillbirth and neonatal death society). It was a no-brainer to give it a go and raise money for Sands along the way. My partner in crime was Jackie Reid (club treasurer and cycling supremo). Jackie is infinitely experienced in long distance cycling ….and knows how to fix a bike! I knew I was is safe hands. She loves planning an adventure so all I had to do was to get fit.
Day 0 (10th April)
A cold early morning start pedalling to Waverley station to get the 7.03 train to Penzance. 11.5 hours later and we were riding 14km (in a gale) to our overnight accommodation in Sennen (2k from Lands End). Fish and chips in the pub and off to bed.
Day 1 and 2 (11/12th April) Land’s End to Padstow to Westward Ho!)
2 short days to start (105 and 95k) with lots of climbing and steep ascents. The gale force wind was luckily a tailwind but even so caused some scary moments.
Got to Westward Ho! By about 2 pm and spent the rest of the day being looked after by my friend Peggy. Poor Jackie spent the afternoon in bed recovering from the food poisoning she had acquired in Padstow!
Day 3 (13th April) Westward Ho! To Gloucester- 225km
An early start for our longest day (luckily relatively flat). 9.5 hours in the saddle cycling through some beautiful country side….I’ve never been happier to see a Premier Inn!
Day 4 (14th April) Gloucester to Knutsford- 191km
Another early start and another long day. Everything was going well until I hit a pothole on a fast descent…..managed to stay upright but my rear tyre (tubeless) went bang with a 5cm slit in the tyre. Jackie came into her own and put an inner tube and a ‘boot’ (piece of old toothpaste tube) into the damaged tyre while I phoned a nearby bike shop to get a new tyre. The bike shop turned out to be Jules who fixed bikes in his garage but he was able to sort me out with a new tyre and inner tube. His wife had cycled Land’s End to JOG last year with him supporting her. Miraculously we only spent 1 hour getting things sorted and added a mere 1 km to our ride distance ….it could have been a lot worse.
Day 5 (15th April) Knutsford to Grasmere 168km
A shorter, flatter day…thank goodness. Lowlight of the day was the biblical rain we got caught in at Ambleside but the highlight was a delightful stay at the Rothay Garden (Hotel) where we managed to get everything dried out.
Day 6 (16th April) Grasmere to Clovenfords 170km
A bit wet in the morning but soon dried up. Coffee and a bacon roll in Gretna fuelled us into the Ettrick Valley and onto familiar roads. Apologies to Sue and Joanne who tried to meet up with us but hadn’t been informed of the route change! Luckily Linda tracked us on her phone and provided us with a ‘pop up’ café at the 135km point. Hugely appreciated. Then off down the hill to Stuart’s in Clovenfords for a slap up meal, a washing machine and a chance to access our spare kit.
Day 7(17th April) Clovenfords to Pitlochry 167km
Quite a day with ‘fans’ at Gilmerton and the Meadows armed with snacks and encouragement. Over the Forth Bridge, lunch in Milnathort, a soaking north of Perth and a posh night’s stay at The Pines in Pitlochry. We were surprised again by Linda and her husband Ali who joined us for the last 6km and shared our dinner table that evening.
Day 8 (18th April) Pitlochry to Conon Bridge 164km
A day of blustery showers and scarily strong winds over the Kessock Bridge.
Huge plate of steak and mushroom pie and mash for tea! The food of champions.
Day 9 (19th April) Conon Bridge to Bettyhill 137km
Sunny day but a strong headwind. Amazing scenery and after a coffee stop in Bonar Bridge caught up with 2 guys on bikes who turned out to be the set builders for Traitors! (now that sounds like a cool job). Lunch at the Crask Inn -soup and crisps with a big pot of tea. Back on the bikes and a wonderful scenic ride up the side of Loch Naver. We were overtaken by one car in thirty miles!
Day 10 (20th April) Bettyhill to JohnO’Groats 80km
Awoke to wind and rain battering against the hotel window… thank goodness it was our shortest day. The north coast of Scotland seemed exceptionally hilly and I need both my jackets on to keep warm. Stopped at a super café in Thurso to thaw and dry out. Luckily it was dry for the last 30km into John O’Groats.
We’d done it! Jubilation mixed with relief (that I didn’t need to sit on a bike saddle for a few days). Would I do it again?.. never say never!
Stuart met us in JOG and drove us to Edinburgh…great to be home and in my own bed.
Total distance 1502km
Total Climb 16009m
Ride time 63 hours 20 mins
- Reflections- there’s a lot of England south of Bristol
- there’s a lot of Scotland north of Inverness
- choose your partner carefully, find someone you are compatible with- all the better if they plan the route, book the accommodation and fix your bike
- best food – Staffordshire oatcake with bacon and cheese in Greene’s Coffee House in Gnosall (north of Wolverhampton)- the day of the puncture.
- best hospitality- first equal – Peggy’s and Stuart’s
- most amazing thing…that I could be cycling over the Forth Bridge one day and the Kessock Bridge the next (having cycled all the way between the two)
I definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a cycling challenge.
Unending thanks to Jackie for her company and support.