Leightweight to Land's End

Over Easter 2004 I plan to:

• cycle from John o' Groats (the northeastern-most tip of Britain) to Land's End (the southwestern-most tip)
• visit Dunnet Head (the northern-most point in Britain) and Lizard Point (the southern-most)
• visit the Outer Hebrides. These look like lovely islands, and I reckon going in Spring I might have a chance of seeing the Northern Lights, which would fulfill a long-standing ambition.

I had hoped to visit Cape Wrath along the way, but the ferry doesn't run this early in the year. One day...

I've recently decided to do this as lightweight as possible. Not quite to the stage of cutting labels out of clothes, but definitely lightweight. In fact, despite the fact that I'll be camping the whole way I'm going to limit myself to what I can fit into a Carradice Camper longflap saddlebag and barbag:

And that's including cooking equipment! I'm going to have to be ruthless with the packing, but then I'm sure I'll appreciate it up those hills in Devon and Cornwall...

I'm glad you asked. Most people do the End-to-End the other way. If you ask them, they say that's because the winds from the Atlantic are more likely to be behind you. NAIVE FOOLS! When you ride a bicycle the winds ALWAYS blow against you, so that's not a good reason to choose one route over another. However, I reckon there are several reasons that the other way is better:

• An End-to-Ender needs to make two journeys on public transport, one between their house and Land's End and one between their house and John o' Groats. For most people who live in England, the journey between their house and Land's End is easier to arrange - it is shorter and there are more trains. Therefore, it is better that the longer and more difficult train journey - between home and John o' Groats - is the one arranged before the journey begins, when you can book further ahead and be more flexible.
• I did a very nice five-day tour of Devon and Cornwall in 2001 where I learnt that the hills in those two otherwise great counties are evil. Better to start in Scotland where they've learnt the important point of road-building (go AROUND the hills). That way, the hills of the South-West come last, when I'm fitter. Or at least, after I've killed myself going over them, I don't have another 800 miles to go!
• Because I'm going the "wrong" way, I'm more likely to meet other End-to-Enders along the route.

I was delighted, after writing this, to find almost the same arguments on Ron Strutt's website, and he's done it a few times so should know what he's talking about!

Advice? Before I've made the journey? Yes, because if you read some of the many End to End journey accounts listed on Ian Claire's website you'll find that something almost everybody has a problem with is their bike reservations on the trains.

After speaking to Scotrail I now have the answer! BOOK ALL YOUR TRAIN TICKETS OVER THE PHONE AND GET THE RESERVATIONS AT THE SAME TIME. If you do it on-line, or in any other way try to get your bike reservations after you've booked your train ticket, they can't give you a bike reservation ticket. The only way you can get a bike reservation ticket is if you get it at exactly the same time as your travel tickets, so ALWAYS book by phone or in person at the station and make sure you get the reservation there and then!

Will appear after the trip! Honestly, you're so impatient! :o)