A Tour through Britain

My trip from the far north to the far south west of Britain will take me through a variety of scenery and landscapes, some of which are considered among the finest in the country. I am hoping that in my anticipated thirteen days of cycling I will have time enough - and energy enough - to appreciate them. 

Heading south from John O’Groats, the first part of my journey will take me over a section of the Caithness hills and to the rugged east coast with its steep coves into small villages, once busy fishing ports. I follow the coastline until Inverness at which point my journey takes me inland.

That inland journey takes me into the beauty of the Great Glen, that diagonal geological scar across Scotland that goes from Inverness on the east coast to Fort William in the west. This section will take me alongside Loch Ness and two other main Lochs: Loch Oich and Loch Lochy. Fort William, known as the ‘outdoor capital of the UK’, is the point at which I head south again on a hilly route through the western edge of the Grampian Mountains, past Glen Coe, alongside Loch Lomond and into the massive conurbation of Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland.

After cycling through Glasgow, following a meandering route by the Clyde, my journey once again takes me due south, to the Scottish border and to Gretna Green, famous as a runaway wedding destination. My journey continues on through the southern hills of the Lake District and the halfway point of the ride.

South of the Lake District I head through the suburban chaos of northern English cities and towns that lie between Manchester and Liverpool and then into the West Midlands - Much Wenlock, Kidderminster, Worcester - loosely following the course of the River Severn until Gloucester. I am then on familiar territory as I continue for a night at home in Corsham.

Corsham is the point from which I head south west and the final leg of my journey. A pleasingly flat section through the Somerset Levels takes me to the market town of Taunton and from there I head into the South West Peninsula of Devon and Cornwall. I pass through Exeter and across Dartmoor National Park before heading towards the old copper mining town of Liskeard. I briefly brush the coast at St Austell, head inland to Truro and am then back by the coast again at Penzance. It is then one final push along the last few miles to Land’s End and the conclusion of my journey.