Planning to cycle end to end? You'll need a route.
What is it all about?
This book is not a traditional route book: it is supported by an online series of Google maps and gpx files designed to guide you across the country using a satellite navigation device, a smart phone or similar device that can navigate using gpx files. Links to these electronic files are contained within the book, along with instructions on how to access them and adjust the route to meet your needs.
Accommodation on or near the route has been listed to assist your planning along with a list of bike shops that you may need in an emergency. The locations of these places as well as local food stores are saved on the Google Maps and the gpx files.
A safe quiet route
I have cycled End to End three times. With the safety of cyclists increasingly in the spotlight, I wanted to find and share a safe route that was close to a straight line but used quiet roads, tracks and paths. After a year of researching and test riding, the result is a quiet route using mostly small roads and lanes and uses cycle ways, old railways and canal paths where possible.
The route does contain a small amount of off-road cycling through beautiful countryside on some of the old railway lines and canal paths . However, I have ridden the route on a road bike (a Cube Agree GTC Pro with Schwelbe Marathon tyres) in October and June to show that it is a feasible route (see Land's End to John O'Groats - Cycling the Google Route for a travelogue of the adventure). However, I have also given instructions on how you can make a detour to avoid these parts – both en route or planning ahead.
The route is designed to be used as a set of gpx files that are ready to go (download instructions in book). However, to add functionality and flexibility the book also contains instructions on how to amend the route to suit your exact requirements, e.g. to divert to your chosen accommodation or bypass a certain section. The same instructions can be used to reverse the route should you wish to cycle from John O'Groats to Lands End.
The appendices contain basic instructions on how to use Google Maps and how to create a gpx file from your amended map to load onto your navigation device.
Google Map images of the route are set out in the body of the book. These are too small a scale to navigate by but are intended to give you a good visual representation of the route. Links to all the maps on Google Maps are provided to give you access to fully zoomable maps to view the route in fine detail where you can use satellite mode to see the type of terrain you will be cycling through.
As an additional bonus the book includes a link to a free PDF version where you can take advantage of active hyperlinks (to Google Maps etc.) with the ability to zoom in on the reproduced maps and pictures in colour.
Please make use of the Look Inside facility to see samples of the interior. Although the interior of the printed book is in black and white, as stated above you will be able to download a PDF version of the book in full colour for free (details in the book).
Part of a series
This self-help resource is designed to provide everything you need to map your End to End cycle safely – either following my route in its entirety or deviating from it to suit your requirements. It is part of a series of books written to complete this challenge successfully. Also available on Amazon are:
Land's End to John O'Groats: Self Help Cycle Guide tells you how to plan, prepare and train for this epic adventure.
Land's End to John O'Groats - Cycling the Google Route: Roy's Mad Adventure is my travelogue detailing my experience of cycling this route.
