So having completed the planning, training & end to end cycle it's time to reflect & share my top tips for those that take on a similar venture in the future.
1) do it your way
However much you read there is no proper way to cycle from one end of the country to the other. Do it however it suits you & that includes ignoring everything else below
2) personalise your route
You can buy books or find routes others have followed, but detouring to places special to you makes it your journey.
3) pack for rain
You'll be going through Scotland - it will rain
Unless you've decided to do it in winter chances are it will be fairly warm & a light waterproof will be sufficient. I carried a heavier jacket everyday & only wore it once - but it was worth it.
3) pack light
Unless you have a tent 2 full panniers is too much, repack. I carried a foam roller which not many people would need but if you've used it or had issues during training it's bulky but light. You can live in one change of clothes for the evening & a change of kit if everything is wet from the day before
4) take a spare pair of shoes
Lightweight travelling shoes are easy to find & I'd decided to only take my MTB cleats. What is not considered was after a day in the rain putting wet shoes back on to go to the pub was not particularly pleasant
5) find cycle friendly places to stay
The best B&Bs we stayed at were regulars with cyclists & were already waiting with a washing basket, which after a wet day is exactly why you want. Drying rooms for shoes & a secure (dry) shed for storage are also good. In Moffat they even had oils, rags & a track pump at our disposal.
6) the twisted towel trick
For those days when you don't have someone on hand to do your laundry revert to a travellers staple. Washing your kit in the shower & wringing it out in a towel - it should be close to dry overnight if you've got technical cycling gear.
7) eat half, wrap half
It took as a while to work this one out, but a large bowl of porridge & taking the cooked elements in a sandwich had 2 key advantages;
It's quicker to eat so you get away earlier
It's easier to digest so you get away earlier
Getting away early is often the nicest part of the day in summer, before it gets too hot. If you are cycling long days you may also come up against the 9pm pub food cutoff which seems commonplace. If you go for B&Bs however you will probably struggle to get breakfast much before 8, certainly not with out a telling look from your host.
8) padded shorts
Possibly the most essential piece of gear you will buy. Not all shorts are equal. Make sure you've tested them out on a full length ride. As with most things price does not always correlate with quality if you are paying for branding, but within a brand the extra investment can be worth it.
9) practice
You can never do too much training, except perhaps in the week before you go when you should think about tapering (taking it easy). But the amount you do is so personal & dependent on what you are aiming to achieve I'll just outline roughly what I did
10) enjoy
Whatever reason you've decided to take on this challenge & however you approach it you've chosen to do it & above all you should be having fun. No doubt the cycling will at times be tough but it gets easier.
I'll refer you back to (1) do it your way & hopefully that means you'll have an amazing a time as we did
