On Reflection
It is true that I made a lot of mistakes in thinking I could just get on my bike and cycle for days across the length and breadth of Great Britain. I am sure that my naivety and foolishness will have amused some readers. I do not begrudge them the odd snigger or even a guffaw or two. But I also, in writing this, hope I may help inspire someone, an ordinary person like myself, to take on a challenge. Ultimately, it is not just about pushing yourself physically, it is also the challenge to overcome all the logistics and unknowns that you face in achieving something that is completely outside your normal experience. Equally, I would argue, and do so quite strongly, that it is the individual who should decide what is challenge enough.
Learning from experience
Distance
I could cycle a lot further in a day than I originally planned. The next year knowing that I could actually do over 200 miles helped me plan long legs.
Speed
I had daily averages of between 11-15 mph (18-24kmph). A lot depended on the terrain being cycled and how much I was carrying in my trailer. Getting off and pushing the bike up a steep hill was very slow. In planning my subsequent cycle rides I have always used the basis of 10mph (16kph) as my minimum and planned my distances based on the number of hours I expected to cycle. Short stops for a photo opportunity or to refill water bottles etc are included in this average but major stops for food and shopping are not.
Trains
Getting to and/or from the start and finish required a cycle ticket. Timetables and availability of cycle space make it difficult to improvise around start and particularly end dates and times. This is the main reason I decided to start from John O'Groats the following year.
Food
At some point you need to stop and sometimes take detours to resupply and find hot food. Of course I have seen some cyclists with support vehicles providing them with regular food and drink breaks and mechanical assistance. But if you are not lucky enough to have a support team; factoring in when and where you will eat is important.
The other factor which I discovered, mostly on my next trip, was the sheer weight of food and particularly drink. A litre of water weighs 1kg. This gives you a rough way of calculating how much you are adding. At my daily shop I would buy 3 litres of fruit juice and 3 litres of water plus one or two non caffeine energy drinks. Some of this would be used immediately to refill water bottles. So with the food added, my trailer often weighed an extra 6 or 7 kilos after a shop. You could feel it!
Accomodation
Hotels and B&Bs can be lovely places to stay and provide an opportunity to charge devices, dry out wet kit and do some minor laundry. There can be set times when you need to arrive by and this can affect your flexibility on the day. I also find them hard to leave in the morning. A large breakfast and the opportunity to go back to a dry, comfortable room doesn't motivate me to get going. Camping is far more flexible but does mean carrying stuff with you. My tent, sleeping bag, liner and bivvy bag weighed about 5kg which is ultralight (until you are climbing a steep gradient!) With camping I tend to wake early and be on my way enjoying the quiet roads and put in quite a few miles before seeking breakfast.
Toilets
It is a necessary thing to consider when considering a long distance trip. Being a male, nipping behind a bush for a wild wee is fairly easy. Not always that straightforward for females. If you are not stopping for the occasional wee you are probably not taking on board enough fluids. Number twos require more careful planning. I was lucky in that hot food and mug of tea was usually all it took for me to go in search of a toilet. Thus a cafe stop worked well. Also after a hearty breakfast in a B&B I waited for nature to take it's course, and this partly explains my tardiness in leaving in the morning. I personally don't approve of leaving number two's in the countryside. But sometimes when you need to go you desperately need to go. So if you need to go - bag it and bin it later.
Litter
I can honestly say that I have cycled thousands of miles without needing to drop litter with the exception of the odd apple core thrown into the undergrowth. I hate seeing in lying around by the edge of the road. I bag it and bin it when I next have an opportunity.
