Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) – Winter bikepacking 1250 miles! PART 2

Join me on the trip of a lifetime, fully traversing the mainland U.K on a basic bike.
I chose winter, solo, without relay support for my kit (i.e. carrying it all myself) and wild camping.
The second third of my journey is documented in this video, as I traverse the country from Bristol to Gretna Green on the Scottish border.

I hope you enjoy being my companion

A Morning so it’s day 10 it’s uh think about the 1st of December he it’s certainly bloody freezing so last night I camped basically in the middle of a massive industrial complex they industrial Railway line wellow it’s the frost on my uh T is and the frost on my bike

Wonder on my camera let’s try that again um yeah yeah I don’t want to get up yeah thought e so there’s the bridge over the river 7 that’s the M4 the new one the old ones in the background but um it’s uh pretty bitter this morning an amazing looking Factor there absolutely amazing

Um so uh just trying to get the blood flowing it’s minus two according to the weather app for once I believe it so I’ve made it about halfway to glester morning uh already it’s only half 11 on day 10 and I’m in a place called Barkley um

Which I’ve never been to and was only very very passingly familiar with just a little glosser of town two claims to fame quite extraordinary for its size the first is it’s the birthplace of Edward Jenner which uh most people will know um is the man that invented the small poox vaccine

Indeed he’s widely credited of having saved more other human beings in the history of mankind than any other person because of course for many Century small pox was one of the leading causes of death so that’s Edward Jenner and now I’ve just read that that little castle over the back of

There is reputedly the place where um Edward II was murdered in 1327 well how about that e it’s closed of course um so this is this marvelous little town is going to represent a tea and lunch stop for me um I feel fit as a butcher’s dog today um cold but dry

Um right let’s get going he’s been trying it on for the last half a mile she keeps flying off he keeps trying it on yeah mate you need to listen to what she’s saying to you it’s pretty clear me videoing you catching it mate did you mind me videoing you catching it

I just happen to be doing a video oh you got a pike that no midsize and he offl straight down thank you for [Applause] That [Applause] Come The river 7 well gler is my fifth County cornal Deon Somerset Haven um and uh a word a word for gler Shure uh I’ve been a few times but by bike it’s absolutely beautiful it’s flat which ende it to me greatly but lots of little picturesque Villages and churches and

Ins they don’t seem to waste a great deal of time with letters for their Villages names like ham and Hill and Hall and uh I’m actually enjoying it more than Devon and coral I don’t know whether that’s more to do with the fact that it was bad weather in Devon and the hills

Just made me resent it’s very existent but um yeah big up for gluster the lovely weather helps I suppose if it was ping it down or sleep this would just be a cold forboding hell hole but uh so this is the river 7 about 10 mil up stream from where it

Turns to an estery um and it’s very beautiful but I can’t stop staring at it might stay here for a bit all right well that’s me setup on Night 10 just north west of Bristol in a nature reserve but again I’ll only leave Footprints and I’ll only take photos and as for tued

Away well as I was passing I saw this little grassy track into the woods and the great thing is you cannot see me nope you cannot see me excellent tucked away at the edge of some Woodland right on the cycle track I’ll be back on it within 20 m in the

Morning minus 4 tonight the coldest night so far but no rain and there’s me with the frost on my tent still present from last night I wrapped the frost away and unwrapped it again at the other end all right good night morning day 11us 5 uh glester to Worcester today I got everything

Yep so that’s the uh yet another camp where I’ve not been discovered I’m quite getting quite good at this stealth camping thing and there’s the cycle track so that wasn’t too painful was it right then here we go can’t feel my feet there’s uh quite a bit of black ice

So really slowly does it and really concentrating black ice and thin bike tires are not good bed fellows um and uh of course unlike in a car the consequences of losing your grip on a bike instant and uh punishing um can’t feel my hands on my fingers so I’m vigorously exercising my

Hands but that’ll soon uh ease off I hope when I uh get going a bit so this is a little bit alongside the river 7 which is to the left steaming away in the uh frigid air uh yeah certainly uh awakens the senses but enjoyable in its own way for

One minute you’re in uh the mendip hills looking over the entire somerset levels next minute you buy a dyke in drit wi um it’s 3° and it’s raining um if you need a metaphor get in your fridge uh and get somebody to spray a hose pipe at you all day

Okay uh my brakes pads have failed um in the wet downhill they no longer provide any breakage whatsoever um as I found out on mat Hill just there um so I need to uh find somewhere to stay uh cuz it’s Sunday no bike shops open um and then I need to get

My brake PS fixed and to be fair 12 days in my bike needs anot anyway so uh I’ll get a bike shop to give me a service I’ve taken shelter at the white heart in heartley harbury harbury uh which is in wers apparently so uh I need to find

Somewhere to stay that’s near a bike shop so it’s going to require a little bit of research uh in the smoking shed of a pub that’s closed until January oh lovely E A Um that’s Bridge North it better be Bridge North that was the most difficult 3 hours on the trip so far the um it’s been raining like you would not believe over the last two days um and all of the off-road tracks were just well virtually impossible I mean

Thick mod no traction big deep puddles Hills well all bit moderate Hills when you’ve got no grip so walking a lot of the way and making jogging Pace the rest of the way absolutely shattered again I thought I was fit this morning but uh I have to say it feels a bit like

It’s all catching up with me now the um constant exertion but this is the first time I’ve seen the Sun for 3 Days um so hello star very welcome as if to illustrate the point 10 seconds after recorded that video the whole bottom of that track is under well

It’s about a foot deep in the middle uh and you need to hit a pothole and you’ll tip over into it so uh and lots of these little undulations that uh um whil it’s nothing compared to Deon and cornal there I’ve been an awful lot of them today all right it looks like

We’re getting a better surface now and uh I can get something to eat cuz I’m eating 5 hours and I feel sick so I’m uh heading out of bridge north north towards tford uh in the middle of the forest and I’m looking for somewhere to camp and it’s proving very tricky haven’t got

Much daylight left to the right is the river which is in spa and right on its banks so the nice green looking grass alongside it um could be a bit of a trojan horse um cuz I have no idea what the weather’s like further up the catchment

And it’s also heavily regulated by bayts um with fish imp pegs and they’ll assume that that’s what I’m doing if I camp near the river this side all the way along has been wet wood flooded wood I’ve just found a little animal track up into some large Spruce

Woodland and this is going to have to do uh and the good thing is the Evergreen should keep me secreted because I think we’re on an estate and the chances of gamekeepers and bayts coming along is higher I’m absolutely exhausted I can’t wait to just get in my tent right let’s go explore

Um very very cold last night um still thoring now uh I’ve got a bit of an issue my brakes seem to have Frozen last night and when I’ve unstuck them they don’t work properly they either come on permanently or they don’t work so Joy Of Joy let’s just hope they

Far off my gears don’t work either so hopefully that’s just the ice so I could go that way and go and see Iron Bridge but that’s a 6 Mile detour uh but instead I’m going to head to tford uh not a choice I’d have made one forced on me by the cycle

Network the river 7 again that beautiful so we’ve had two prevailing weather conditions on my trip really wet or clear and icy um both of them are frustrating in the way that they hold you back ice like this you know you want to get it makes climbing the hills more

Difficult but then you can’t just back your way down the other side either um because every now and again there’ll be a little Frost pocket where there’s some black ice and if you come off at any sort of speed it’s uh well it’s your femur and your

Pelvis gun isn’t it so it’s really slow um and then in the wet you get the flooding mud cuz remember this is all Offroad or or at least on the cycle Network off main roads um but I’ve got used to being frustrated at the pace of

Things and tried to turn it into a plus means you can see more take more in so I’m about to reach Market Dayton and be on that n switch and then that marks the end of the second split of this journey which is the West Midlands

Bit so I’ve done the southwest and the West mids and I head into the northwest section I like the sound of the word North anything really um but unfortunately that’s just Northwest England yeah I’m not halfway yet but I am having the time of my life weirdly [Applause] You You Now I don’t normally stop and record these um but I’ve been wondering what all that is on the other side of the river um and it’s a salt mine so they used to take the salt on barges along the river Weaver but it says at the bottom that

Now the windsford salt mine which is where I am windford near North witch in Cheshire produces the vast majority of Road deicing salt for the UK a million tons a year it’s quite a lot of tons and it says about 150 M below my feet the mine stretches towards Molton

Wat craft and middle witch and it’s also used as a secure store for documents and other nonhazardous materials keep your documents in a mine corant taking off there look hello corant how about that eh fascinating now is the first on this trip an old AA box box 372 we are currently

Uh tued away between nutsford to the North and North witch to the south on our little Adventure do you want to say hello or I can do no I can right so we been riding with Martin hello Martin hi we’ve been uh keeping it of the companion since

North wit was pretty handy cuz I’ve have no idea where I’m going this is the only bit that’s uh off the cycle Network he’s fitter than me and his bik better as well I’ll give him that so a little bit of Heritage man united fan you’re the other

One are you hey the Reds the Reds catching them yeah yeah well I don’t about catching them faan only three points yeah yeah for now I’m happy because me neighbor across the road she’s a Newcastle fan and need’s a city laughing at them now he he never shuts up and another

Morning cuz not one for a couple of games he’s pulling his face oh get over it man I don’t need to know directions here I just shout at people which way and they Point brilliant see like m yeah yeah no give them a Miss I was about to say uh the people of Manchester are absolute gems when they’re not shooting at you they um they’re so willing to help with directions so I uh I have no idea where I am well I know I do I do roughly from a knowledge of

Manchester but what I mean is I don’t know what um cycle route I’m on anymore so I’m just heading towards the city center occasionally seeking external verification from Ms on the roadside um somebody just B P passed me and Shout at the top of the voice how you doing me modern day

Slave I don’t know what that meant so um cultural toil cultural tour of Manchester by bike it’s raining obviously um begins with West Didsbury they like to syn of themselves as a village within a city so this is West Didsbury right well we’ve got to the city center there’s the

Proof um actually the cycle lanes are pretty decent well done Manchester little bit City Center where are the other cyclists are delivering pizzas don’t know where this is um but I am trying hard to get out of it I’m quite enjoying sford I just taken directions from an absolute mad man uh I

Had to wait till he walked off so I could go the opposite way to the way he told me to go uh pet K style um I also while I was waiting saw a woman um take a take a roundabout with a [Applause] uh yeah take a roundabout with a in

One hand and her mobile in the other using her elbows to turn the steering wheel that was pretty impressive some real talent all right we finally got out of Manchester well we’re in press switch and the B of Barry H I wouldn’t dare claim I was in Manchester when in

Berry and there’s the river Mery again and I’m absolutely shattered cuz I’ve been going at it through the city in the rain like Forest Gump without stopping I’m just having a pause point at this marvelous intersection of too many roundabouts uh correction to my last it’s not the river M it’s the river

Irwell both run through Manchester uh how do I know that because I’m about to go into the irwell Riverside Country Park and the clues in the name uh and thankfully this is the first sort of trees that I’ve seen for about 4 hours so I’m going to enjoy this

That was an absolutely beautiful little um Trail by the river you wouldn’t even know you were in Greater Manchester um lovely the way these little cycle networks are tued away although of course every now and again you do get a little hint that you might still be near the

Third biggest city in the [Applause] country wonder what they make of the little fluorescent gnome crossing the foot Bridge with his paniers [Applause] right it’s 5 miles to [Applause] Berry is where I’m going to make my stop for the night and then as quick as you know it it fades back to silence again Jay’s on the track squirrels in the trees much more my element this right I’m in Arrington I’m in Arrington I’m very

Wet a very strong smell of cannabis here anyway um yeah everything’s uh very wet uh which is a bit of a recurring theme uh on this trip really but hopefully in Arrington I’ll uh find a cafe owner that’ll take pity on me and then later on today it’s going to rain less

Relatively uh and I can think about camping um but I’ve got a bit of distance to go um past aington Blackburn and then I can get to uh wh which is my next marker I just wanted to share this wet moment with you so I just came around a corner and

This little view opened up for me that’s Billington and the Whey Viaduct Railway Bridge and that’s wh in the distance and Beyond it the hills of Boland how delightful even in the Mist so uh I’m going down there now to get some supplies and then heading

Up right in the center of your screen beyond that holly bush I’m heading up that Valley to find a camp and if the ever ever reliable weather app is right should be all right by the time I get there the locals will call it Wally Wally it’s

Spelled Wally but you can make your own mind up all right nice what’s your name Marcus thanks Marcus you’re a good man M all right see you later so I’ve just started researching my Camp spot for tonight and the Met Office have now issued a weather Waring for rain overnight torrential rain now

The place I was going to go in the forest of band I’ve there a couple of times before and it’s it’s pretty much a wet Forest riddled with streams high up uh in the summer so um I’m no longer convinced to the point that I’ve just booked an inn in won clithero

Um or worst than Cleo so uh I’ve now got a mattress to look forward to tonight my morale has improved considerably that’s the start of the p said that earlier but now we’re right on top of them pretty good day I’ve got from the suburbs of North Manchester right up

To um North Lancashire so how many miles that is don’t really care but good progress on the map uh and then that storm clears in the night and tomorrow and the day after and the day after I’ve got decent weather so a reasonable shot at putting some really good miles in uh

So there we are so after some soggy nights and a really soggy morning it’s dried up a little bit but I’m now looking for my hotel I think this might be it the Cal’s head oh oh no doesn’t that look inite in doesn’t that look Inviting on the bike this is the river Ribble um which is about 50% up on its normal flow rate according to a local I’ve just bumped into um discharging all that weather we’ve had from the hills to the Sea it’s an absolutely beautiful morning and it promises to stay that way all

Day so up into the village of gingl then Bolton by Boland then Slade bur and across the panin um hopefully to the small town of bwick um by the end of the day so thoroughly looking forward to today some nice weather little erret just landed on the bank over

There what a wonderful Little River well Big River at moment right a bit of a climb to Come So we’re right across the tops of the forest of bowan the hills of bowan now one of my favorite places in England I uh less dramatic than the lakes and far less busy almost no tourist everyone misses it on the way to the lakes to the Northwest um Greener and more rolling

Than the Dales and uh just really beautiful and uh if I stop you can hear um the sound of nothing there really aren’t many places in England certainly where you can uh get silence however the book now says prolonged 2 m climb so uh no doubt that’ll sap The Joy from my Bones Is all right this this might be the top of that of this bit oh pray that over here is not one of those false Horizons and it’s looking good good Heavens that’s the uh I recognize those two mountains there I’m going to look them up in a minute is

That W side or am I completely disorientated so that’s the top all right good Lord just trying to get my bearings so I think that’s wors side and ingleboro yeah I think that’s Moran Bay um I can see hellin uh and scarel Pike and that is Moran Bay

And this hill um I’ve earned more than any other on this trip and I’m about to enjoy it I’m not sure my breaks for that Godby generally don’t care here we Go So to anyone who’s done the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge which uh which I have in uh I think it’s 2018 you can see all three of them next to each other Penny Gant ingleboro and great weride I did all three of those monsters in one day um and

In about 5 miles I should be down in the valley and I’ll be a to eat cuz I’ve not done that for five long hours but what a beautiful sight against the uh pale blue sky that is I’m a field somewhere near well I don’t really know where I’m near Hornby in Lancashire

I’ve opened my T about half seven at the same time every day and uh noticeably darker now at this time obviously but still surprisingly Sounds quite nor bloody record there you right start [Applause] again aot now I met this crazy Bunch last night in the hotel and uh no I’ve got one look I’m doing it on me YouTube oh do you want one go on then you want one you want one be on it yeah

Yeah come on then let’s do this where where’s your meat do you want to get yeah this Tak of explaining on the some and keep inch seriously safe journey thank you my called Maggie Harris all right Maggie Harris it’s been a delight to meet you I’m what you call

A recyle oh yeah no problem yeah um yeah so I met those ladies last night in the hotel um and uh ended up sitting with them all night um listening to their Yarns and they listening to mine that was great it’s a Slightly bizarre interlude absolutely lovely people right I’m off

Once I find the key to my bik lock first beautiful view of the day over to the southern Fells of the Lake District and the valley into the river mint and kazic very nice right on we go Fair bit of walking on this bit so

Far it’s my bike’s just too heavy to do anything more than about a one in 10 well one in eight maybe and um but I do like these little late District Lanes off the Beaten Track I’m having to sort of For the First Time navigate my own way cuz there’s no direct cycle

Route and I’m trying to stay off the A and the B roads but then ever and again you get rewarded with views like that this brings you back to life again for a bit I mean this is an example of why I’m doing it off Route so the fastest route

The satav wanted me to take was the cycle paths on the A6 direct mostly flat half half the distance but you won’t see this you won’t see this this would be an absolutely perfect place to stop for lunch if it was lunch time and I had any Food Well I didn’t get to penth but I’m only four miles short um and I found a very unglamorous but quite covert Camp down near the rail track in the Valley of the uh A6 shap to penrith uh it’s the temperature is absolutely plummeted it was quite

Palpable in the last hour and I’ve just checked the forecast and it’s going to drop below freezing so um that’ll be why but I’ll get unraveled and uh get some layers on and uh all will be good don’t know what that strange metal structure is there but it’s not electric

So let’s uh right let’s get tucked up it’s only 4:00 Oh yes quite I’m quite pleased with that Lums into Scotland starting to sound like a bit of a journey isn’t it sure as he feels that way and there’s the first house in Scotland Jon a GRS 360 didn’t need to see that right now n