LE JOG

[Asimo]

Am planning pointless road trip from one end of Britain to the other. Starting at Lands End at sunrise, sunset at John O Groats is the aim so the end of June will be about the time.

 

These are the wheels.  Piston slap permitting.

 

Mrs me is up for the trip as co driver. RAC membership renewed (+recovery). Leave is booked. I reckon on one fuel stop at Tebag services on the M6 on the way North.

Anyone here done this? Any advice, places to avoid etc

[Station]

Avoid M6 if you want to make any kind of progress. Unless sunset is the one falling on the following day.

[hairnet]

good luck as youll hit brum at the omgweallneedtogettoworkfirst time

 

even to the m5 from lands is 120 miles EEK

 

bring caffiene

[cort16]

You're better starting at john I groats and heading for land end as going down the country rather than up will speed it up and save fuel .

 

It's one if these things I'd like to try but the road really slows down past perth then really really slows down past Inverness . A better driving route to Inverness is via glenncoe but it takes a fair bit longer .make sure you have midge repellant !

[fred]

Aye try to avoid brum at all costs

[hairnet]

rofl at the alternative route from google

 

 

[D Spares & Tyres]

that`s still quicker than m6 between wednesbury and stafford at rush hour.....

[Junkman]

Didn't a bunch of PShome's buddies do this with a Tagora?

[KruJoe]

I agree with Cort - start at the top so gravity will be on your side.

[stripped fred]

If it was me I would avoid motorways as much as possible and take a more leisurely 2 days.

[scruff]

Skoze is your man for this

[Jim Bell]

I've been half planning a Never Shredded Wheat Eat route (North South West East). A run from JOG to LE, then up to Anglsea and over back home to the North East Coast. Would have to be over a couple of days though.

 

Best of luck with the top to bottom run. The A1 is full of 50mph limits ATM, so stay off that if you want to get anywhere. Devon to Newcastle took me over ten hours a couple of weeks ago due to limits. So you may find it takes you longer than you anticipate.

[tooSavvy]

I did Gosforth to Edinburgh yesterday, over carter bar.

 

Never spent as much time on the wrong side of the road for quite some time.... 'scenery gawping' continentals @ 43 in an assortment of motorhomes/aldis/choppers!!!

 

Arrived fresh off the ferry at North Shields

 

AVOID... lol

 

 

TS

[twitcherman]

I live near Land's End, but I won't be up early enough to see you off!

 

There are three fixed speed cameras on the A30 eastbound between Lands End and Exeter; westbound there's only one. You should make good progress on this stretch at that time in the morning, PROVIDED there are no overnight works (which are common on this road).

 

Can't see any way of avoiding the Brum rush hour, you might be a bit quicker on M6 Toll.

 

M6 anywhere between Birmingham and Manchester can be stop/go depending on traffic/time of day/accidents/roadworks. North of Preston, things get much easier.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Doesn`t soud much fun apart from the Scottish part

 

I quite like Mr Shitpeas idea though

 

Autoshite Scummyballs rally 2015?

 

Cromer to Anglesey?

[jonny69]

Didn't know you had an Insight - or maybe I just forgot. Probably. Did I mention I REALLY like them?

[Taff]

Doesn`t soud much fun apart from the Scottish part

 

I quite like Mr Shitpeas idea though

 

Autoshite Scummyballs rally 2015?

 

Cromer to Anglesey?

 

Cromer to Anglesey has to be the most depressing rally ever.

 

I'm in

[Asimo]

It will be an exercise in Motorway roulette I guess. I have never driven North of Dunfermline but that does look to be when it gets interesting. I like the alternative Irish route, maybe compromise and go up through Wales avoiding the English Midlands, only +60 miles.

 

I've been meaning to try this since Dad and little Sis. did it years ago to celebrate passing her driving test. They were in a knackered Beetle with 5 days MOT left (and no chance whatever of it passing another).

[Tartan58]

Beware the A9 average speed cameras between Perth and Inverness. You'll be sat at 60 at best, less if you get behind a lorry which are limited to 50 (again at best). In summer time you'll also have many caravans to contend with and there's not a lot of overtaking opportunities especially when it's busy and they decide to do roadworks on the dual carriageway sections.

 

Very pretty road scenery wise though and gets more interesting north of Inverness (the road does, scenery becomes flat and barren if you like that sort of thing.)

 

Not trying to put you off, I'd be well up for trying this if I had the time/permission but I think one day is being optimistic if you value your sanity (which be default you don't I suppose....)

 

I did Edinburgh-John O Groats-Edinburgh a few years back and it was 10hrs round trip and that was non-stop (except for one fuel stop and a quick coffee at JOG.)

 

Also what do you do when you get there, it's still a long drive home.

 

I had thoughts of doing the round trip (Edinburgh-LE-Edinburgh-JOG-Edinburgh) over 3 days (10hrs driving each) plus would only need accommodation one night as the other would be back at home. I think anything more ambitious than that would just be too knackering.

[cort16]

I recon you're better going up glencoe and past loch ness and. It all depends if it's about the trip or reaching destination within a certain time period.

[pshome]

make sure you bring good rain boots, roads not that good up north...

 

[skattrd]

The most I've done in a day was Thurso - home in a mk2 Scirocco, which is about 550 miles and I was wrecked. I wouldn't plan to do much more in a day.

As said by others once you get past Inverness the driving is harder, slower and weather can be an issue, I remember being blown across the road more than once.

[pbottomley]

I did it last year in the Move solo

 

http://autoshite.com/topic/18337-one-cylinder-short-of-a-four-pot/

 

Solo is obviously going to take longer than two drivers but personally 300 miles a day was about right for me... so with two people stops etc you might manage 600 miles a day... thats still two days just get from one end to the oner without the obvious getting to the start and getting back from the end...

 

BUT don't get put off do it!!!

[messerschmitt owner]

The A9 is average speed from the end of the M9 at Dunblane, to Inverness.

 

If you're hitting Brum anytime from 7 am to 10am I would go A49 to Shrewsbury, A5 to Chester and onto the M56. Of course I would do this at a weekend and avoid the weekday traffic.

[HMC]

I took the AS bike Rover 220 up from the border of Cornwall to the north western tip of Scotland last month. Not quite LE JOG but not far off. I stuck to the main lemming routes up to around Loch lomond and then a range of deserted and entertaining minor roads from there.

 

 

I took the main routes there up to and then from the highlands just to break the back of the mileage- I must have been lucky but rarely did I meet enough traffic that I was slowed in my progress even back down on the Inverness-Perth-Edinburgh stint. I made such good time on this bit I stopped en route for a bite to eat and a look out over the Firth of the Forth at North Quensferry......

 

[twitcherman]

The A9 is average speed from the end of the M9 at Dunblane, to Inverness.

 

If you're hitting Brum anytime from 7 am to 10am I would go A49 to Shrewsbury, A5 to Chester and onto the M56. Of course I would do this at a weekend and avoid the weekday traffic.

 

Thus speaks someone who hasn't tried getting in or out of the Westcountry on a summer weekend...

[willswitchengage]

Doing this on a push bike in two weeks! Hopefully won't have the same issues with motorways and speed cameras

[twitcherman]

Also just noted OP is proposing "end of June" as a good time. Please check Glastonbury dates before you set your timetable. Otherwise the jams of the M6 will be a distant aspiration as you sit on the M5 around Wellington/Taunton. 

 

Ask me how I know...

[Richard]

I find the A9 better once you get past Inverness, especially since the speed cameras were installed. The locals don't half shift on it. I was behind a bus the first time I drove the Berriedale Braes and he went round them as if they weren't there.

 

It's best to accept that you will be doing 50 on the single carriageway sections of the Perth to Inverness A9. You just end up stressed to buggery if you try to make progress.

[twitcherman]

Doing this on a push bike in two weeks! Hopefully won't have the same issues with motorways and speed cameras

There's a big event organised by Deloitte's which runs in September with full support (bike mechanics, sweeper bus etc). They do it in 9 days (1 week plus the weekends either end).