Accommodation and Logistics

Accommodation

Planning is everything for this type of challenge, you definitely do not want to be standing in a howling gale with horizontal rain whilst looking at a puncture and wondering where you are going to be sleeping in a few hours time. From the early meetings we had some 9 months prior to the event it was clear we needed a logistics plan so we were all in the right place with the right kit at the right time with a clear record of what we were doing and where we were going. Outwith those restrictions we could then have freedom to concentrate on getting from A to B and more importantly having the peace of mind and time to enjoy it.

Whilst John would say i'm the most unlikely planner, I tend to do things last minute using the theory that the result is all the more accurate, I know that if we appointed him Chief Planner we would end up in Dover at the wrong 'end' so with the help of Chris I set about making a visible plan. Inevitably you learn as you go along and your training and nutrition plans also have a bearing on how you plan a route.

The sheet above (click to view) is the record of our logistics, how we get to the start line, where we stay on the way down and how we get home. There is a lot more detail in here to consider than first meets the eye and this is the master document that if we lose, we are up the creek so to speak. It also keeps a good record of costs and how we share it. The bullet points below are worth considering;

What budget do you have? - This will dictate what array of options are open to you. You could have a huge available budget but for you it's all about going alone and camping rough which will make your mind up for you, or in most cases the budget will be limited and this will ultimately drive your planning. We are middle of the road with budget, decided to go unsupported but wanted to keep the cost to a minimum given our plans. The total cost for two of us will end at around £750 each and that's not including any bike servicing or kit we had to buy so all in I'm guessing it was about £1000 each to do this challenge. A large chunk is accommodation and you could do this much cheaper by either sharing or camping or a mixture of both.
How do you get you and all your kit to the start line? - I suppose it depends on where you live? but seeing as we all live around the London area and we had chosen a JOGLE route (unsupported) we had to get to the start line with only the kit we needed to cycle South and not an ounce more. We looked at various combinations of plane, train and automobile but given we were tight on time and for me if i'm about to cycle 1000 miles then I want to make everything else as easy as possible. Therefore we booked Easyjet from Luton to Inverness (quite cheap if you book early) and they take bikes in the aircraft hold as long as they are packed properly (by a bike shop). Then onward with "John o'Groats Bike Transport" who run a bike shop in Inverness and offer bespoke transport to and from Inverness/JOG, it's reasonably priced considering the alternatives and weighing up the effort of those alternatives.
How do you select your accommodation? - The first tip is 'early' if you can, especially in mid summer where the Highlands, Lake District and South West England book up very quickly. We initially wanted to stick to B&B accommodation at a reasonable price, I know from experience that quite quickly in to a multi day ride all you need is a bed, a shower, a sink and a toilet, in fact a comfy jail cell would be acceptable after a few days at 100 miles a day! With that experience in mind and where it was possible I plumped for the odd Premier Inn which is the same cost as a B&B (again if you book in advance) and it is guaranteed comfort with a hot bath at hand, also as a bonus you know you are going to get a good feed next door which will be adequate to keep you going the next day (today's food is tomorrow's fuel !!). Even booking 5 months in advance Kendal proved difficult to get the right accommodation at a reasonable price so we plumped for a self catering apartment which hopefully will allow us to wash all of our kit and get it dried before the second half of the trip.
How do you get home with your bikes and your kit? - Seems obvious but it's odd as that isn't the exciting bit when planning but requires equal attention as I can guarantee you will want the quickest route to your own sofa. We are closer to home than if we did it the other way so we have arranged people to meet us and transport home will be self funded. If we ended up in JOG we would have to have done it in reverse what we did at the start, this takes good planning so don't skimp on the details on getting home. Get it booked early and keep in touch to ensure all is okay with the various providers before you leave for your trip.
Summary - Book early, keep an accurate record of everything and double check everything before you leave for your trip. If you do all of this correctly then you will enjoy the ride as you will remove all of that planning stress from the trip.