Now that the cycle is complete, I thought I’d share a few details, along with some tips based on our experience.
The Route:

The route we followed was not too bad for the most part. We had to use several A-roads to keep the mileage down for our 8-day target, but on the whole we kept to more minor roads (where possible). There were one or two errors, such as our off-roading on day 4 – don’t follow our route between Middlebrook and White Coppice!

Some days were (on the other hand) really quite nice. The road into Fort William through the mountains is spectacular even if it is an A-road and highly recommended. Similarly the final day from Ardgay to John O’Groats was great, particularly the section up to the coast.

The GPX files for each day can be downloaded here:

Day 1 - Land’s End to Okehampton

Day 2 - Okehampton to St. Briavels

Day 3 - St. Briavels to Chester

Day 4 - Chester to Penrith

Day 5 - Penrith to Cumbernauld

Day 6 - Cumbernauld to Fort William

Day 7 - Fort William to Ardgay

Day 8 - Ardgay to John O’Groats

Accommodation:

We stayed in Hostels or B&Bs for our trip and I would certainly recommend some of the places we stayed:

Day 0 – Land’s End Hostel Accommodation: This was a great hostel, really close to Land’s End for the first day and great value for money given that the high quality of the bedroom, showers, kitchen etc. Highly Recommended!

Day 1 – Bracken Tor YHA, Okehampton: This YHA Hostel was ok, but not much more. We were too late booking to get places in the main Okehampton hostel, which I suspect would be much better. Disadvantages were the (very) steep road to get to it from Okehampton, having to check-in at the Okehampton hostel and that there didn’t seem to be anywhere particularly warm to dry our kit out. On the plus side it was quite empty, so we had a dormitory to ourselves.

Day 2 – St. Briavels Castle YHA: This YHA was pretty good, partly just for the novelty of staying in a castle. The woman running the hostel was very friendly, there was a lock-up for bikes and breakfasts could be ordered (and dinner, but we were too late for that). A quick note here is not to arrive after 8pm on a Sunday, as the excellent local pub – The George Inn will have stopped serving food!

Day 3 – Chester Backpackers: A friendly hostel in Chester. There was space to lock up bikes and an excellent laundry service (very important when travelling so light!). We even managed to get free food for dinner as there were some leftovers from another meal.

Day 4 – Fellfoot Hostel, Penrith: This was without doubt the best hostel I have ever stayed in. Run by a very friendly couple and with secure bike storage in a shed or garage. The bedroom (twin) was excellent, as were the shower and the kitchen. The breakfast provided was also fantastic – a large continental breakfast perfect for starting a day’s cycling. In the morning Alasdair even gave us some route tips and offered to check our tyres before we set off. Highly Recommended!

Day 5 – Greenacres B&B, Cumbernauld: This B&B was comfortable enough, although not in the best location for finding food etc (especially when it’s pissing it down). The bedroom, breakfast were ok and the prices are good value. However, I’d probably pay more for somewhere else if staying around here again.

Day 6 – Fort William Backpackers: This was a busy backpackers in Fort William (full when we stayed). It was however manned by friendly staff and had a good laundry service and space to lock up bikes in a shed. I would stay here again, although I might bring earplugs in anticipation of a full dormitory of not-always-silent sleepers!

Day 7 – B&B in Ardchronie: I have no web link for this B&B – in fact it wasn’t even signed as a B&B on the road. I got hold of the number after contacting the popular Kyle House B&B who had no space. The stay was extremely good though, very friendly, comfortable rooms, and an excellent breakfast in the morning. I would certainly stay there again if travelling through.

Day 8 – John O’Groats SYHA: The John O’Groats youth hostel was ok. There was secure bicycle storage, and the shower and room were ok. The breakfast provided (ordered in advance) was not really sufficient for hungry cyclists though and the whole place could have done with a lick of paint. It was, however, good value and we didn’t really care by that point since we had finished the trip!

Some tips learnt from our trip:

• If you want to complete the journey in a relatively short time, then travel light and stay in hostels/B&B. You’d be surprised how little you can get away with – we had a set and a bit of cycling kit each, lightweight evening clothes, wash stuff (including microfibre towel) and some spares and tools.
• On the subject of hostels – take some earplugs as you never know whether you’ll have some snorers!
• Chamois cream is a great addition that stops chafing on long days in the saddle.
• Our tyres were Continental Gatorskins (in my case the “Hardshell” variety) and they didn’t suffer a single puncture over the entire 1000miles.
• If you’re using race bikes (as we did), then wheels with a higher number of spokes than usual may help you out greatly. I was running 36 on the front (a wheel from my round-town fixed gear bike) and 32 on the rear (a 105 hub/Mavic Open Pro rim). This should reduce the chance of broken spokes, and if any do fail then standard spokes are much easier to find spares for if you haven’t brought any along.
• You may find – as I did – that your bottle cages are of dubious quality. I started with a pair of plastic Specialized ones and found that over rough road surfaces, the seat-tube bottle tended to drop through the cage and rest on the frame (rubbing away some paint – grrr). I replaced the cages with Bontrager Race Lite cages, which appear much more durable.
• It is a good idea to plan out potential pubs/cafés/bike shops etc. along the route for each day. We had a couple of days when we spent a bit too long trying to find a good place for lunch or somewhere to get bike bits.
• Several of the bike shops on the route seem to be too busy to pay any attention to you, but Nevis Cycles in Fort William were very helpful, so I’d recommend going there if you’re nearby and need any bike bits or a can of degreaser.