I’ve enjoyed cycling across states and countries since 2011, but I’ve never cycled the same route twice since there are so many wonderful routes and sights to see in the world. But on August 1, about a week from now, I’ll finally take the same route a second time, mostly. I’ll cycle across Britain again.
The word Britain is easy to confuse with similar words like the United Kingdom, Great Britain, England, Wales, and Scotland. 
Britain, which is short for Great Britian (I think), is the island that contains England, Scotland, and Wales. The other similar words are the names of political boundaries, like states countries, and districts.
In 2011, I cycled across Britain on roads. This time, I cycled this route in 2011, on my first long bike ride. I’ve never been interested in cycling the same route again, so this time, I’ll ride on gravel roads, trails, and some tar on a mountain bike.
In 2011, I cycled across Britain on a road bike. More specifically, It was a folding, road bike. Many people think it’s a bit odd to cycle about 1,000 miles on a folding bike. I think it’s fun, especially their reaction. It shows a slightly “normal” view of the world, something I’ve gotten further away from. Cycling 1,100 miles on a folding bike was an important step in my less normal view of the world, which emphasizes simple living and long bike rides, although any simple exploring will do.
Back to bike stuff, the route generally follows the longest diagonal across Britain. It starts in the southwest tip of England in a town aptly named Land’s End. The route ends in the northeast tip of Scotland, in a town called John O’Groats. Considering both towns, this route is called LEJOG, short for Lands End to John O’Groats. Here’s a map.
My first bike ride across Britain doesn’t seem that long ago, even though it’s been over 20 years.
In 2011, it was a new adventure. These days, it’s a familiar adventure, almost. There’s so many surprises on each long bike ride that they still seem new, and with the exception of more aching muscles, these long rides make me feel 20 years younger. Part of that is how the world still offers so much to explore, so many amazing sights, and so many generous strangers.
That last bit about “generous strangers” contradicts what’s called “common sense” these days. For me, that common sense comes from sitting inside and watching the news too much instead of getting out into the world and meeting new people. Dozens of entries in this blog mention generous strangers, going back to 2011 when the blog started.
The pictures in this blog also come from 2011, during my first ride across Britain., which was on quiet roads (mostly). The link below will take you to more pictures of the off-road route I’ll take this time. There’s an amazing photo gallery in the middle of the page that I hope you check out.
I’ll end with some technical bits. An “improvement” to the software I use for this blog, WordPress, means you can only view about 5 posts before you must register. Sometimes, registering on a phone doesn’t work. In that case, try registering on a laptop or desktop computer. I’ll also share some pictures on thoughts on Instagram. My username there is cycle_writer.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to hear from you in the comments section of the posts I’ll write during the ride.