I'm Rob Ainsley. In June 1997, I cycled my first End to End, from Land's End to John o'Groats. I put up a brief online diary at the time – yes, a sort of blog, even way back then – but the site has long since disappeared. So, in the lockdown of June 2020, I wrote up the trip again day by day.
Read about this, about my other international End to End rides, and about much more, at my new website e2e.bike.
Daily blog posts are here, from Day 0: Bath to Penzance to Day 22+: John o’Groats to Thurso.
There is also a free 2hr Audiobook version of the trip. The Audiobook page has details and links to the MP3 files.
Throughout the ride I ate only locally-sourced food and drink. This meant a lot of cheese and beer.
The whole End to End covered 1,167 miles in three weeks. I went up the east side of England so as to visit my parents en route outside Hull. I did it all on my second-hand 1980s Raleigh Record Ace, bought for £200 from a shop in Bristol, and stayed in hostels and B&Bs.
My touring bike today in 2020, compared with that of 1997, is lighter, newer, faster, more reliable, stronger, and worth a lot more. As for me, the opposite applies.
Though I didn't know it at the time, the trip proved to be the first part of my long-term project of cycling international End to Ends:
Wales 2020 Chepstow to Holyhead 🚲 220 miles → Blog
Poland 2019 Łysa Polana to Jastrzębia Góra 🚲 570 miles → Blog
Spain 2019 Cádiz to Gijón 🚲 646 miles → Blog
Faroes 2018 Kirkjubøur to Eiði 🚲 45 miles → Facebook post
Taiwan 2017 Fuguei to Eluanbi 🚲 370 miles → Blog
France 2015 St Malo to Nice 🚲 1065 miles → Blog
Cuba 2015 Baracoa to La Fe 🚲 1132 miles → Blog
Sri Lanka 2015 Dondra Head to Point Pedro 🚲 470 miles → Blog
Scotland 2014 Kirkmaiden to John o’Groats 🚲 460 miles → Blog
England 2014 Land’s End to Marshall Meadows 🚲 665 miles → Blog
Isle of Man 2013 Calf Sound to Point of Ayre 🚲 45 miles → Facebook posts (Tim)
N Ireland 2013 Cranfield Pt to Giant's Causeway 🚲 200 miles → Facebook post
Ireland 2011 Mizen Head to Malin Head🚲 665 miles → Blog
Britain 2010 Cape Wrath to Dover 🚲 1050 miles → Blog
Wales 2000 Cardiff Bay to Holyhead 🚲 260 miles → Diary (PDF)
Britain 1997 This blog
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