You will be met on arrival and transferred to the coastal town of Land’s End where we will spend our first evening. For anyone wishing to arrive by car, accommodation details will be provided in advance of the departure date (please note that we will not be transferring back to Land’s End at the end of the tour).

A midday/early afternoon arrival will be necessary in order to allow enough time for the group transfer to Land’s End and for those bringing their own bikes to rebuild them. We will also use this time to make sure that anyone renting a Skedaddle bike is fitted to one of appropriate size with any necessary adjustments made.

The rest of the day is yours to relax before the evening when we will eat out as a group in the hotel restaurant, an opportunity to get to know the rest of the party and to discuss the programme with your Skedaddle guides.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,600 Metres Approx.

Riding easterly from Land’s End we head for Penzance.

Moving inland (although it’s impossible to be more than 10 miles from the sea on this first day!) we continue along some of Cornwall’s finest country roads via Redruth. Later we head northwards and skirt Newquay before making our way to Bodmin.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,760 Metres Approx.

Make sure you have a hearty breakfast today – the route is about the same length as yesterday’s, but it’s a hilly one that sees us riding in an incredibly beautiful part of South West England.

Onwards and upwards (and of course, occasionally downwards!!) we wind our way through the high-hedged Cornish country lanes, passing through numerous villages on the way. Crossing the Tamar at Launceston, we leave Cornwall behind us and enter the county of Devon, and on to our destination of the night at Tiverton.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 865 Metres Approx.

Leaving Devon this morning and entering Somerset we head firstly through winding country lanes towards Taunton and then from here it’s off across the Somerset Levels. We skirt the historic town of Glastonbury and its Tor, which will be spotted a long way off in the distance. The last leg is to the large village of Cheddar situated on the edge of the Mendip Hills.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,535 Metres Approx.

Leaving Cheddar this morning we head north and into the famous Cheddar Gorge, the largest and most impressive gorge in the United Kingdom. Navigating carefully to avoid the major roads connecting the larger towns and cities of the area we then wind our way northwards into southern Wales, crossing the River Severn via the cycleway on the famous Severn Bridge.

Once beyond Chepstow we rejoin country lanes and minor roads and continue the journey through the delightful countryside of the Wye Valley.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 825 Metres Approx.

Back in the saddle once more we continue through the small villages of the Herefordshire and into Worcestershire. We head on up through the market town of Leominster, the site of the Battle of Llanllieni, the first battle between the Normans and the Welsh way back in 1052.

Next stop is Shropshire’s historic Ludlow with its wonderful black and white timbered buildings and ancient ruined castle. We need to keep the old legs spinning a little more as we head through more picturesque towns and villages such as Much Wenlock and its sister Little Wenlock as we head for our finish in Ironbridge on the outskirts of Telford.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 945 Metres Approx.

Today we climb out of Ironbridge over the Wrekin before riding along Shropshire’s country lanes. We enter Cheshire near Audlem on our way to Nantwich, a medieval market town known for its black and white timbered buildings. From here our route takes us on a combination of minor and B roads (with occasional and brief sections of A road) via Winsford and Northwich before eventually reaching our destination of Standish, north of Wigan – welcome to the North of England, it’s ‘right proper’ up here and you’re going to love the next few days.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,725 Metres Approx.

Today we ride through 4 counties, starting out from Bolton, over Rivington and leaving Greater Manchester behind us we enter Lancashire. Bypassing the bigger towns and steering clear of the busiest roads we carry on northwards. Things quieten down again as we pass through the villages of Slaidburn and High Bentham and head into North Yorkshire. After 7 days in the saddle and just over 500 miles we reach the sleepy Cumbrian town of Kirkby Lonsdale on the outskirts of the Lake District.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,240 Metres Approx.

With the Cumbrian mountains and the Lake District to the west and the Yorkshire Dales to the east, it’s difficult to think of a better place to start a day’s riding. The route today, which for the main part is in Cumbria, is as dramatic as it is rugged as we press on along deserted roads through villages and towns such as Orton, Langwathby and finally Talkin or Hallbankgate. Feast yourselves this evening on Cumberland sausages and the local sticky toffee pudding, we’ve passed the halfway mark and tomorrow we‘re going to Scotland!

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,670 Metres Approx.

Weaving our way through more remote country lanes we make our way to the Scottish/English border. A few miles north of the border we arrive in Langholm where we pick up the B709. Navigation today is easier than usual since we stay on the B709 for most of the day, all the way to Traquair. Riding past the Tweed Valley mountain biking centres of Innerliethen and Glentress, we head into the busy border town of Peebles, our destination for tonight.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,090 Metres Approx.

Moving on from Peebles we skirt the Moorfoot hills and head for Edinburgh. It’s impossible to avoid Edinburgh’s traffic completely but our route will mainly steer clear of the city’s busiest roads. Once out of town we cycle over the Firth of Forth across the Forth Road Bridge and enter the Kingdom of Fife. It’s not long before we rejoin some quieter roads and pass Kinross as we head for our overnight stay in Perth.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,315 Metres Approx.

Today starts off easy heading north from Perth surrounded by rolling fields famed for their raspberries and overlooked by hills and mountains. The main challenge of the day is the ascent up past the Devil’s Elbow to the Glenshee Ski Centre, so keep your climbing legs at the ready. Take your time over the descent to Braemar to enjoy some of the most wild and majestic scenery of the whole trip. It’s a regal finish today as we ride along the banks of the Dee to Balmoral Castle. Onwards to Ballater at last we reach the real Scottish Highlands.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,575 Metres Approx.

Don’t forget to raise your eyes from the tarmac as we move on from Ballater this morning, this is spectacular countryside so make sure you take it all in. Beyond Grantown-on-Spey and into exposed moorland wilderness we press on through the villages Dava and Dulsie and pass by Culloden Battlefield, the site of the last battle fought on British soil. A few miles up the road and we arrive in Inverness where we end our day.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,025 Metres Approx.

Back in the saddle, the challenge for this morning is to cross the Black Isle, the jagged peninsula separating Inverness and Dingwall. Once over the Cromarty Firth it’s one road all the way to Bonar Bridge where we meet Dornorch Firth and then it’s northwards past The Falls of Shin and onto Lairg for our penultimate stop.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,160 Metres Approx.

As our epic adventure draws to a conclusion, a riverside route takes us to the northernmost shoreline of mainland Britain. A sharp change of direction at Bettyhill saves us from riding into the sea. We follow the coast road to Thurso, the Scottish mainland’s most northerly town; an early Viking settlement named after Norse ‘god of thunder’ Thor. And now we’re on the home straight, only 20 more miles and you’ve made it. Crack open the bubbly – congratulations are in order!!

At John O‘Groats we stop for a picture and celebrations! All that remains now is to settle into our accommodation where we’ll spend the evening celebrating our achievement and resting our legs. Congratulations… you’ve Skedaddled from Land’s End to John O‘Groats!

• Meals: Breakfast

We depart at approx 09:00 for the 3 hour transfer to Inverness. If travelling by train, please do not arrange your train home any earlier than 12:45. If travelling by plane your flight should not depart before 15:00.

Please Note – Some destinations and distances may be subject to change. Lunches are provided for 50% of the riding days, with these specific days subject to alteration due to weather conditions etc.