Thomas Ivor Jones

@wildandhigh @LEJOGAssoc Dad started with ‘why not go via Ireland’; it spiralled 🤣. I was going to go via Lizard and Torbay; the islands off Land’s End sadly ruled out because prices were ‘Silly’. Connected lots of places I’ve been to before but avoided Warrington-Glasgow and A82 which I did previously.

@thomas_ivor @LEJOGAssoc Thanks Thomas Ivor. An interesting route. Who dreamt that up?

“I’m pretty tired, think I’ll go home now…” Thanks to everyone who has supported this trip! Looking forward to the next one… #LEJoG @LEJOGAssoc

@wildandhigh @LEJOGAssoc Had to race across Orkney first time, between consecutive ferries the same night, but ferry timetables and my lift home determined the pace from Shetland onwards!

@wildandhigh @LEJOGAssoc Stromness - Kirkwall - Lerwick - Muckle Flugga (well, the headland next to it) and back to Kirkwall; then down the Churchill Barriers and St Margaret’s Hope - Gill’s Bay - JoG

@wildandhigh @LEJOGAssoc Yes - a bit of tidying up to do after I had to use my phone for GPS, and I’ll share on Strava as well. I’m going to get it properly drawn up, I hope!

Back on Orkney. Nearly done, but I have two unused days of contingency! 🤣

Pitched for the night and a quality audiobook on. Pointing at the midges, saying ‘we’re stuck, we’re stuck, we’re stuck’… #Partridge

Day 16 since Land’s End - camped wild again last night (struggled to find a sheltered spot!) and now headed back towards the Shetland mainland. Next ferry to Orkney, is tomorrow…

I made it to the top of the UK, or as near as I could get my bike! Now a bit annoyed I didn’t go via the Lizard (Scilly Isles were stupidly expensive!). Now to complete the End to End, which was the core mission 🤣 #LEJoG #EndtoEnd #Shetland @NLFerries #MuckleFlugga @Al_Humphreys

@gasdoc2857 I was only on Orkney for about three hours!

@thomas_ivor Overnight ferry?

Shetland is foggy this morning…

Day 14 began at Oykel Bridge, just West of Lairg, believing the game was up. It ended at sea… game on! #LEJoG #Caithness #Orkney @NLFerries

@gasdoc2857 [@JeremyClarkson voice] “The Standing Stones of Stenness. The standingest stones… …in the world.”

@thomas_ivor Go where the fancy takes you!

We’re here! We’re here! We’ve landed on the Pier! But where now? #LEJoG

Much dot-watching, today. I have no pictures to share for now, he’ll tell the tale later, but suffice to say Thomas Ivor has pulled Oban - Tobermory - Mallaig, then Mallaig - Skye - North Uist - Berneray, then Berneray -Leverburgh - Stornoway - Ullapool - Almost Lairg, in 3 days.

Day 11 - Campsite was £21! 😳 Left Oban on early ferry to Mull, straight up to Tobermory (which was full of tourists and not much fun) and onto the ferry to Ardnamurchan. Finished the day with a wild camp near Morar to set up the next ferry - going to Skye tees up Inverness…

Days 9 and 10 - train back to Troon to pick up my route. Ferry to Arran and I decided to take the route West from Brodick, to reach the campsite at Lochranza where we stayed in 2022. Straight on the way next morning, over to Kintyre and up to Oban.

Day 8 update - I got up for the ferry to Cairnryan, and rode to Troon. Because of the uncertainty around Wahoo situation I visited an old @theyestribe friend in Glasgow - the mighty Ged, who is working on a book about her walk from her house to visit the Pope! 65 miles + 🚿 🔋 👌🏻

Day 7 should have been really easy. Portadown to Belfast, then a campsite near Larne, for the ferry next morning. During the night, my Wahoo Bolt tried to count to 1025, and failed. I lost a load of time, thinking it was a hardware fault. Had to use my phone in the end. 44 miles.