Cycling to Land’s End: Bicycle Touring Great Britain
Bicycle touring Great Britain: cycling to Land’s End bicycle tour, in July 2014. It was mid-July, and Garry had been home since returning from his ride to Athens last October, which hadn’t ended well. Garry had ended the tour with a prolapsed disc. Unfortunately, the prolapse was quite bad and required Garry to have an operation, which was carried out in March 2014, leaving him unable to cycle for a few weeks. But after what seemed like an eternity to Garry, he was back on his bicycle.
Garry was still having to attend hospital for check-ups and physio and didn’t have a lot of spare time. But then, a few appointments were cancelled, leaving him free for ten days. Just enough time to go somewhere on the bike, but where?
Thinking it through, Garry decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to go abroad and best to stay in the UK. Just in the unlikely event that something was to happen with his back. But where in the UK could Garry cycle to in ten days? After a bit of thought, Garry decided to head West (his favourite direction) and head to Cornwall.
Where To Now?
Garry made it to Cornwall in five days and reached Land’s End, the most westerly point in Cornwall, the following day. Once Garry made it to Land’s End, he couldn’t go any further. While spending the night camped at Lands End, Garry started to think about the classic ride “Lands End to John O’Groats.” And although he knew he didn’t have enough time to cycle the full distance. He still decided to head towards John O’Groats and get as far as he could.
Garry managed to reach Cheltenham, 300 miles from Land’s End, before he ran out of time and had to return home. It wasn’t the longest of tours, but then it was Garry’s first time touring after his back surgery. Although saying it wasn’t the longest of trips, Garry still managed to cycle 750 miles.
Bicycle Tour Photos
Video’s Garry’s YouTube channel
Garry’s Route
Follow & Support
If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel Garry’s next mile, you can always support him by buying him a beer. Or subscribe to his blog and follow him as he travels around on his bike. As a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow Garry on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. Garry’s also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all his tours, along with regular photo updates that he generally publishes each month.
If you want to find out if Garry’s away touring at the moment and check his location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And after thousands of miles on the road, Garry’s condensed everything he’s learned into one place. So if you’re planning your own cycling adventure, read his reality check on long-distance touring.
Garry McGivern is a solo, self-supported bicycle tourist and the creator of Travelsonabike2. Having cycled over 70,000 miles worldwide on his trusty bike, Passepartout, Garry documents the reality of long-distance travel. Follow along for updates, gear insights, and the daily highs and lows of bicycle touring, whether he’s camped beside the road or in the luxury of a hotel. Join Garry on the road, and be inspired to start your own adventure. Read more.