Over the course of 10 days in late August 2018, Dirty Wknd member and relatively new cyclist Olivia rode Lands End to John O'Groats - just shy of 1000 miles, including 15,000 metres of climbing. Below is what she learnt on this amazing ride:

In deciding to cycle from the most Southern point of Cornwall, to the most Northern point of Scotland, I often worried I’d bitten off more than I could chew.

I couldn’t imagine how I would feel after 500 miles and ignored the fact I would have 500 more to do after that. But I clung onto the encouragement of my new bike fam.

If people who knew what they were doing thought I could do it, then maybe I could. Even if my Mum kept telling me ‘there’s no shame in having a few days off.’

I wanted to do LEJOG to see the country and appreciate all of the beautiful places in the UK that I hadn’t been to. We wound our way from the depths of hilly Cornwall, over the rolling climbs of Dartmoor, across the Shropshire plains to the lush and gothic Lake District and finally, into Scotland.

By the last day, I was so institutionalised that I said thank you to a sheep for waiting for me to pass before crossing a gravel track. The scenery was epic, and it got more beautiful and dramatic the further north we rolled.

Lesson #1: The British Isles Really Are Beautiful

There are some spectacular parts of this island we inhabit. The Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands was the hardest section, but also the most beautiful.

Drinking in the stunning views and flying (kind of) down long and swooping descents made every killer climb, and all the miles to get to that point, worth it.

We're pretty lucky on living on our little island - I'd recommend getting out there and seeing all of it!

Lesson #2: It's About The Journey

A varied route that covers all of the most beautiful areas you want to see, and includes a great mix of cycle pathways and landmarks, is really important. Just to be clear, I can't take credit for the route, but it was stunning.

I loved leaving Bristol and crossing the Severn Bridge as it felt like we were really making progress. When we stumbled upon Edinburgh and exited over the Forth Bridge, we were reminded how far we’d travelled.

And much to my surprise, I also enjoyed weaving through cities, wanting to shout at everyone that ‘we started at Land’s End!’ and felt weirdly at home in the traffic.

Lesson #3: Eating Is Everything

Eat, eat and eat again. Having experienced the downward spiral of declining body temperature, concrete legs and mental self-annihilation that comes with a crash in energy levels, I knew I had to eat lots.

I was, however, wholly unprepared for how many calories I would actually scoff. Massive breakfasts, three course lunches, dinners and constant snacking. Anything goes, and I embraced it.

Lesson #4: Believe In Yourself

Have confidence. David, patriarch of the Dirty Wknd fam, told me to ‘enjoy it all, even the hard bits.’

I won’t pretend that there wasn't a time I was cold and desperate for a bath. On the morning of Day 9 I had a spectacular strop regarding the pain in my sit bones. But having tackled the steepest hills on the first two days in Cornwall and Devon, I knew there was nothing the rest of the route could throw at us that we couldn’t handle.

The hard bits felt like we were earning the right to say we'd cycled the country, and very quickly my body had worked out what I was doing before my brain could protest.

Lesson #5: Humans Are Great 

I’m not so romantically idealistic about cycling that I think cyclists are kinder, more interesting people than other muggles. But I do think there’s something about rolling along in beautiful scenery that makes people more open to sharing their dreams, demons and views on the world.

And you’re often in situations where people constantly demonstrate their kindness and perception of others around them - whether it’s saving someone with a flapjack, patiently waiting for the tenth loo stop, cajoling you when your legs won’t work or cracking jokes when it’s really needed. Humans really are pretty great after all.

I don’t know what the next adventure will be. But it will definitely involve two wheels, beautiful views and some seriously special humans.

Thanks for the amazing tips Livvy. If you're interested in riding LEJOG yourself then join the DW community to find out about our partner trips and what we've got coming up in 2021 and 2022.