Land’s End to John O’Groats Cycle Route: Hostels and Bunkhouses

Why stay in an Independent Hostel or Bunkhouse?

Where do we even begin? How about with a taster of what can be provided for you at a hostel? And a little insight into why hostels are perfectly suited to hosting cyclists who are travelling from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

Bedding is provided

The vast majority of our hostels provide bedding. This means you can greatly reduce how much you are carrying. As a cyclist, reducing kit is vital for conserving energy and saving time!

 

Meals are provided

Many of the hostels on the Land’s End to John O’Groats route provide evening meals or have a pub or restaurant within walking distance. Embarking on an evening stroll may be a welcome respite from cycling all day!

Increasingly, hostels in the Independent Hostels network provide breakfast – where breakfast is not provided, most are in a town or village where provisions can be found easily.

Such is the nature of hostels, there will always be a self-catering kitchen on hand so you can cook up anything you desire. Though after a tiring day of cycling, perhaps a coffee and a cup-a-soup will suffice!

The accommodation that accepts individuals

Many hostels accept individuals, which means you can pay for a bed for just yourself without having to hire out an entire holiday home. This is much more cost-efficient.  Also, you may meet interesting people who are embarking on their own long-distance adventures.

One night only

Independent Hostel accommodation is a great choice for a stop-over on the Lands End to John O’Groats cycle route as they generally allow individuals to stay for one night only. This is ideal for when you are completing Land’s End to John O’Groats within a short time frame.

Bike Storage

The people who run Independent Hostels around the UK understand what it takes to undergo a huge accomplishment such as riding from Land’s End to John O’Groats. That’s why your bike’s safety is their priority. In all but a handful of hostels, there is a covered space for bikes. In many of the hostels, the bike storage is secure. This means your bike can sleep as safely as you do.

Land's End to John O'Groats Cycle Route (LEJOG)

Lands End to John O’Groats cycle route

There is no set cycling route between Lands End and John O’Groats (LEJOG) or indeed, John O’Groats to Lands End (JOGLE). However, to make planning your journey a bit easier, we have created two routes that take either 14 days or 9 days. The amazing thing about these routes is each step of the journey is connected by Independent Hostels.  We have also added an East coast and a West coast alternative just to get you inspired!

Land’s End To John O’ Groats 14 day Cycle Route

• Day 1 Lands End Hostel and B&B to Edens Yard Backpackers* (59 miles)
• Day 2 Eden’s Yard to Sparrowhawk Backpackers  (65 miles)
• Day 3 Sparrowhawk Hostel to  Mendip Bunkhouse (90 miles)
• Day 4 Mendip Bunkhouse to Haye Farm Sleeping Barn(112 miles)
• Day 5 Haye Farm to Sheen Bunkhouse or Roaches Bunkhouse, Staffordshire.(84 miles/76 miles)(See East Coast alternative for a different route)
• Day 6 Sheen Bunkhouse or Roaches Bunkhouse  to Hebden Bridge Hostel* (65 miles/59 miles)
• Day 7 Hebden Bridge to Wayfarers Independent Hostel or Carlisle City Hostel (88 miles/112 miles)
• Day 8 Penrith/Carlisle to Marthrown of Mabie Bunkhouse*, Dumfries (67 miles /45 miles)
• Day 9 Marthrown to Cleikum Mill Lodge, Innerleithin (60 miles)(See West Coast alternative for a different route)
• Day 10 Cleikum Mill to Comrie Croft (97 miles)
• Day 11 Comrie Croft to Fort William Backpackers (81 miles)
• Day 12 Fort William to Loch Ness Backpackers Lodge or Morags Lodge Loch Ness (49 miles/ 32 miles)
• Day 13 Loch Ness/Morag’s Lodge to Helmsdale Hostel (87 miles/104 miles)
• Day 14 Helmsdale to John O’Groats (53 miles).

Land’s End to John O’ Groats 9 day cycle route

• Day 1 Lands End Hostel and B&B to Sparrowhawk Backpackers (124 miles)
• Day 2 Sparrowhawk to Mendip Bunkhouse (97 miles)
• Day 3 Mendip Bunkhouse to Sheen Bunkhouse (182)(this can be split at Haye Farm Sleeping Barn)(See East Coast alternative for a different route)
• Day 4 Sheen Bunkhouse to Ingleton Yha Greta Tower (103 miles)
• Day 5 Ingelton to Carlisle City Hostel (66.3 miles)
• Day 6 Carlisle city hostel to Cleikum Mill Lodge, (70 miles)(See West Coast alternative for a different route)
• Day 7 Cleikum Mill  to Comrie Croft or Pitlochry Backpackers Hotel (71miles/98miles)
• Day 8 Comrie Croft/Pitlochry to Inverness Student Hotel(130 miles/92.1 miles)
• Day 9 Inverness Student Hotel to John O Groats (164 miles via Route 1 or 126 miles via A9)

If you choose the longer NCN 1 route between Inverness and John O’ Groats there are options to break your journey at Bunkhouse @ Invershin (56 miles), Kyle Of Tongue Hostel (103 miles) or Sandra’s Hostel (143 miles).

Lands End to John O Groats East Coast alternative

• Day 1 Sheen Bunkhouse to Hull Trinity Backpackers (105 miles)
• Day 2 Hull Trinity Backpackers to Scarborough Youth Hostel or Cote Ghyll Mill (50 miles/79 miles)
• Day 3 Scarborough Hostel to Cote Ghyll Mill or Alnwick Youth Hostel (80 miles/96 miles).
• Next night at Cleikum Mill Lodge (90 miles)or Seahouses (Seahouses Hostel or The Hides) (32 miles)  or
• Edinburgh (Euro Hostel Edinburgh Halls summer only)(120 miles)
• Seahouses to Edinburgh (86 miles)
• Or Alnwick Hostel to Cleikum Mill Lodge (90 miles) or Edinburgh (Euro Hostel Edinburgh Halls summer only)(92 miles)
• Edinburgh to Comrie Croft (72 miles) or Pitlochry Backpackers Hotel (75 miles).

Lands End to John O’Groats West Coast Alternative

This route was kindly devised by Pam Richmond of Argyll Backpackers and includes island hopping

• Glasgow to Bute then take the ferry from Weymss Bay Rothesay to Argyll Backpackers, Mull of Kintyre. (40/58 miles). Via ferry from Bute to kintyre to Inverneil.  Argyll Backpackers on the NCN78 (either A road or B road).
• Mull of Kintyre to Backpackers Plus Oban, Oban Backpackers* or Corran House*. (40/55 miles).  Either  A or B roads
• Oban to Fort William Backpackers or  Smiddy Bunkhouse (44/52 miles).  Via A82 or A828
• Fort William to Skye Base Camp, Broadford, Isle of Skye (64 miles). Via ferry
• Broadford to Ledgowan Lodge, Achnasheen (46 miles)
• Achnasheen to Inchnadamph Lodge, Inchnadamph (70 miles)
• Inchnadamph to Kyle of Tongue Hostel (69/70 miles). Via A894 orA837
• Tongue to Sandras Hostel, Thurso (43 miles)

Thurso to John O Groats either 20 or 25 miles (via NCN 1 or NCN 1 + B876 (then return to Thurso)