Ha, yes I was wondering where I got this from, because as you say the Golden Gate is certainly longer (oddly enough I've cycled across that one as well - it certainly takes the prize for aesthetics too).
It turns I remembered it from wikipedia - and the claim is somewhat, well, contestable! Wiki has that it's "the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world that can be crossed on foot or by bicycle". This is (apparently) true - the Humber has a single span length of 1,410m, while the Golden Gate 1,280m. But I'm not sure this is what anyone cycling across it would really notice!

The Humber bridge is long, at 7,283 feet (according to Google), but you can ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, which is 8,981 feet (again according to Google).

Don't get me wrong, it is a classic route, and by all accounts it's varied and interesting (and makes sense as a way to see a lot of the country).

I think it comes down to the things you mention: some of the LEJOG routes, especially those that try to do it in limited time, stick to highways and try to cleave directly across the country - when I'd rather be taking a circuitous route and exploring. And it's also just a (sometimes perverse) desire to find the route less travelled!

What puts you off LEJOG? I first heard about it from another customer in a local (Vancouver) bike shop several years ago (before I discovered that other journal site) and have been interested ever since.

But then, although I’d love to ride across my own country, the options put me off: busy, often shoulderless highways with few alternatives in many areas, long distances between services, etc. I think I could manage most of it, but I haven’t heard anything promising about Manitoba or northern Ontario.

It turned out to be a memory card fault: there was a worrying point when I could retrieve anything off it, but once I found a card reader I could recover and reformat it ok. The camera (a fairly basic point-and-shoot Sony, as befits my limited photographic ability) has been a good workhorse but has been a bit ill-treated, and is glitching from time to time...

Yep, that chain has definitely outlived its usefulness. It's done well for two (three?) tours, so time to replace.

I definitely pushed too far on this last day - it wasn't so much the distance, but I think five days in the open (and particularly the cold, which I just wasn't ready for - I almost only took a single over-layer!) did for me. Must remember: even if there are nice sunny days, it's still cold in this part of the world in spring in the middle of the night!

Right, yeah I can imagine - probably very thick stone walls as well. Atmospheric, but a pain to keep warm.

Thanks Jacquie, glad you enjoyed it. Yep, me too :-) I really should plan a longer ride in my home country. For reason I'm put off the classic LEJOG (even though my mother lives about 5 miles away from Land's End, so would make a good based) - maybe I'll do East-West instead?

Yeah that chain's days are numbered!

Cheers Andrew! Thanks for following along and your comments have made me smile!

Thanks Lyle! Really glad you enjoyed it, and the account (or my blurry photos) were enough to bring back memories. Great to hear about your tour in the 80s - up until last year, I'd spent shamefully little time exploring the country on my doorstep, and I still haven't ridden in Scotland - would love to get up to the highlands and islands and ride back down as you did. Cheers! Jon

Thanks everyone! Sorry it's taken ages to reply to your great comments - work has been a bit frantic for the last week or so - but really appreciate all the kind words.

I really enjoyed reading this, Jon. I look forward to an extended UK cycle trip someday (I've never been).

Don't forget to replace your chain!

Is the camera knackered?

Bad luck the chain breaking - twice! It sounds like you need a new one.

It sounds like you went into the red. Hopefully you felt refreshed in the morning after a decent sleep.

These gatehouses do look very impressive, but the insides are small and quite dark, so living in one might not be as nice as you think. They lack any grand internal features as they were just built for servants - namely the gatekeeper.

Great trip and Journal Jon.

Jon, I really enjoyed following along with you on this trip. Well written journal, entertaining and informative. Never knew that 'by' was of Norse origin and meant 'place'. Now I do, and this was just one of many nuggets of knowledge I picked up. Your trip was also a bit of a nostalgia trip for me. Way back in '82 after graduating from Uni I set off on a four month bike 'tour' of Europe. It was much much more of a 'random walk' than a 'tour', but after buying my classic green Elswick Stag at John's Bikes in Bath, I spent the first two months bouncing around the UK. I first headed north and made it as far as Oban and then headed south to Dover. On that southward journey I ended up riding a good chunk of what you did on this tour. York to Hull... The Humber Bridge ... with a good wind blowing that was an experience... and it was almost brand new then, then the Lincolnshire wolds, Boston, Kings Lynn. I could go on but suffice to say your journal brought back a lot of good memories.
Safe travels,
Lyle