I Tried to Cross the UK on a BMX – John o’Groats to Land’s End, Standing Room Only – Part 4

What happens when you’re 6ft6 and try to ride a tiny BMX the entire length of the UK? Well… this.
This is part one of my journey from John o’Groats to Land’s End, attempting to ride 965 miles on a 20″ BMX

Find all the routes and gear here – https://www.keepsmilingadventures.com/

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The gear i am currently using

The tent – https://youtu.be/n9GKHSf805E
Framebag – https://youtu.be/6LM3UJKDOEk
Seatpost bag – https://youtu.be/W1E_iWY6Ajo
Jones Handlebars – https://youtu.be/dhPBSdRros8
Gravel bike – https://youtu.be/Gnd_4LgTyrg
plus bike mtb – https://youtu.be/COTUOzLPbGk
gps device – https://youtu.be/BWeMmx62A9M
mtb shoes – https://youtu.be/OYVEnfXwT0k
All the gear from GNT – https://youtu.be/e5oKSoPoMk0
Vest bag – https://youtu.be/01nzgd-t550
Ortleib bar roll https://youtu.be/Uk9fLgS1ioo
Dynamo setup – https://youtu.be/SL7MhjB6Lp0
Questions answered – https://youtu.be/u1q9AEs9flE
Gb divide bike/gear- https://youtu.be/epcZ81wqFCo
Sonder looped bar – https://youtu.be/BqWGTxd2VaQ
Tarpstar tent – https://youtu.be/RcQoBdZSAb8

you are rejoining me today after a night at my sister’s place in Stratford upon Haven after about 670 miles of cycling a BMX across the length of the UK from Jona Gro to Lan’s end today is my eighth day of cycling in a row on this little BMX challenge and I’d be entering familiar territory as I head into Glousters right so it’s day eight i’ve had a night and my sisters i decided while the sky is actually not raining currently it was raining the night I should just get a move on it’s currently half 9 so I’m leaving a little late but I figured while it’s not currently raining we should uh just get a move on and while my body is used to uh used to riding the BMX it’s best not to spend any time off the bike and just keep going because from here it’s like 300 miles away we’re so close now to completing the BMX versus the length of the UK on the BMX i don’t know what I said i don’t know my brain’s frazzled but today obviously leaving late I’m just going to try and get as close to Bristol the good news is though I am now kind of I’m south of Birmingham i’m past all like the really busy big city life um so it’s going to be a bit quieter a bit more country lanes a bit more peaceful and just generally a bit more flowy today is generally quite an easy day it’s quite flat it’s not The next couple days are fairly easy we got to get over the men dips and that’s about it um that’s that’ll be tomorrow but let’s just keep going with 300 miles guys we’re so bloody close day eight of the BMX versus the UK starting out this morning I was actually feeling clean and fresh a rare combo on this trip and knowing I was only about 300 miles from the end of this epic challenge well that was a pretty good feeling what made it even better was that now I was riding on much more familiar roads quieter flowier and just easier to ride the kind of roads that let you just relax a little bit and to top it all off I’d still somehow manage to dodge the rain at least for now [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] heat heat [Music] i just made it to Gloucester which has been an absolutely beautiful ride it’s just been nice and downhill i think I’ve even had a bit of a tailwind so everything’s been really good today i think this section of the route is probably the easiest as well because like the whole route is about 100 miles and there’s like not even 3,000 ft of elevation gain and it’s like something like 2,700 ft downhill and like 2,400 up so it’s basically just flat or just slightly downhill which is perfect especially when you got a nice little tailwind hate going into the headwinds on a BMX but the tailwinds are really good since day two i don’t know if anyone else ever does this on a uh on a on any like longd distance uh trips when they’re cycling but along the way something always attaches itself to to your bike and for me it’s this tiny little bit of a uh fern tree I guess from I think day two from the Ken Gorms that’s been stuck there and every now and again I just look down and still see it still there and I’m just happy and uh I probably got like 250 miles now to go until L’s end but I’m gonna be heading down towards like the canal and then down to Bristol hopefully I can get to Bristol tonight um or just past it cuz there’s a bunch of woods and stuff where I know I could camp i’m not sure there’s a few spots of rain as well right now but um I’m just going to keep making progress i’ve done 40 so far today so another 20 or 30 would be pleasantly uh great right onto the canal for a bit hopefully it’s not too bumpy if it is we’ll find some surrounding flat roads let’s keep going [Music] [Music] [Music] maybe it was the shower maybe the good night’s sleep but I was having an absolute blast today the wrist felt a little better too and at least the swelling had eased off with a slight tailwind I was happily cruising along the canal almost forgetting I was riding a BMX that’s how good the day had been but of course something had to come and spoil it number two hopefully I can fix it i patched up a punctured tube lost my little twig mate from the Kangorms and just as I got rolling again the rain finally made an appearance [Music] only a quick shower but the skies were starting to turn and it looked like the night might not be so kind so I made the call to find shelter while I still could and ended up tucked away in a little doorway of a little church for the night turned out to be a wise move [Music] heat heat why is to get these 35 miles down today it’ll be a miracle cuz gas what it’s a headwind by today and it just be a tailwind take me all the way to Land Bend in one day i really didn’t want to leave my little church doorway this morning my little sanctuary of safety the wind was absolutely brutal it was meant to be a flat stage of the journey but even then I found myself having to get off and hike at times just because the sheer power of this headwind i could see the bridge to Wales off in the distance but I wasn’t crossing it just a familiar sight from past adventures but today even that felt out of reach progress was so slow every pedal stroke was a battle this was turning into the toughest day of the trip which was meant to be the easiest any challenge up to this point yeah that was just starting to feel like a warm-up [Music] what an absolute brutal slog this morning has been to put it into perspective it’s taken me 3 and 1/2 hours to do just 20 miles the wind has been in my face and it has just been it’s just been one hell of a slob the BMX is certainly uh nice and muddy now but uh God 20 mi today’s like the worst day to have a headwind as well going into the Somerset levels where everyone’s flat exposed i mean there’s no good time to have a headwind but going into the Somerset levels definitely not a good time at all i’m going to stop here have something to eat and uh well when I say eat I’m going to have some nourishment i just found a tin that said nourishment on it so I thought it’d be good um it just looks like chocolate milk to be honest but it’s in a tin i don’t know why it’s in a tin update on my wrist i’ve kind of got the swelling to go down by taking some uh iroin or whatever it’s called and uh that’s not helping the pain at all it’s still very raw every time I like twist my wrist or move it in certain ways it feels like it’s grinding and I have no idea what it is but I’m just trying to battle through get to Lanzen before getting the rest sorted but um let’s try and have some nourishment [Applause] it’s very chocolatey it’s very nourishing so some good news you can probably tell behind me the sun is started to come out it is still very windy and it the weather forecast is saying no more rain i’ll see it when I believe it but I’ll believe it when I see it i think that’s Yeah I believe it when I see it but um the wind is still going to be howling until basically all day so next stop I’m heading towards Cleveland and then across the Mendips across to Sunset Levels getting across Menips is going to be quite easy i think I’m just following the bike so it’s not not too much of an issue but it is of course going to be into a headwind but I’m all nourished up it’s uh we’ve got about 15 mi of this section left and then we’ve just got two more to go two more if the sun stays out at least that’s one thing less to worry about let’s go [Applause] [Music] when I left the church doorway this morning I just assumed the whole day was going to be a rainy windy and downright miserable day but you know what yeah the wind was still trying to push me back the way I’d come but at least the rain had passed and the sun was starting to shine i started following the strawberry line across the mendips probably the easiest way to cross it if I’m honest especially today and of course especially on a BMX [Music] [Music] wow when I left this morning I wasn’t expecting be sat here in a t-shirt without my jacket and being dry it is still windy but the sun is shining i’ve just got on to the penultimate section so just this one and one more to go which means got aboutund about 200 miles left to go now I am along the Strawberry Line nice cycle path for a little while longer but when I drop down into the Somerset levels I reckon this is going to be a long battle into the wind like it has been all morning i’ve done just over 35 miles if I can get to 60 65 I’d be happy 70 would be wonderful ultimately just want to try and get as much of the next uh 60 miles done as possible because after 60 miles things are going to start getting harder as we head into Devon and all the hills are on their way this last 60 mi is the last of the flat lands head into the wind we go so so close though 200 miles to go [Music] [Music] [Music] currently at 57 mi for the day currently 400 p.m the wind I think it’s starting to die down a bit it’s still there it’s still making its presence known but slowly but surely it’s dying [Music] out i don’t know where I am but I’ll put it here all the hard work today battling across the Somerset levels was finally starting to pay off the wind began to ease up a bit which meant I could actually enjoy the last of the flatlands after all I was getting closer and closer to Devon and Cornwall the final two counties and both absolutely notorious for their relentless steepness so I made the most of the last flat evening knowing full well what was waiting just around the [Music] corner right I’m in a bit of a rush now just gone through to sun’s going to set in like 40 minutes i haven’t got anywhere to camp i’ve got one rough idea where I could possibly camp but it is about 10 milesi from Taton so going to have to get a move on but in total today so far I’ve done 76 milesi so super happy with that i’m currently enjoying like the no wind the wind has died down now so I’m able to just ride and enjoy the uh the sun as well and I’ve also only got 57 miles of this section to go so that means there’s about 158 miles to uh to get to Land’s End it’s so close i can almost smell that finish line but I got to find somewhere to sleep tonight so tomorrow we can get as close as possible right it is all up i’ve got the where I think I’m going to be able to camp there’s like this woodlands possibly going to be able to find somewhere there but it is about 6 milesi uphill but um it’s not too steep so let’s go find camp look at the sun the sun i’ve done about 85 miles look at the sky it’s beautiful just setting behind me actually it’s already set to be honest it’s really dark but it’s a beautiful orange sky 85 mi done today did not expect to get 85 miles done found a little spot over there to camp man 85 miles today when I set off this morning into that headwind I generally thought 4050 was going to be the limit so very happy with that that also means about 150 left we’re so close so close but I think the testing times for the BMX are about to come because from now on it’s pretty much all up or down there’s not much in between as always I see Brighton early in the morning for is it day 10 some is it day nine today i think it’s day nine today day 10 tomorrow maybe i don’t know i’ve lost track as always I see bright and early in the morning look at that beautiful sky good morning good morning day 10 of the BMX versus the length of the [Music] UK i’m going to overtake you in a minute if you’re going that slow go spiderweb today could potentially be the penultimate day actually it should be the penultimate day and in some ways it needs to be the penultimate day or the last day because today we’ve got kind of blue skies some gray clouds incoming but it isn’t meant to rain and it’s not windy so today is kind of like the last good day cuz tomorrow and then the next day is like 100% chance of rain the winds are going to really pick up and I really don’t want to uh be having to battle my way to Land’s End in that however I probably will have to i’m sure because I’ve still got 150 odd miles to go and realistically the most I’ve been able to do on this trip is about 100 miles so at best I’ll have 50 mi to do tomorrow but we are now into the hills into the steepness well nearly into the steepness once I get to uh Tibbertton that’s when the real steep stuff we’ve got like one descent one draggy climb and then along a canal to Tibetan after that though we are well and truly going to be on the steep stuff there is a silver lining of the steep stuff is I do get to sit down and cruise down some of the uh the hills which for the last three or four days I really haven’t been able to do because it just hasn’t been any so it’s just been very stand up pedal pedal pedal but today is day 10 and potentially the penultimate day should we see what day 10 has in store for us let’s do it let’s go see if I can catch that moped up i got to have a thorn in my shoe ow sit down for this i I could definitely tell I was getting closer to Devon now the lanes were getting narrower the hedges taller i had one last canal to follow the Great Western Canal which would carry me over the border and into Devon that meant I only had two counties left to cross [Music] [Music] [Music] so rolling into Tiveton I knew it was time to start preparing for those hills which obviously meant hitting the little bakery first [Music] just a little breakfast i’m at Tiveton now and I will say my legs from yesterday are absolutely shot all that all that headwind constant standing up pedalling today I am feeling it and it’s uh it’s not good because now from Tibetton is where the real hills start to begin and I think for the next sort of five six milesi it’s uh pretty uphill so I expect a bit of hiker bike in the uh coming minutes so after stuffing my face at the little bakery I come to the first climb at this point with the long days stacking up behind me I think I might have been losing the plot just a little bit fasties to eat fasties to eat scoop muck and dizzy roll it too lofty and Wendy join the crew bar and gag have so much fun working together to get the job done barb out here today [Music] you [Music] [Music] All [Music] right just arrived at Oak Hampton it’s just after 1:00 p.m so making okay progress not great but okay just under 50 miles and I’m just heading up to a cycle path i think it’s called the Granite Way Granite Trail something like that it’s like an old railway so that will give me a nice sort of 10 easyish miles which is nice but it is a bit of a slop to get up there and it’s uh as you can see walking had a little bit of rain as well so uh hopefully that’s all we’ll have for today i’m really hoping to definitely get into Cormal maybe past Bodmman and I don’t know just as far as I can get cuz I just want the easiest day possible tomorrow and uh every now and again I feel that wind creeping back into my face but for now let’s get on this cycle path and uh I was right it’s called the Granite Way but probably got like four miles of this section left and then it’s like 100 miles nearly at the 100 mile to go mark so close the old railway line turned cycle route traces along the northwestern edge of Dartmore and it’s probably one of the most scenic and gentle ways to get close to the moore without being chewed up by its infamous hills with the rugged Dartmore on my left and the epic rolling countryside of Devon on my right it was magical [Music] and you know what else felt magical selecting the last part of this route on my Garmin which meant just 100 miles to go after 10 days of riding this BMX across the UK [Music] welcome to Cornwall the last county [Music] well and truly in Cornwall now 81 miles to go just to think just 10 days ago me and this little BMX was in uh Jonno Gros on a foggy morning and not that long and we will be at Lamb’s End but first I’ve got to get up to the highest point on this little section of the route it’s about 1,000 ft nothing crazy but of course it’s Cornwall which means it’s very steep but once I’m at the top I have a nice long descent down towards like Vodmin and that way and then realistically I’m not going to say the rest is easy or flat but it’s definitely a lot more flowy i won’t say too flowy but the elevation gain and loss isn’t significant so we’re just going to keep hiking up here and I look forward to the descent i’d started to become one with this little bike between my legs sure it wasn’t always the easiest thing to ride especially on the climbs nor is it the most practical but I was honestly loving it even the grind up to Minions which is a proper climb at the best of times felt like something I could take on and once you reach the top wow you are greeted with the wide open landscape of the Bodman Moore the old tin mine ruins scattered across the hills it’s really something special it’s just beautifully rugged [Music] what a day what a day it’s currently4 to 7 and I’ve done 88 miles with a lovely 65 miles to go now I think I’m going to try and do the 15 now so we only got 15 to do to um 50 to do tomorrow if I do that then we’re finishing off strong the penultimate day over 100 miles you know we it’s got to be done it’s been a good day actually it’s been a slog but in places but you know it’s smashed it really 7:00 got about an hour i need to check the weather to see when all the storms and stuff hit um hopefully it won’t be in a night hopefully it’ll be like tomorrow afternoon and we can uh hopefully we can arrive at Lanzen just before it but who knows probably not we’ll see let’s uh crack on 15 more miles and find somewhere to set up i’ll find somewhere to set up the bivie one more night so close so bloody close [Music] good morning you probably can’t see me it’s still a bit dark it’s been raining all night i’m just hiding under a tree branch basically which worked pretty well for a while but it did uh start getting a bit heavier so it started dripping on me a bit obviously I’m in the bivvie so I’m dry and warm but I just tried to uh keep it off my face as much as possible but obviously we couldn’t get all the way to L’s End without it raining I guess so we we had to have that one we had to have that one wet day and that is the final day we’ve got about 55 miles less than that now i think 53 something like that to go so there’s no messing about today we’re just gonna get ahead down and pedal into this wind and rain and miserable day for our final day to make it across the UK on a BMX hopefully day 11 let’s try and get out of this camp uh there’s just no hope of being dry today is there it’s rained literally from about 9:00 last night till 6:00 now and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon time to go for a course what could possibly go wrong on a morning when it’s absolutely pissing down rain and I need to get to the finish line what could that possibly be i’ve woken up to a flat tire why why now of all times and places it’s going to be now oh my god let’s go this is a sketchy bridge really hurts my wrist i could not believe it actually I kind of could back when I met those two guys with the folding bikes we joked that you always get a flat when it’s raining and at the worst possible time and here I was just 50 miles from the finish line in the rain with a flat on day 11 of riding a BMX the length of the UK waking up to rain fog and wind of course this is what it had to come down to [Music] [Music] today was the day it had to be i was going to finish this thing and yeah it looked like it was going to be a proper miserable end to an epic adventure however there was only one thing that could fix that that makes everything a little bit better probably got like 20 miles left if that so [Music] close so wet and miserable though very [Music] wet you’re not going to believe this i’ve just literally got to Penzance i’m like 10 miles away from Lance’s End and I don’t know what’s happened i think I’ve broken the chain or bent the chain or something cuz it keeps slicking off i don’t really have much time to play around with because I got to get to L’s end back for a train i don’t actually know what’s wrong i can’t actually see it looked like her thing was broken on it but I’m going to try and clean it up and see if I can do something with it maybe shorten the chain up a bit i’m so pissed off so pissed off i don’t have enough time to get the bike shop and get it fixed and get to zeno back the chain is the absolute perfect length it can’t be any shorter otherwise it just seizes up because it’s too tight i generally thought about scootering the BMX the last 10 miles to Land’s End but with it being Easter weekend I just didn’t have the time there was no way I could get there and back before the last train home so the BMX made it so close like painfully close 10 miles short i’d ridden a BMX almost the length of the UK through the highlands the cities the wind the rain the wrist pain all the ice lollies and everything in between it wasn’t easy but it was definitely one of the best things I’ve ever done and this little BMX well what a story it has made 955 miles on a BMX across the UK what a ride [Music] exploring deeper than just what is essential for life that is thriving go deep mute out the chatter feel it turn off the fire let go [Music]