Richard Contacted me back in February 2026 asking if I would like to read his book, “Restless Lanes” about his journey from Lands End to John O’Groats. I was reluctant at first because there are too many of these type of books, most seem to exist as a “how to” guide giving route advice, nutritional recomendations for a fast time and well, frankly contain too much data and not enough adventure. Simply put, not the kind of cycling I am interested in.
Chatting to Richard and looking at his Instagram postings as well as reading the synopsis of the book I thought I’d give it a try and give the benefit of the doubt. If it turned out to be all about average speeds, energy gels and bypassing views to save a few minutes off your time I’d come clean, tell Richard it wasn’t my thing and rather than give a negative review I wouldn’t post anything about the book.
As you gather after reading the last sentence and reading from the start the book was nothing like i’d expected and so here’s my review.
When reading any book, to enjoy it you need to feel attuned to the character in the story. In this case the author is also the hero of the tale and within the first chapter i was already on board as we had had a similar childhood bike wise, even down to owning the exact same model (and colour) of full suspension bike back in the 1990s (I won’t spoil the book by mentioning which bike). Also our desire to avoid busy traffic laden roads also matches.
The book is easy to read and if you sit down with a plan of reading for 10 minutes you’ll suddenly realise your cuppa has gone cold and it’s an hour later but you’ll feel that hour has been used gainfully rather than wasted. The book is not a guide but a journal of gentle adventure and historical discovery in areas of the country we often don’t even notice as we speed by in motorized transport. This is done in such a genuinely interesting way it feels like you are talking to a mate rather than being read facts verbatim from a history book. At times I felt like I was in the saddle with the author struggling with the gradients and getting tensed up on descents, if you’ve ridden at all you’ll know what I mean… or maybe you’ll feel like the stoker on his tandem as he points out the reason villages are named as they are and what joy or skullduggery has befallen them and why they are there seemingly in the middle of nowhere in the first place.
if your hoping for FTP, thresholds and Strava segments look elsewhere but there is a real struggle going on as the author battles not just the elements (did he plan multiple storms for effect?) but the hardest thing of all, his own subconscious, Richard is not an elite athlete, he’s just a run of the mill cycle enthusiast like the rest of us, full of self doubt and with maybe a touch of imposter syndrome. I can definitely relate to that. What I can’t forgive however is not making the detour to try the cheese in Garstang!
I’ve read talk of long distance endurance sports not just being about the physical strength but mental strength too and although this is not an Olympic competition or an attempt to climb K2, the LeJog is hard enough physically and the author’s struggles to complete the journey are not just confined to aching limbs but lay bare his battle with his own mind to be able to sum up the drive to turn the pedals. That in itself makes the book more readable, more human and more real.
So if you are looking for a turn by turn route guide to riding the length of the country then look elsewhere, if you are lookng for a genuinely entertaining read that’s informative, sad and funny at times where you end up rooting for the main character to complete the ride then Restless lanes is the book you should read.
Find out more about Richard Warrick and how to order a copy of Restless Lanes at Richardwarrick.co.uk
UK GRAVEL COLLECTIVE 