In Conclusion
In the beginning there was Land’s End
So, that’s that, Land's End to John O'Groats walked, the biggest, the top, the longest held and, probably, most ambitious of my bucket list entries ticked off. I stepped up to the John O’Groats signpost with feelings of both achievement and anti-climax, forty odd years of ambition, after more than six months of planning and four months of walking and it was done; I’d, finished, reached the end, there were no more miles to walk.
Since finishing people have asked what were the highlights and lowlights, the best and worst bits. Both questions are difficult to answer; it’s hard to pick the best bits because the whole trip was one huge highlight, I shy away from phrases like ‘life changing’ or ‘life affirming’ simply because I don’t think in those terms, I’m more prosaic than that. It was something that I’d wanted to do for a very long time and with help from Sandra and friends I did it. I feel moderately proud of my walk but it’s far from a unique achievement; I wasn’t the fastest and I wasn’t the oldest, one bloke I met was aiming to do it in two months and we met 72 year olds both enjoying their walks; and Kim, who didn’t volunteer her age but her card said “The little old lady walks from Land’s End to John O’Groats”. We also heard about another older lady who started in January and had to finish “before her bees woke up”. Nor did I raise any money for charity, some raise thousands but I didn’t, if people asked I’d tell them to give something to their local charity or hospice.
Many of the highlights were fleeting, transient moments like a deer bounding through woods, others were more intangible, a fresh, warm pasty eaten in the morning sunshine or the joy of well earned beer at the end of an arduous day. Fortunately many highlights were easily captured, important places and people, key landmarks and historic locations, Lands End and John O’Groats book end a myriad of memories that stretch for 1256 miles over four months. I don’t know how most people remember things but this was a linear trip and my the memories flow in a linear progression between the two extremities, the pictures in this blog are an attempt to share some of them.
Long days strolling along beaches and over cliffs in the far south west, miles of pastoral pleasure from Chepstow to Edale, the abrupt transition from the gentle midlands to the blasted moors and heaths of the Pennines. The descent from the Cheviots to the rolling farmland of southern Scotland, strolling between Edinburgh and Glasgow on the towpaths of the canals, once they were at the heart of industrial Scotland, now they’re a ribbon of tranquillity, nature and recreational boaters enjoying the quiet waters and the mighty Falkirk Wheel.
Heading north to the highlands, crossing the highland fault and arriving in the northern mountains. Walking along the shores of Lochs Lochy, Oich and Ness, deep glacial lakes emphasising the majesty of the Great Glen as it slices across the highlands. Tea and cakes at the Abriachan Eco-campsite & Café, beer in Inverness and Sandra’s great swim across the Kessock Narrows.
Leaving Inverness at the start of the last section, forest tracks and quiet roads leading to the beaches and cliffs between Dornoch and John O’Groats, an echo of the Cornish cliffs and beaches so far away.
One lady I met said I must know the country really well; yes and no. I’m very well acquainted with a strip about 20 miles wide (if you include how much I could see or twenty feet wide if you don’t) and 1256 miles long, that’s a very long and very narrow panorama, possibly the ultimate letter box view. Walking gives one the time to appreciate the weather in all its vagaries and the landscape in all its glory; I had time to see the land, feel the changing geology underfoot and dip into both the local and nation history of the places I walked through.
I’m slightly disappointed to say that there weren’t any bad bits, there were no adversities to be surmounted, no hardships to battle and no disasters overcome, I just had a great walk. The weather was pretty good for almost all of it, predominantly windy, cool and dry. I enjoyed excellent health, my feet didn’t fall off, I didn’t break a leg or sprain an ankle, there were no blisters, pulled muscles, or illnesses. I never got lost for more than a few hundred yards, with the possible exception between Helmsdale and Wick where I could have been hopelessly lost or spot on the route. Some bits were tough, the fifty miles or so north of Helmsdale were particularly rough and difficult but it wasn’t awful.
Most importantly from a personal perspective I enjoyed almost every minute of it, it was an adventure, stepping up (literally) from a week or two’s walking to a four month, 1256 mile expedition was a moderate leap into the unknown in terms of physical and mental resilience but not one I found particularly difficult, I kept the miles to a reasonable number each day and gradually increased how far I was walking as fitness and strength improved. Not finishing the walk didn’t really occur to me, I never got up and didn’t want to walk; every day brought new, interesting and sometimes exciting experiences but mostly each day was simply a unique walk through a different part of the British Isles and I enjoyed all of them.
The following galleries have a few of our best photos and best memories, click the thumbnails to see the next picture.
Land’s End to Minehead - The South West Coast Path
Somerset, Cheddar, Offa’s Dyke and across Shropshire and Staffordshire to Dovedale.
Edale to the Scottish Border - The Pennine Way.
Southern Scotland - The Cheviots to Loch Lomond.
Loch Lomond to Inverness - The West Highland Way and The Great Glen Way
The Final Trail - Inverness to John O’Groats
A short digression into social commentary.
All through the walk I was struck by how many places and whose signs, notice boards and information panels I read were extolling the histories and virtues of lost industries and past ways of life; from the tin mines of Cornwall to the lost iron works in Falkirk, the ancient earth work of Offa’s Saxon dyke and closed railways all across the country. It sometimes felt that Britain has become a land of museums, heritage centres and tea rooms. Then a shift of perspective brings other realities, the 1919 Levant Mine disaster when 31 men died, or the workers extracting arsenic during copper smelting with nothing but rags tied across their faces, the dozen men killed in the construction and repair of the first Severn Bridge and the infamous Highland Clearances.
That’s enough second rate social commentary, this is a blog about the pleasures and occasional trials of walking the length of the country and eventually I arrived in John O’Groats.
At the end there was John O’Groats
Some Thank Yous
The walk is like a long golden chain of memories but the highlights, the jewels, were the visits by friends, they were always unexpected (at least to me) and touching in the generosity that people demonstrated in their willingness to travel long distances just to see us, cook us meals and share a few beers, in order of their appearances:-
Miar and Tony from Ravenscar who visited us in St. Ives.
Dennis, Wendy, Pete and Joy from Lancaster and Gloucester respectively who arrived at Cheddar
Angela and Terry from Swanwick who came to Edale.
Lee from Grange and Carne from Edinburgh who also showed up in Edale.
Alison who joined us for a day’s walking along the Tees at Middleton.
Carne and Ward from Edinburgh and Glasgow who came to Linlithgow and delivered a delicious chip supper.
Julie and Ian from Falkirk who also came to Linlithgow.
Duncan and Martyn from Kendal and Warton who joined us to enjoy the rigours of camping at Loch Lomond.
Diane and Pete from Inverness, cookers of curry, who shared the Tyndrum midges and several bottles of wine with us.
Duncan and Carne who arrived at Inverness.
Martyn and Carne who made it all the way to John O’Groats!
Unfortunately my Social Secretary, while excellent at arranging these visits rarely stopped talking long enough to take pictures, hence some of these being lifted from Facebook etc.
Thanks also to all the family and friends who couldn’t visit but who followed our progress via social media and cheered us on, it felt like they were with us for every step.
Then there was Arthur, a true star on this adventure, was never naughty, always up for a walk, even when his paws said different, he was great company, and a true hero.
Arthur, always ready for a walk, especially if the sun was shining.
And finally, my heartfelt thanks, gratitude and love to Sandra, without whose support and help I couldn’t have completed the walk.
Sandra, enjoying a swim Freswick Bay, 8 miles south of John O’Groats.
The main trip stats.
Lands End to John O’Groats :- Started 14th March (left Lancaster), finished 13th July:- 1256 Miles, 127477 Feet of Ascent (four and a half Everests), 2,794,822 Paces, 557 Hours of Walking.
Other Unimportant Stats
Total number of days of trip 124
Number of nights we slept in the camper van 101
Number of nights we camped in the old tent 5
Number of nights I backpacked 8
Number of nights at home 8
Others nights 2
Actual days of walking, 79, we had quite a lot of rest days, generally when people came to visit.
Average miles per day, 15¾.
Miles driven in the van, 6065, virtually all by Sandra.
Number of weddings attended, two.
Number of pasties, pies, sausage rolls eaten, umpteen.
Amount of beer consumed, far more than was probably good for me!
Weight lost, about 21 pounds, it would have been higher but for the pasties, pies, beer etc. which fuelled most days. I feel much fitter and healthier than when I started but I can’t recommend a Land's End to John O'Groats walk as a viable weight reduction program.
So, the big question, would I do it again? Probably not, there are other things I want to do, other places I want to go, other adventures I want to have and this trip had been so great than any attempt to repeat it would most likely be an anti-climax, I’ll leave Land’s End to John O’Groats there and be happy with my memories,
To anyone who’s got to the end of this blog, well done and thank you for all your support, it has been most appreciated.
