Gary's John O'Groats to Lands End walk

Final thoughts, statistics and trivia.

2010-10-08T14:36:00.019+01:00

Hello!

If you have just found this blog for the first time I strongly recommend you read it in date order. Please click the link below to be taken to the start of my adventure.

Gary

http://thewalkingmilkman.blogspot.com/2010/08/welcome.html

Final Thoughts

My end-to-end walk was a wonderful experience that I will never forget, I consider it to have been one of the highlights of my life. It was everything I'd hoped it would be and so much more. The scenery I walked through was amazing and everybody I met was very friendly. Surely there can be no better way to explore this beautiful island.

I'm not going to pretend it was easy, 1008 miles is a long way, but the effort was well worthwhile to fulfil a personal ambition and to help raise money towards the vital services that MacMillan provide. Fortunately I had good luck on my side, I managed to stay almost completely clear of injury and I enjoyed good weather most of the way.

By the time I reached Lands End I'd lost nearly a stone in weight and everybody was telling me how tanned and healthy I looked. I'd never felt fitter in my life and given the chance I'd have happily turned around and walked back the other way. I would like to say a huge 'thank-you' to the many people who helped on my way, and especially to everybody who has made a donation to MacMillan.

If you have enjoyed this blog I would be delighted if you would consider making a small donation to MacMillan Cancer Support as part of my fund raising effort. You can do so easily using my Just Giving page, please click here .

Statistics

Based on 48 days my average daily distance was 21.02 miles. Excluding the 5 rest days the average comes to 23.46 miles walked per day.

I was on the move for 267 hours and 11 minutes.

My average walking speed was 3.77 mph.

On 18 separate days I walked more than a full marathon (26.2 miles).

My highest daily mileage was the 33.90 miles covered on day 22, the lowest was 7.64 miles on day 29.

I walked around 2,017,540 steps (based on my average of 2,000 steps per mile).

Though I didn't know it at the time, the half-way point was passed during day 24 on the A6 in Preston, just north of the city centre.

This is an accurate map of the route I walked, it was created by compiling all the GPS tracks;

Q. How do you know you walked exactly 1,008.77 miles?

A. Easy, I took a sensitive Garmin GPS receiver with me (model eTrex Legend Hcx), it recorded my entire route in fine detail. The GPS tracks for each of the 43 days on which I walked are online for anybody to see, you can view them if you click here .

Trivia

On day one I stopped at a supermarket in Wick and bought a multi-pack of Mars Bars, they went into my backpack ready to satisy any hunger between meals. Four of the bars had been eaten by the time I left Scotland, but the fifth one was still there when I reached Lands End forty seven days later.

I only used one proper map on the whole walk (a map of the West Highland Way), I posted it home just five days after I bought it. The rest of the time I solely relied on my smartphone for navigation.

On the morning of day nine I came under attack by a swarm of midges as I packed away my tent. In my hurry to get away I accidentally left without a pole that was part of the frame of the tent. I made do without it until day sixteen when I replaced it with a piece of bamboo bought from a garden centre.

Three weeks before my walk was due to start I took my children on holiday to Blackpool. While we were there they gave a small model of a Toy Story character (a three-eyed alien) to keep as a lucky charm. The next day, having completely forgotten about the lucky charm which was still in my pocket, I entered a casino poker tournament and won a lot of money. After that I decided the alien just had to go on the walk, I fixed it onto the left shoulder strap of my rucksack as soon as we got home. It survived both of the flights to Wick in the hold of the aircraft, then all forty eight days of walking between John o'Groats and Lands End. Coincidentally or not, my good luck lasted all that time too.

In the run up to my end-to-end I'd already lost 6 lbs in weight as a result of my practise walks. Before setting off for John o'Groats I weighed-in at 13st 5lbs (85KG). By the time I returned home my weight had fallen a further 11lbs to 12st 8lbs (80KG).

During the walk I took more than 900 photographs, only a small selection can be featured on this blog. If you would like to see more click here .

The lucky alien, still on the shoulder strap
of my rucksack after 1008.77 miles

Day 48 Newlyn to Lands End

2010-10-06T21:16:00.006+01:00

Wednesday 6th October 2010

After nearly seven weeks away from home I've completely gone off the full English breakfast typically offered in hotels and guesthouses, so I chose to start the final day with a good old fashioned bowl of porridge. The weather decided to be very kind to me again, heavy rain fell overnight but I drew the curtains in the morning to be greeted by a perfect blue sky. After we checked out of our hotel Lea drove me back to Newlyn and I hit the road for the last time.

Near Lamorna, as I passed uphill through a wood, I completed my 1,000th mile. I'd wanted to break the 1,000 mile barrier on this walk so that was a satisfying moment for me. Without all the meandering along the Cornish coast on Sunday and Monday I probably wouldn't have made it without going around the block a few times somewhere. A bit further on, right next to the road near St.Buryan, I came across the fascinating Tregiffian burial chamber, a chambered Neolithic tomb thought to be 4,000 to 5,000 years old. There are many standing stones and other ancient monuments in this area. At Treen after descending into a valley I walked up the last incline of my journey. By now I could see the sea on the horizon in every direction except behind me. When I saw the Lands End Coastguards Rescue Team building I knew the end was very close.

Where the B3315 meets the A30 I caught my first glimpse of the Lands End complex. My daytime refreshment of choice during this walk has been a bottle of isotonic sports drink, but I fancied something different today. Instead of walking straight down the road I first headed a little north into Sennen where I enjoyed a pint of fine Cornish ale at The First And Last Inn. It went down a treat, then it was time for my big moment. The easy downhill mile from the pub to Lands End seemed to go by in no time at all. Lea and John from Dairy Crest were waiting at the finish line to cheer me over. My joy at successfully completing this journey overcame me for a while, I don't mind admitting I was in floods of tears as I crossed the line. After composing myself I carried on through the complex to the famous sign and had the obligatory photo taken.

We stayed at Lands End for a couple of hours savouring the atmosphere. I signed the guestbook for end-to-enders in the hotel reception and found myself being congratulated by many people. A crowd were waiting for a group of cyclists who were due to finish their ride from from John o'Groats, we waited with them and watched as they finished. Unsurprisingly the cyclists had also suffered a last minute delay at the pub in Sennen. Lea and John had both presented me with a bottle of champagne, I'd happily finished one of them by the time we left. The enormity of what I've done began to dawn on me as we drove home. It took ages just to get out of Cornwall using the dual carriageways I'd avoided like the plague while walking, and that was just a small fraction of the distance I'd covered during my incredible journey over last six weeks and six days.

GPS track click here

Mileage today; 11.57 miles, walking time 2 hrs 55 mins, average walking speed 4.0 mph

Weather; Sunny, breezy, max 18C

Cumulative mileage; 1,008.77 miles

The Neolithic Tregiffian burial chamber

The Famous First and Last Inn at Sennen

The end!

Day 47 Camborne to Newlyn

2010-10-05T18:18:00.005+01:00

Tuesday 5th October 2010

My morning started today with a wonderful reception from all the team at the Milk & More depot in Camborne. Manager John, his assistant Jackie and all the other staff were a very friendly bunch and their good humour had me in stitches. After we'd all posed for pictures and while I was preparing to leave John handed me an envelope, it contained a good luck card and a whopping £150 donation for MacMillan. The donation was the total raised by a whip-round among the staff, it was a wonderful surprise and I'd like to thank everybody who contributed at Camborne for their amazing generosity.

Camborne and the surrounding areas used to be the richest place in the world for mining, there are still many ruins of chimney stacks and engine houses. You can't help wondering how it all must have looked in its hey day 150 years ago. After leaving town I headed southwest through the undulating countryside using quiet single-track lanes. There wasnt much too see, in part due to the tall hedgerows that are typical around here. At Barripper there is a cannon in the middle of the village, it was retrieved from the wreck of HMS Association that sunk off the Scilly Isles in 1707.

Giving my legs a rest wasn't the only reason I hadn't headed back to continue along the North Cornwall coast. When I arrived on the other side of the peninsula at Marazion I was treated to great views of St.Michael's Mount. This spectacular tidal island with its impressive castle is only connected to the mainland by a causeway that's exposed at low tide. I bought lunch in town and relaxed on a bench for an hour watching small boats going to and fro in the sunshine. From Marazion I continued west around Mounts Bay. The path goes past Penzance railway station. This really is the end of the line, being both the most southerly and the most westerly railway station in England. As I walked along the promenade at Penzance I was sprayed a few times with seawater being thrown up by waves crashing on the seawall, it was quite refreshing in the afternoon sun. While here I noticed a road sign directing traffic to Lands End for the first time.

At Newlyn I passed the harbour which was packed with fishing vessels. Fishing is clearly big business here and there were many shops selling fresh catches. From there I climbed up through some steep narrow lanes to the B3315 which heads out of town to the west. That will be my final route to Lands End, I've left myself around 10 miles to do tomorrow.

GPS track click here

Mileage today 18.83 miles, walking time 4 hrs 54 mins, average walking speed 3.8 mph

Weather; Overcast in the morning, sunny in the afternoon, breezy, max 18C

Cumulative mileage; 997.20 miles

The cannon at Barripper

St.Michaels Mount in Mounts Bay

The fishing fleet in Newlyn harbour with Penzance in the background

Day 46 Newquay to Camborne

2010-10-04T22:56:00.006+01:00

Monday 4th October 2010

As Lea is now staying with me in Cornwall I had another opportunity today to walk without carrying most of my kit. However, I've carried my full pack all this way and got on just fine, I'm used to the weight and I don't want to risk changing anything now. I've decided I'll carry all my gear to the very end whether I need it or not, it's as much a part of the walk as me. Lea brought our spare camera to replace the one I broke yesterday, fortunately all the 100+ shots were still safely stored on the memory card.

Today would turn out to be a hard day, but with great weather and more spectacular coastline to enjoy. After finding my way out of Newquay I walked for a mile or so along the soft sand on the western side of the Gannel Estuary. After climbing up onto the coast path the marvelous views soon carried on from where they left off yesterday. First was Crantock Bay, then I came across a couple of beautiful but deserted small beaches hidden away between headlands. Once again the coast path is not the quickest way to get from A to B, each beach or valley you come to involves making detours, descents and ascents to move onto the next headland. Holywell was the next scenic beach with its massive sand dunes and surfers in the waves.

After Holywell you start walking alongside MOD land. Among the warning signs I saw as I passed strange military equipment were those bluntly saying 'Warning - troops in training, stay away from miltary debris, it may explode and kill you'. Maybe it's not only the roads that are danger to walkers after all. Soon after I saw the first old mine shafts of the day, uncapped but fenced off. Penhale Sands then came into view, luckily the tide was out and I was able to walk along the two or three miles of spectacular beach here, the firm sand offered the easiest walking of the day. At the other end I came to the pretty town of Perranporth. I took my only break of any length here and treated myself to a Cornish ice cream after finishing the rest of my lunch. By the time I continued on my way I noticed the Penhale Sands had been covered by the incoming tide, if I'd arrived an hour later I'd have had to go another way.

After Perranporth the path starts to get harder and you really know you're coming into the tin mining area. There are slag heaps and old mineworkings everywhere. Most of the mineshafts are vertical with grills over the top, but some are horizontal and you can still just walk in. I stopped and peered into one, it looked damp and very cramped, theres no way I could have gone in at six foot tall without stooping down. Around the St. Agnes area there are still many ruins of old mine buildings to be seen, the best preserved were at Wheal Coates. When I stopped at one of the many viewpoints between Perranporth and St. Agnes to take a picture I found myself in conversation with a friendly couple from Yorkshire who were walking the other way, by the time we parted they had very kindly given me a donation for MacMillan.

As the afternoon wore on the coast path started to remind me of the mountainous parts of the West Highland Way. The climbs were getting very harsh and you have to go carefully on the loose rocky surfaces. As in Scotland though all the hard work is very well rewarded with more spectacular views at every turn. Between Porthtowan and Portreath alongside more MOD land there were some very steep sections going down into and up out of valleys where you have to clamber up and down rugged steps carved into the hillsides.

After 24 miles of hard leg work and feasting my eyes on the superb scenery I left the coast path at Portreath. From there I walked three miles inland to the Milk & More depot at Camborne. It was shut that late in the day, but I will return there tomorrow morning and resume walking after meeting the staff. I'm still considering my route options for final two days, but I intend to arrive at Lands End at lunchtime on Wednesday. My right heel is improving and almost feels back to normal, I have no blisters or other injurys to report. Something pretty awful would have to happen now to stop me making the finish.

GPS track click here

Mileage today; 27.23 miles, walking time 7 hrs 55 mins, average walking speed 3.4 mph

Weather; mainly sunny, becoming overcast in the late afternoon, breezy, max 17C

Cumulative mileage; 978.37 miles

Arriving at Penhale Sands, three miles long and a surfers paradise

Tin mine ruins at Wheal Coates south of St.Agnes

Typical rugged scenery on the North Cornwall coast

Day 45 Harlyn to Newquay

2010-10-03T17:54:00.007+01:00

Sunday 3rd October 2010

Another inch or so of rain fell in Cornwall this morning. Luckily for me it all came down the early hours while I was still tucked-up in bed. I watched the last few rainclouds blow away while I ate my breakfast. Lea had left much earlier, skipping her breakfast, to make sure she would be back in Exmouth in time for work.

The days walking started with a stroll across the sands of Harlyn Bay, the first of several beaches I would tread upon on today, there were already surfers in the water. The coast path then climbed up and took me around Trevose Head. The coast here is rugged but spectacular. I hadn't been walking for long before it became clear that I was in for a day of amazing scenery. There was a stiff wind blowing off the Atlantic, huge waves and white surf were crashing over rocks everywhere. You are left in doubt of the power of the sea, mother nature is the boss in these parts.

The path was unsurprisingly covered by wide puddles in places, slippery and muddy much of the way, but this was a small price to pay for the amazing coastal views. As I headed south the path took me past beautiful coves and cliffs, occasionally dropping down onto golden beaches such as those at Boobys Bay and Treyamon. The South West Coast Path here really is true to it's name, it follows the coast faithfully. You can see, hear and smell the sea at all times. On some national trails earlier in my walk, The Great Glen Way and The Severn Way for example, I found myself walking through places that didn't really fit the title.

At Treyamon the heavy rain of the last 48 hours running off the land had formed a wide and fast river running across the beach. The only way I could see to get across was to take off my boots and socks, roll up my trouser legs and paddle through. That was fun and it worked fine, but unfortunately my camera dropped out of my pocket and into wet sand for a split second while I was pulling off a boot. It wouldn't switch back on afterwards. I'm not worried about the camera, I just hope the pictures from the last few days haven't been lost. The memory card didn't get wet. I swopped to taking pictures on my mobile phone, which wasn't really useful for much else at the time, I hadn't seen any network coverage since leaving Padstow the previous afternoon.

The breathtaking scenes continued as I headed south. The path is hard work, you're always dropping down into steep valleys then climbing back up the other side, but it's well worth the effort. I took my only break of the day at Mawgan Porth where I watched horse riders exercising their mounts on the sand.

The afternoon continued in the same vein as the morning, again and again I found myself stopping to admire spectacular views as Newquay slowly got closer. We all see places like the Cornish coast on TV, but that comes nowhere close to actually being there in the flesh and taking it all in for real. As I arrived in town there were dozens of surfers bobbing up and down in the sea at Newquay's famous beaches waiting for that perfect wave to ride.

Considering the relatively low mileage today had been fairly tough, but highly exhilarating at the same time. I rate the scenery on the South West Coast Path as good as any other I've seen on the walk, The Highlands of Scotland included. Why some walkers choose to pass through Cornwall on the awful A30 dual carriageway when there is so much natural beauty just a few miles away I will never know.

I'm so close to Lands End now I could easily hit the road tomorrow and get this over and done with in a couple of days. I've decided I'd prefer to spread the remaining miles over three days though. This means I won't have to hurry and can enjoy more of the coast path, also it will leave me an easy final day on Wednesday and plenty of time that afternoon to savour the climax of this walk.

GPS track click here

Mileage today; 17.82 miles, walking time 5 hrs 11 mins, average walking speed 3.4 mph

Weather; sunny spells, windy, max 18C

Cumulative mileage; 951.14 miles

Trevose Head Lighthouse, built in 1847

The coast path was a bit tricky in places after the recent heavy rain

Typical scenery north of Newquay

Day 44 Bodmin to Harlyn

2010-10-02T20:55:00.010+01:00

Saturday 2nd October 2010

It was with great relief that I awoke to this mornings sunny start. Just about everything in my pack had got damp to a certain extent during yesterdays deluge. When it rains that hard and you're out walking for hours it doesn't matter how good your waterproof stuff is, you will get wet, water will get in your boots, the banknotes in your wallet will get wet, if you're camping you will realise that even your sleeping bag got wet.

Heading west from Bodmin offered three choices of route to Wadebridge. I ruled out the Camel Trail, a path along a disused rail track, as I was sure this section would be very muddy. The A-roads around here are busy, narrow and twisting, they don't cater for pedestrians at all. Having survived this far I'd much rather finish my journey on foot than in a hearse, so I went for the third option, those country lanes again.

The lanes were very quiet indeed, as I followed the River Camel on it's southern side I saw as many people on horseback as driving vehicles. There were vineyards to be seen in the valley here. The hills were harsh again, in Bishops Wood I carefully made my way down a 28% descent, the steepest signposted hill I've come across in all 44 days.

By midday I'd reached Wadebridge. I stopped there and bought myself a full English breakfast in a pub. As I finished my meal I was delighted to get a call from my partner Lea telling me that she was also in town. Having had a shorter than usual day at work she'd driven all the way down from Exmouth to surprise me.

When we left the pub Lea drove on ahead to Padstow while I made my way there on the Camel Trail. It was superb here, a good hard surface taking it along the Camel estuary with spectacular views all the way. The trail was very busy with walkers and cyclists enjoying the pleasant day. The bicycle hire shops at each end were doing good business. I wasn't surprised, I don't think I've ever seen a better example of an old railway line being converted for leisure use.

Padstow was a wonderful little place. The harbour area is full of charm and character, I was very glad I'd decided to go out of my way a little and include it on my route. There were plenty of people in town and Rick Stein's famous fish n' chip shop had a queue out of the door. We spent a couple of hours sat by the harbour people watching and savouring the atmosphere.

We've decided to spend the night three miles further down the coast at Harlyn. I walked here from Padstow along the road. For the first time in this journey I find myself face to face with the Atlantic Ocean. This is real surfers territory, as I arrived there were dozens of them in the sea at Harlyn Bay.

Tomorrow I will make my to Newquay, the UK's surfing capital, via the South West Coast Path.

GPS track click here

Mileage today; 17.97 miles, walking time 4 hrs 44 mins, average walking speed 3.8 mph

Weather; bright spells, max 17C

Cumulative mileage; 933.32 miles

The very steep hill in Bishops Wood

The Camel Trail crosses this old railway bridge between Wadebridge and Padstow

Padstow Harbour

Day 43 Tideford to Bodmin

2010-10-01T18:57:00.004+01:00

Friday 1st October 2010

I'd been hoping the weather forecast for today would be incorrect, unfortunately it wasn't. The predicted rain had been lashing down all night and I stepped out of the B&B wearing the full set of waterproofs. For the third day in a row most of my day would be spent heading west on narrow country lanes, though this time it would be in the sort of conditions I haven't seen since I went over the summit of Shap Fell.

To begin my best route was north of the A38, I passed though small villages with typical Cornish names like Doddycross and Menheniot. Liskeard was the only town of any size on my route today. It was only a third of the way to Bodmin and I don't usually like to take a break that early, but considering the foul weather I took the chance to get a cup of tea and a slice of cake. I didn't have the stomach for a proper lunch that early having had the full works for breakfast.

The Ryder Cup teams, playing their match not a million miles away, might have decided to abandon play for the day, but that was never an option for me. Wave after wave of heavy rain blew across as I continued on my way, by now to the south of the A38 after Liskeard. Apart from half an hour on the A390 I managed to stick to quiet country lanes as far as the outskirts of Bodmin. It was fairly hilly going again, some of the lanes looked more like rivers than roads, but at least I was away from the traffic.

As I passed through the centre of Bodmin on my way to the campsite the rain finally ceased. All the hotels and B&Bs I saw in town had signs up saying they had vacancies, I have to admit I was very tempted to wimp out of the camping and pay for a night in the warm and dry, but the sun began to shine just in time for the campsite to win the battle of the scruples and save me a few quid.

Tomorrow I will walk to Padstow on the North Cornwall coast. It had been my intention to make my way from there to Lands End using the scenic coast path. After today's rain all the off-road paths may have turned into quagmires, so it could be that I'll have to reconsider that plan.

GPS track click here

Mileage today; 23.41 miles, walking time 5 hrs 54 mins, average walking speed 4.0 mph

Weather; very wet, windy, max 17C

Cumulative mileage; 915.35 miles

You often come across old Celtic crosses in Cornwall

Menheniot on a wet day

I saw this old mile marker by the roadside

Day 42 Modbury to Tideford

2010-09-30T20:51:00.012+01:00

Thursday 30th September 2010

After leaving California Cross in the early mist I continued my journey westwards through the Devon countryside. The narrow lanes in this area were almost completely traffic-free, there was often half an hour or more between vehicles. Once again the hills were hard work, one long steep stretch heading out of Ermington was possibly the toughest climb I've come across since I came into England.

My walk started in the summer, but it's very clear by now that I've walked my way into autumn. It's not only the deteriorating weather and much earlier sunsets, the trees are changing colour, leaves are beginning to fall and increasingly often I'm finding myself treading on horse-chestnuts, acorns and the like.

With 10 miles or so covered I crossed the A38 on a bridge, found myself on busy roads again and came into Plympton. With rain falling I took the chance to get in the dry and had my lunch in a cafe. Not much further on I dropped into Plymouth's Milk & More depot, it's handily placed for me to the north of the city meaning I could avoid the central areas. While there I enjoyed a very warm welcome from the management team of Nick and Joe as well as product controller Dave, office girl Marie and many other friendly staff.

From the depot I skirted around the northern suburbs of Plymouth until the Tamar Bridge suddenly came into view at St.Budeaux. Another of Brunel's pioneering Victorian bridges takes the railway across the River Tamar right next to the road bridge. The Tamar marks the border between Devon and Cornwall, when I crossed it I entered the final county of this amazing journey. The bridge takes you right into Saltash, I stopped there, found the local bakery and treated myself to a Cornish pasty. All us Devonians know that the pasty was actually invented in Devon by monks in 1105, but the Cornish have perfected them in modern times and it seemed an apt way to mark the moment.

Through Devon I'd managed to avoid walking along the obnoxious A38, the nearest thing to a motorway in these parts. Unfortunately it was unavoidable for a couple of miles west of Saltash this afternoon, but I could make my final approach to Tideford on country lanes. As I made my down the last steep hill of the day, a harsh 1 in 4, my thighs let me know they'd had their best workout in a long time. After walking this far if I come across anything particularly steep I'd rather be going up than going down.

I've entered Cornwall free of blisters, my slightly sore and swollen achilles heel remains a concern, but it's giving me no real trouble. Tomorrow I will avoid the treacherous A38 and make my way to Bodmin via rural lanes.

GPS track click here

Mileage today; 26.11 miles, walking time 6 hrs 39 mins, average walking speed 3.9 mph

Weather; early mist, then mainly overcast with some bright spells and some light showers

Cumulative mileage; 891.94 miles

A crooked church spire in Ermington

Walking under the A38 at Plymouth (much preferable to walking on it!)

Arriving at the Tamar Bridge, Brunels's railway bridge is to the left

Day 41 Maidencombe to Modbury

2010-09-29T20:23:00.004+01:00

Wednesday 29th September

My first task this morning was to finish the nasty stretch of road between Maidencombe and Torquay. Much like yesterday it had to be walked in murky weather. It wasn't too long before I reached the outskirts of Torquay. I made my way to the Milk & More depot where I was greeted by Tim and Dave.

After passing rows of Fawlty Towers type hotels I had a quick look around historic Torre Abbey before emerging on Torquay seafront. There might be palm trees everywhere but the English Riviera didn't look particularly impressive in the rain. I made my way along the front to Paignton with it's colourful beach huts and pier. The prices advertised by the B&Bs here were the lowest I'd seen anywhere in the whole country.

From Paignton I headed west and made my way inland. Devon is quite a hilly county, if you're passing through on foot steep climbs are are unavoidable and I soon had a few typical examples to tackle. By now though, weeks after conquering the Highlands, I can honestly say I'm not really troubled by hills. In fact after making my way through most of England on mainly flat routes I now quite enjoy a few undulations for the variety. I stayed off the main roads and made my way to Totnes using quiet rural lanes. Totnes would be the only town on my route after leaving the coast so I stopped there for lunch.

By mid-afternoon the intermittent rain had stopped and was replaced by pleasant sunshine. I continued west along more deserted hilly lanes and was treated to many fine views of the Devon countryside, with the peaks of Dartmoor always visible on the horizon. I could see the unmistakeable rock formations at Haytor which I walked to in training a couple of months ago. There were some pretty villages and hamlets on my route including Harburtonford.

Soon after crossing (yet another) River Avon at Garra Bridge I reached the California Cross Campsite 3 miles east of Modbury where I'm stopping tonight. My sore heel is still tender, but it didn't hinder me again today. My worries about it are easing a bit now that it's coped with two days of walking without either worsening or causing any significant discomfort.

After another ten miles or so of making my way along country lanes tomorrow I will pass through the northern parts of Plymouth and visit the local Milk & More depot. When I cross the Tamar Bridge in the afternoon I will enter Cornwall, the last county of my walk. I've booked a B&B a few miles west of Saltash. If everything goes to plan this will all be over in a week.

GPS track click here

Mileage today; 23.12 miles, walking time 5 hrs 55 mins, average speed 3.9 mph

Weather; intermittent light rain until mid-afternoon, then sunny spells, max 17C

Cumulative mileage; 865.83 miles

Ruins and palm trees at Torre Abbey, Torquay

Paignton Pier

Harburtonford

Day 40 Exeter to Maidencombe

2010-09-28T22:18:00.007+01:00

Tuesday 28th September 2010

The rest day in my own home on Monday had been the best thing imaginable at this stage of the walk. One thing had played on my mind though as I took my day off, my right achilles heel has become a little sore and stiff. I decided to walk as planned today and see how it goes, I'm also planning to redcuce my average daily mileage from here to the finish to try and avoid making it worse.

Arriving back at the Milk & More depot in Exeter this morning was great fun, everybody gave me a wonderful reception. Seeing all my workmates for the first time in ages was a real treat. A big good luck message had been fixed to the side of my milkfloat. The best surprise of all was to find that no less than three people were going to walk with me. Marcus, who maintains the Milk & More fleet went to great lengths to spare a couple of hours despite being snowed under with work. Product controller Steve, who has completed many long distance charity walks in the past, and office girl Sally had both volunteered to do the whole day.

After posing for photos we left the depot in pleasant weather. After three miles of road walking we joined the towpath of the Exeter Ship Canal and headed south. We passed under the southern end of the M5, 11 days ago I walked under the northern end at West Bromwich. As expected the canal was ideal for walking and we caught plenty of glimpses of wildlife. The canal empties into the Exe Estuary at Turf Lock, from there we continued along the Exe Estuary Trail.

Marcus had been a great walking companion, but he had to leave us when we reached Powderham. As we went along the estuary by Powderham Castle we saw a herd of deer and stags, a woodpecker and a crane. Unfortunately drizzle started to fall by the time we reached Starcross, light rain and drizzle then continued for the rest of the day. Between Starcross, only a mile across the estuary from my home in Exmouth, and Dawlish Warren we had to walk on roads again for a while, but from there on we able to spent most of the day walking along the coast path.

Dawlish was well placed for our lunchbreak, we approached the town walking along the seawall where trains are very exposed to the elements during stormy weather. The line along the coast here is one of Britains most spectacular stretches of rail and it's often seen on TV. Due to the rain we opted to take our rest in a cafe. After leaving Dawlish our previously flat route started to get quite hilly. We were never going to be able to avoid the notorious Devon hills forever and the coast path to Teignmouth gave us our first hard work. We entered Teignmouth on another section of seawall before cutting through town and crossing Shaldon Bridge. We then headed back to the coast path, watching fishermen reeling-in catches as we went.

The hills got taller and steeper south of Shaldon. The views were good when the rain eased, but the constant ups and downs through fields of cows were hard work in the miserable weather. Often the official coast path is hard to follow so we just wandered through fields in what looked like the right direction and hoped for the best. As we came close to Maidencombe we decided to return to the road hoping to find a footpath running alongside it. Unfortunately there was no path and the road here was narrow, bendy and very busy, easily the most unpleasant place we'd found ourselves walking all day.

In bad weather and with the light falling we called it a day just north of Torquay. Sally and Steve had both done a brilliant job and had walked 22 miles each. Sally in particular put in an amazing effort, she had never taken on a such long walk before, but managed to push herself through some tough sections towards the end. I finished feeling relieved that my heel, while still a bit sore, hadn't worsened or really troubled me to any degree. I'd thoroughly enjoyed walking along the estuary and the coast with my workmates. Tomorrow I will resume walking from Maidencombe. After a visit to the Milk & More depot in Torquay I will be making my way through the Devon countryside before stopping at a campsite near Brownston.

I would like to say a big 'thank-you' to all the Exeter Milk & More staff for such a warm welcome today and for their continued support thoughout my walk. Andy, Steve, Marcus and Sally in particular deserve a special mention for putting themselves forward and volunteering to walk with me.

GP:S data click here

Mileage today; 22.08 miles, walking time 7 hrs 6 mins, average walking speed 3.1 mph

Weather; a bright start, then light rain and drizzle, max 17C

Cumulative mileage; 842.71 miles

The four walkers prepare to leave Exeter. Sally, myself, Steve and Marcus.

Turf Lock

A view of Teignmouth from the coast path

Day 39 Rest day in Exeter

2010-09-27T18:48:00.000+01:00

Monday 27th September

Day 38 Taunton to Exeter

2010-09-26T21:23:00.004+01:00

Sunday 26th September 2010

After leaving my accomodation I had a mile to walk to get to the Taunton Milk & More depot. Unfortunately it's closed on a Sunday so I didn't have the chance to introduce myself to any local staff. However, my Exeter colleague Andy was already there waiting for me. Andy had bravely volunteered to join me for a tough day of road walking.

As soon as we set off I could see that Andy was an ideal walking partner. He's as tall as me, has an equally long stride and and his natural brisk pace meant he'd have no trouble keeping up. For the second day in a row the weather was perfect, we enjoyed glorious sunshine with a cool breeze that stopped us getting too hot. Taunton was soon behind us as we headed off into the Somerset countryside. For several miles we were overlooked by the Wellington Monument which dominates this area from the highest point of the Blackdown Hills. Andy is just as good at talking as he is at walking, that was great news for me because the miles seemed to fly by in no time at all. When we stopped for lunch at Cullompton we'd already crossed the border into Devon and covered more than half the days total distance.

I don't know if it's my imagination, but the English countryside seems to get greener and greener as you head further south. Also by now the ploughed fields were clearly showing the distinctive red Devonshire soil that I haven't seen for so many weeks. With no footpaths or canals going our way we had no choice but to spend the whole day on tarmac. The quiet lanes were our favourite, but fortunately, despite the great weather, the main roads weren't that busy at all. I'd incorrectly predicted that the Sunday drivers would be out in force. After lunch we pushed on as far as Broadclyst at a good pace. We stopped there for a short break, but were disappointed to find the local shop closed when we fancied an ice cream. When I spotted Woodbury Castle in the distance I realised how close I was to home, it can be seen from many parts of Exmouth and Exeter. With a couple of miles to go another colleague Marcus turned up to give us moral support and he brought a very welcome drink, an open shop meant we were able to buy our ice creams in Pinhoe. Soon after we reached the Exeter Milk & More depot where our loved ones were waiting.

Andy has shown great strength of character and stamina today by walking nearly 28 miles with me at a very good pace, that's further than a full marathon. I'm very grateful to him for joining me and being such a brilliant walking partner. Reaching Exeter marks a major landmark for me. I'm stopping for a rest day in my own home, a priceless luxury after five and a half weeks away. The end of my journey may seem close to some, but to get complacent now would be a big mistake. There is still a very long way to go and I will remain fully focused on the job in hand until I reach the finish line.

Monday will be a rest day, much needed after a week of very high mileage. The walking will recommence on Tuesday when I leave Exeter and make my way to Torquay.

GPS data click here

Milage today; 28.86 miles, walking time 7 hrs 34 mins, average walking speed 3.8 mph

Weather; mainly sunny with a cool breeze, max 17C

Cumulative mileage; 820.63 miles

Taunton

The Wellington Monument on the Blackdown Hills

Andy and myself shortly after arriving in Exeter

Day 37 Weston-Super-Mare to Taunton

2010-09-25T22:08:00.009+01:00

Saturday 25th September 2010

My morning today started with a visit to the Weston-Super-Mare Milk & More depot. Manager Mark was there to greet me, I also met many other friendly staff at a busy time of their day. Mark, who is kindly organising a collection for MacMillan, joined me as I set off and we got the days walking underway. When we reached the B&B where I stayed last night my parents were waiting for us and they took over from Mark.

It was a great personal honour for me to have my Mum and Dad, Eileen and Bill, join me on the walk today. They have not only supported me as well as possible during this walk, but through my whole life in general. Both are retired, but obviously still very fit, they easily managed a mile and a half at my side before wishing me well and turning back to return to their car.

In the best walking weather of all thirty seven days so far I headed off along the A370 and A38 through the Somerset Levels. The busy A38 had many warning signs saying it was a 'red route'. This has nothing to do with stopping restrictions, the red must refer to bloodshed. The signs also quote the figure of 723 casualties in 5 years. Luckily for me there was a good footpath all the way, annoyingly though it often switched from one side of the road to the other, crossing was not easy.

At Pawlett I stopped on a bench in a quiet park and enjoyed the lunch my mum had given me earlier. A little while later I reached the town of Bridgwater, famous in these parts for it's huge annual carnival. At Bridgwater I stocked up with refreshments before joining the canal which would take me the rest of the way to Taunton.

The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal gave me a typical towpath walk; peaceful, tranquil, traffic free and flat. With just a few fishermen and dog walkers around it was a welcome respite from the busy weekend roads. This canal is still navigable, but easily the quietest of those I have walked along with hardly any watercraft around. In many places there were still WWII bunkers to be seen along the canal, something I hadn't seen on the canals further north. Surprisingly there were also big swarms of midges, by far the worst I'd seen since The Highlands. Luckily they seem to leave people alone and don't instantly attack human flesh like their Scottish relatives.

The canal took me right into the centre of Taunton. It somehow seemed apt I should stay here. On my way into town I passed the Somerset County Cricket stadium. In 1985 Somerset cricket legend Ian Botham went into the local hospital with a sports injury. After taking a wrong turn and going into a children's ward Botham was shocked to learn that some of them only had weeks to live. Soon after he set off on the first of his many charity walks, it was from John o'Groats to Lands End. Sir Ian Botham has since raised an incredible £12 million for charities through his walking.

After a day of high mileage I was pleased to finish feeling quite strong. Today should be the last time I post a daily total of over 30 miles. Tomorrow I have another exciting day to look forward to, I will be crossing into my home county Devon. The finest city of them all, Exeter, where I work and know so many people, is my destination. My good friend Andy from the Exeter Milk & More depot has volunteered to walk the whole 28 mile stage with me. Will he be able keep up? Good question. I'll let you know tomorrow!

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 32.65 miles, walking time 8 hrs 1 min, average walking speed 4.1 mph

Weather; sunny with a cool breeze, max 16C

Cumulative mileage; 791.77 miles

The rebuilt Grand Pier at Weston-Super-Mare, I was in town shortly before it
was due to reopen after being destroyed by a fire in 2008

The A38 Red Route

The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal

Day 36 Clevedon to Weston-Super-Mare

2010-09-24T17:41:00.011+01:00

Today was a day of not many miles, but plenty of excitement. MacMillan Cancer Support hold an annual 'Worlds Biggest Coffee Morning' event and today was the chosen date for this year.

My morning started with a short walk to the local coffee morning at Challicoms of Clevedon, they are a business who very kindly do a lot of fundraising on behalf of MacMillan and other charities. While I was there I was very well looked after by all the friendly staff, particularly Liz, Nicola and Val. The coffee and home-made cakes were delicious. I spoke to Trudi, a local newspaper reporter, and we all posed for pictures. As I left I was delighted to be given very generous donations for MacMillan.

Before leaving Clevedon I wanted to visit the lovely Victorian pier, so I headed back down to the seafront, still wearing my MacMillan t-shirt and with my pack on my back. As soon as the staff realised what I was doing they decided to waive the entry fee and let me go on for free. After having a good look around and enjoying the superb views I was astounded when pier manager Linda presented me with a goody bag. It's contents included pier souvenirs, chocolate and Kendal Mint Cake. I left Clevedon a very happy man after all the people at Challicoms and the pier had been so kind to me.

The shortest official walking route from Clevedon to Weston-Super-Mare takes a huge detour inland to Congresbury before heading back to the coast. You can't simply just walk along the coast path here because the way is blocked by unbridged rivers. However, after a close look at online satellite images I could see there were some sluice gates on private land over the Blind Yeo river that might let me avoid the detour. I headed south west through country lanes until I came in to the area in question and took my chance. I passed through a farmyard, along some tracks, went through a couple of unlocked gates, found the sluice gates and crossed the river successfully. If there had been someone around I would have asked for permission to pass through, but I didn't see anybody and I wasn't challenged. The last gate I came to before reaching a proper road again was locked so I climbed over, on the other side a sign said 'private track, no access'. Oh well, it was too late by then and I'd saved myself several extra miles of walking by skipping the detour.

Soon after I came to the village of Wick St.Lawrence. By chance I stumbled across another MacMillan coffee morning event that was being held in Wick St. Lawrence Church. I found myself invited in and was soon enjoying more food including delicious sandwiches, cookies and coffee with a very friendly group of ladies. They were busy preparing for their flower festival that's being held this weekend. Everybody was amazed that a MacMillan end-to-end walker just happened to be passing by. I found myself the centre of attention for the third time in a day and left with yet another generous donation in my pocket.

An hour later I reached Weston-Super-Mare where I happily met my parents as planned, they have arranged a B&B where we are staying tonight. Tomorrow morning I will drop in at the local Milk & More depot before setting off on the 30+ mile trek to Taunton.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 11.24 miles, walking time 2 hrs 47 mins, average walking speed 4.0 mph

Weather; overcast and windy, max 16C

Cumulative mileage; 759.12 miles

Walking on to Clevedon Pier, a grade 1 listed buiding

The spot where the long abandoned Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light
Railway crossed the Blind Yeo, I took my shortcut over sluice gates here

Wick St.Lawrence Church. I realised I'd stumbled across my second MacMillan Worlds Biggest Coffee morning event of the day when I saw the balloons on the gate

Day 35 Yate to Clevedon

2010-09-23T21:47:00.016+01:00

Thursday 23rd September 2010

This morning started with Merle and Dave very kindly driving me all the way back at the Yate Milk & More depot after my night being spoilt rotten at their Bristol home. On arrival I met a very friendly bunch of people including manager Paul, supervisor Will, roundsman Mike and office girls Gill and Brenda.

Paul made a great gesture by taking time out of his busy schedule and walking with me for the first five and a half miles of the day. Having such good company seemed to make those miles whizz by in no time at all. We took a route from Yate that went through the northern and western edges of Bristol meaning that I could avoid passing through the city centre. On my way through I saw the Bristol Rolls Royce works and the Concorde next to the runway at Filton Airport.

At Clifton Down I stopped for a rest and ate the lunch that Merle had prepared for me earlier. Soon after I enjoyed one of the biggest highlights of my walk so far when I crossed the spectacular Clifton Suspension Bridge and entered Somerset. When choosing my route Isambard Kingdom Brunel's amazing creation easily beat the only other contender for crossing the River Avon, the M5 motorway bridge. I'd been looking forward to this moment since before my walk even began. It was not only a spectacular sight, it was a major landmark to me, I have now entered the South West and begun the final quarter of my journey. While going over the bridge I unexpectedly found myself feeling quite emotional for only the second time since I left John o'Groats five weeks ago (the first time had been when I reached the end of the West Highland Way and completed my amazing 8 day journey through the Highlands of Scotland back on day 14). I spent at least half an hour at the bridge savouring the views, taking pictures and having a look around the excellent visitors centre.

The afternoon was spend dodging traffic on B-roads as I made my way to Clevedon, only stopping for another short break at Failand. Clevedon is a small seaside town with a quaint Victorian pier. There are good views of Wales across the Bristol Channel from here, the TV in my room is tuned into Welsh regional channels.

Tomorrow morning I'm attending a MacMillan World's Biggest Coffee Morning event in Clevedon. After leaving I will make my way along the coast to Weston-Super-Mare, I'm meeting my parents there, they are travelling across from the New Forest to visit me on the walk. A blister formed under the small toe today on my right foot today, I can feel it a bit as I walk, but it's not really bothering me.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 25.45 miles, walking time 6 hrs 31 mins, average walking speed 3.9 mph

Weather; an overcast morning followed by light showers and sunny spells in the afternoon, max 19C

Cumulative mileage; 747.88 miles

Approaching the superb Clifton Suspension Bridge

The Concorde I saw by the runway at Filton Airport

A view of the North Somerset countryside on my way to Clevedon

Day 34 Gloucester to Yate

2010-09-22T22:00:00.004+01:00

Wednesday September 22nd 2010

One of the biggest pleasures of this walk is having the good fortune to meet so many kind-hearted people. I can now add Mary to that list after I was so well looked after during my stay in her home.

Fantastic news reached me from Wigan overnight. Lorna who walked with me on Day 25 has managed to raise a total of £174.05 for MacMillan Cancer Support. Thank-you so much to her and her sponsors for such a brilliant effort.

Surprisingly my legs felt very fresh this morning, no sign of any aches, pains, fatigue or stiffness after yesterdays 31 miles. After working my way through some housing estates I joined the A38 and headed south. Walking along a busy road for 12 miles isn't the best of fun, but I always had a footpath or cycle lane to use and it took me in a dead straight line exactly the way I needed to go.

After a short break for a cold drink and a bite to eat I was able to leave the A38 near Berkeley and take country lanes. The going was much more pleasant now, passing through rural areas with the roads mainly being used by tractors and the occasional horse rider. I went through some charming hamlets and villages like Tortworth.

At Michaelwood I went under the M5. It was strange passing by on foot when I have stopped so often at the Michaelwood Motorway Services during car journeys. Not far from there I was surprised to come across HMP Leyhill in it's rural setting. There are no high walls or barbed wire fences at this low security prison.

By mid-afternoon I fancied another cold drink in the warm sunshine. I had water in my pack, but nothing beats a cold one straight from the fridge. At Cromhall there were several signs directing passers by to the local shop, proudly 'run by the community'. Well, the community must have been having the day off, the shop was shut despite my arrival being right in the middle of it's advertised opening hours. I decided to keep going until I saw the next shop or open pub. Amazingly this wouldn't be until I reached Yate. Over the last couple of weeks it's been very easy for me to buy provisions whenever I like with shops seemingly everywhere. This afternoon was a reminder that I should never take the availability of food and drink for granted.

My final route towards Yate was along the B4058, busier than the lanes before it. When I arrived I finally found and enjoyed my cold drink, by this time my feet were telling me that they don't like a day on Tarmac as much as yesterdays grassy fields.

So, it's been another day and another marathon. Merle, sister of my partner Lea, and her husband Dave are very kindly putting me up in their Bristol home tonight. Dave has also gone to the trouble of picking me up from the Yate Milk & More depot in the rush hour traffic. I'm lucky enough to be getting the VIP treatment again and being provided with everything a weary traveller could possibly ask. Tomorrow, after resuming from Yate I will pass through central Bristol and over The Clifton Suspension Bridge as I make my way to Clevedon on the North Somerset coast.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 26.67 miles, walking time 6 hrs 31 mins, average walking speed 4.1 mph

Weather; hazy sunshine, max 20C

Cumulative mileage; 722.43 miles

Gloucester Cathedral

As I passed through the countryside I spotted this MacMillan sign

One of the many Gloucestershire chocolate box cottages

Day 33 Worcester to Gloucester

2010-09-21T20:58:00.005+01:00

Tuesday 21st September 2010

There was a thick fog in the air when I woke in Worcester this morning. After packing away my tent I keenly headed off south on the Severn Way, which handily runs right next to the spot where I'd camped.

It didn't start quite as well as I'd hoped, the overgrown grass in the first couple of fields was knee high and my trousers soon got soaked by the heavy dew. This was followed by walking along the side of a field of tall maize, then across a freshly ploughed field. The Severn Way joins the A38 near Clifton for a while, the road wasn't nearly as busy as I expected and there was a good footpath so I decided to stick with it for a while to cut out some meanders in the course of the river. In fact I decided to stick to the east bank of the Severn all the way to Tewkesbury (the Severn Way crosses over to the west bank). I picked up riverside footpaths again from Ryall, these were slow going in places with broken stiles and banks of stinging nettles as tall as me, but they gave me a reasonable enough off-road route the rest of the way.

By the time I arrived in town the sun had burned away the last of the fog. With nearly 14 miles covered it was time for lunch, I bought a sandwich in a supermarket and rested on a bench overlooking the River Avon. Tewkesbury was one of my favourite towns of this whole walk, it's full of character and there are many well preserved Tudor buildings. I saw very little evidence of the severe flood that hit the town in 2007.

With the sun shining I took the Severn Way all the way from Tewkesbury to Gloucester. It was much better terrain here, all the grass fields were kept well trimmed by the cows and sheep. I took a short afternoon break at The Red Lion Inn, it is in a fantastic location overlooking the Severn. I saw many caravan parks along the river through the day, all the static caravans are on tall stilts even though they are on ground several metres above the river. Presumably this is in case the 2007 floods are repeated.

When I reached the northern edge of Gloucester I left the river and made my way to the Milk & More depot. Unfortunately after a day of high mileage I arrived far too late to meet the Milk & More team. Then I pushed on another three miles to the south of the city. Mary who lives there has very kindly offered to put me up for the night, she is a relative of one of my milkround customers. I'm being very well looked after and Mary has already given me a generous donation for MacMillan. I've also had the pleasure to meet Mel and Alan while I'm here.

I'll sleep very well tonight after putting in the second highest mileage in a single day of my walk so far. It's back to the roads again tomorrow as I head for Yate on the northern outskirts of Bristol.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 31.19 miles, walking time 7 hrs 56 mins, average walking speed 3.9 mph

Weather; a foggy start, then bright spells, max 19C

Cumulative mileage; 695.76 miles

Tewkesbury

A typical section of the Seven Way between Tewkesbury and Gloucester

One of the riverside caravan on stilts in this flood prone area

Day 32 Redditch to Worcester

2010-09-20T19:28:00.007+01:00

Monday 20th September 2010

This morning I set off from Redditch bursting with confidence. All the friends and relatives who saw me over my highly enjoyable birthday weekend were unanimous that I have lost weight and look tanned. That's enough to make anybody feel good, but to add to that the blister which has been an annoyance over the last few days seems to be fading away and within myself I'm feeling fitter than ever after a month on the road.

It was very easy to work out a route from Redditch to Worcester that avoided all A-roads completely. Some quiet lanes took me out into the countryside until I picked up footpaths through fields that lead to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, which I joined near Hanbury. From there the canal with it's grassy towpaths goes all the way into the centre of Worcester. Having covered 12 miles by midday I took a break at the Fir Tree Inn at Oddingley.

Sometimes it almost feels like I'm doing a pub-crawl from John o'Groats to Lands End, not a walk. But quite honestly on days like today a pub is the only place on my path where I can rest my legs for a while, enjoy a cold drink and spend a penny. Also, in the evening the local inn is usually the best place to get a good value meal without feeling too out of place in my walking gear (I don't carry any other clothes or footwear).

In error I left the canal a bit earlier than I needed to in Worcester, so I made my way to the centre through some residential areas. After a quick stop for lunch I crossed the River Severn, pausing to look at the impressive cityscape and cathedral from the bridge. After passing the county cricket ground I arrived at the local Milk & More depot. I was welcomed there by two very friendly fellows, manager Dave and area manager Clive.

After leaving the depot I walked on another couple of miles to a lovely spot where I'm camping tonight, it's right next to the Severn and has views across to the Malvern Hills. Handily there's a pub next door (the best place to write a blog entry of course). Tomorrow my advance towards to the South West will continue when I walk to Gloucester. It will be another off-road day, I'm going via the Severn Way. All being well I should make the northern edge of Bristol on Wednesday afternoon.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 22.94 miles, walking time 5 hrs 35 mins, average walking speed 4.1 mph

Weather; bright spells and breezy, max 19C

Cumulative mileage; 664.57 miles

The Worcester and Birmingham Canal near Droitwich

Crossing the River Severn at Worcester

One of the peaceful lanes west of Redditch

Day 31 Rest day in Redditch

2010-09-19T10:51:00.003+01:00

Sunday 19th September 2010

Day 30 Sandwell to Redditch

2010-09-19T10:49:00.001+01:00

Saturday 18th September 2010

While I was in Birmingham yesterday I bought two new pairs of socks to replace a couple of pairs that were getting worn out. The new ones are guaranteed not to wear out and prevent all blisters for at least 1,000 miles, we'll see, I started wearing them today.

After returning to Sandwell & Dudley railway station I continued my journey south through the West Midlands conurbation, the weather was perfect for walking. The first mile or so took me through industrial areas and under the M5. After that I found myself walking for several miles through affluent looking residential areas. It was all wide avenues and well kept semi-detached houses, quite different from the somewhat tattier areas I'd been passing through since Cannock Chase. I took my only break of the day at Northfield, enjoying lunch in the sunshine.

Not far south of Northfield I finally left the urban area when I entered Worcestershire. It was nice to get back into the countryside and have rural scenes to look at again. I decided to take the quickest route to Redditch, walking alongside the A441. On arrival at the Milk & More depot I met Brian, a very pleasant fellow. From there I had a quick look around the town centre before enjoying a very special moment. My partner Lea, who I haven't seen since I flew from Southampton Airport more than 4 weeks ago arrived to meet me. Sunday will be a rest day for me, spent with Lea.

On Monday morning I will resume walking from Redditch. My target will be Worcester as I begin to head towards the South West of England. By then I will be wearing my third pair of boots on this journey, I had a spare pair on standby at home that I've asked Lea to bring. They're identical to the pair that got me through Scotland completely trouble-free and I'm hoping this pair will get me the rest of the way to Lands End in similar fashion.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 16.48 miles, walking time 4 hrs 1 min, average walking speed 4.1 mph

Weather; sunny spells and a cool breeze, max 16C

Cumulative mileage; 641.53 miles

I had pleasant avenues and good weather to enjoy this morning

After passing this sign I re-entered the countryside after a couple of days in the city

In Redditch I saw this MacMillan shop

Day 29 Walsall to Sandwell

2010-09-17T14:12:00.005+01:00

Friday 17th September

Today, my 44th birthday, was the shortest leg of my journey so far. I'm feeling fine physically but I need some time to catch up on things like laundry that I can't do when I spend the whole day walking. It's hard to get too excited about a 7 mile trek through the traffic choked streets of an urban sprawl. Near the start the Walsall Arboretum did give a brief moment of tranquility away from the rush hour traffic. A bit further on I was amused to see the badly named Carless Street. It was full of cars.

Although it's an ugly sight I was actually very pleased to walk under the elevated junction where the northern end of the M5 merges with the M6. The M6's path and mine have crossed many times since Carlisle, I won't be seeing it again though, my occasional companion from now on will be the M5 as we both head towards the South West.

By mid-morning I had reached the West Bromwich Milk & More depot, it was my pleasure to meet the manager Dave while I was there. After leaving I walked to a nearby rail station which gives me easy access to central Birmingham. I will return to the station tomorrow morning and continue south to Redditch.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 7.64 miles, walking time 1 hr 54 mins, average walking speed 4.0 mph

Weather, sunny spells and a cool breeze, max 16C

Cumulative mileage; 625.05 miles

Walsall Arboretum

The M5 meets the M6, a sight for sore eyes, but a pleasing landmark too.

'Carless' Street

Day 28 Stone to Walsall

2010-09-16T18:25:00.004+01:00

Thursday 16th September 2010

The weather gods still had it in for me this morning. As I left my hotel a series of heavy showers decided to give Stone a good drenching. I dodged the first few by finding shelter, but it was wasting too much time so the waterproofs went on and I just carried on regardless.

Walking along a dual carriageway in the pouring rain is not the best way to spend a Thursday morning, but at least the A34 had a wide footpath to protect me from the traffic. I was making good speed and reached Stafford by mid-morning. The showers had stopped now and it looked like Stafford had seen hardly any rain compared to Stone. I didn't have time to stop but Stafford looked like an interesting place. The A34 took me a few miles further south until I left it to cross Cannock Chase.

To be honest Cannock Chase wasn't the most impressive area of outstanding natural beauty I've ever seen. It reminded me of The New Forest, but much smaller and without the ponies. I didn't stray too much from the road so perhaps I didn't get to see the best it has to offer. When I went into the woods to look at the Katya Memorial it had been removed for repairs. A bit further on I stopped at the war cemeteries, pausing there a while for thought.

Having already clocked up 17 miles without a break by lunchtime I decided to rest my legs and get a bite to eat in Hednesford. From there it took me another hour or so to reach the Chasetown Milk & More depot in Burntwood. It was a pleasure to meet hardworking manager Dave and roundsman Andy while I was there.

Another 7 miles of walking through the West Midlands conurbation brought me to Walsall where I'm staying tonight. Its amazing how the local accents are changing so noticeably day by day as I pass through England, for example the Brummie accent where I am this evening is totally different to the voices I heard in Stone in the morning.

After several days of high mileage I am going to give myself an easy day tomorrow, I will walk as far as the West Bromwich Milk & More depot before taking the afternoon off the catch up with laundry and other chores. On Saturday I will walk to Redditch, Sunday will be a rest day spent with family.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 28.32 miles, walking time 6 hrs 42 mins, average walking speed 4.2 mph

Weather; frequent heavy showers to start, then bright spells, more showers in the late afternoon, windy, max 18C

Cumulative mileage; 617.41 miles

Cannock Chase war cemetary

Stafford

Errrrr, the Katya Memorial on Cannock Chase

Day 27 Crewe to Stone

2010-09-16T07:41:00.003+01:00

Wednesday 15th September

After yesterday's unpleasant traffic I wanted to do my best today to avoid busy roads. A canal looked good for the second half of the day, but going from Crewe towards Stoke was a bit more tricky. I managed to work out a route that took me through the village of Haslington, Crewe Golf Club's course, footpaths though various fields and some quiet country lanes. Dodging mud, cow-pats and stinging nettles slowed me down a bit, but I'd pick the cows over the cars any day.

After going under the M6, which I've seen many times since Carlisle, I went through Alsager. On my way into town I saw The Biddle Barbers and decided to go in for a trim. A little while later I left with a free haircut and a generous donation for MacMillan. My opinion of the human race is getting higher and higher every day thanks to gestures like this.

Soon after Alsager I was able join the towpath of the Trent and Mersey Canal. It must have been very busy in it's day as all the locks are doubled. After a while I came to the very long (2,926 yards) Harecastle Tunnel. Pedestrians can't walk through so I needed to go another way. Without being asked the Tunnel Keeper kindly came over and gave me a sheet giving directions to the other side for walkers. It was quite a pleasant diversion going through peaceful Bathpool Park.

When the canal came into the Hanley district of Stoke I left it for a while to visit the city's big Milk & More depot. I met manager Degsy, his assistant Dave and various other staff. I didn't want to stay overnight in Stoke, preferring to use the afternoon to get more miles covered, but Degsy still went to the trouble of arranging accommodation in Stone, my intended destination. He also gave me enough money to buy enough food to last at least a day.

After leaving the depot the canal towpath took me through the busy urban areas of Stoke-on-Trent. I saw lots of industrial areas, some easier on the eye than others, also the Britannia Stadium. I stopped for a rest when I reached Barlaston. After there the towpath turned to grass, it had been paved all through Stoke. My feet like grass a lot at this stage of the walk, but unfortunately this section turned out to be a bit of a quagmire after all the recent rain.

Stone is a very pleasant town. Degsy happens to live locally and joined me for an evening drink. I was also delighted to get a surprise visit from my friend Alan. Today had been very pleasing, the mileage seemed quite easy and I'd avoided roads for the most part, I'd met some great people and my blister fears are easing. I've arrived in the Midlands now after leaving the North West. Tomorrow I plan to visit the Milk & More depot at Burntwood before making good progress towards Fridays target West Bromwich.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 25.44 miles, walking time 6 hrs 33 mins, average walking speed 3.9 mph

Weather; bright early, then windy and showers, max 18C

Cumulative mileage; 589.09 miles

A double lock on the Trent & Mersey canal

One of my walking partners this morning

The entrance to Harecastle tunnel, nearly 2 miles long

Day 26 Warrington to Crewe

2010-09-14T21:31:00.013+01:00

Tuesday 14th September

When I left the Victoria Lodge Hotel this morning the lady on reception handed me an envelope, it was to be the first donation to MacMillan of the day. She told me how close family and friends of hers had benefited from the organisation's wonderful services in the past.

The rain was falling again when I started walking. As I left Warrington I went over London Bridge, it crosses the Bridgewater Canal (not the Thames!). The A49, busy with rush-hour traffic, then took me across the M56. Once over the motorway I headed down the A559 Northwich Road. This was a nasty place to walk, busy with traffic and having only a very narrow footpath. I won't be spending any money in B&Q for a while, one of their lorries ploughed through a puddle and gave me a soaking when he could have easily moved a little into the other half of the road which had no oncoming traffic. When I approached a section that had no footpath at all and saw a warning sign saying '56 casualties in 3 years' I left the A-road and made the rest of my way to Northwich by country lanes. I did not fancy becoming casualty number 57.

The country roads were very quiet and a much nicer place to walk, I passed though pretty villages like Comberbach and Anderton and saw more of the canal. Entering Northwich the first thing that struck me was the huge ICI chemical works, I suppose they have to be built somewhere, but they can only be described as an eyesore. Right in the middle of all the works I crossed Winnington Bridge, a battle there in 1659 is considered to be the last of the English Civil War. Northwich's main shopping area looked very pleasant, being almost completely pedestrianised.

The Milk & More depot is very central in Northwich, just behind the pedestrianised area. When I arrived I was greeted by Mark and Ian who were on duty. They were a very friendly pair and after a long chat about the walk, the charity and general dairy stuff. I went on my way with a smile on my face and with a generous donation to MacMillan from both.

I didn't have to time to hang around because I wanted to walk the 12 miles to the Crewe depot before everybody there finished for the day. As I left Northwich the rain was really hammering down. The quickest route to Crewe was along King Street. It goes for several miles in a dead straight line, surely following an old roman road. It was OK to begin with, but when the road leaves Northwich the footpath disappears, it becomes narrow and is very busy. Huge HGVs come thundering towards you every few seconds, they can't pull out because there's just as much traffic going the other way, you just have to pray and dodge things as best you can, repeatedly getting covered in dirty spray. This stretch was awful, even worse than Northwich Road earlier in the day. I hated walking along here, it was easily the nastiest section of road on my walk so far. I managed to survive the ordeal to Middlewich where things were to become much easier. After more pleasant canal views and quiet country lanes I arrived at the Crewe Milk & More depot.

The Crewe depot's location is the total opposite to Northwich's, it is out in the country, I got there without seeing anything at all of Crewe itself. Manager Andy and several staff were still on site. I had another very warm welcome from a great bunch of people. Andy had already arranged a hotel for me for the night and gave me money to buy a meal. All the staff were very friendly and were keen to know about my walk. Again there was much generosity shown. When I left I had donations for MacMillan from Annette, Dennis and Lionel.

There were a couple of miles further to walk to make the hotel. Until this point my blister hadn't troubled me a day, but for some reason it felt sore for those last two miles, my shin seemed a little painful too. I will keep a close eye on both. The hotel turned out to be the classiest I've stayed at so far. This will be my third night in a row with a roof over my head at no cost to me thanks to my amazing colleagues at Milk & More.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 24.30 miles, walking time 6 hrs 2 mins, average walking speed 4.0 mph

Weather; wet morning, heavy showers in the early afternoon before turning dry, max 18C

Cumulative mileage; 563.65 miles

The plaque on Winnington Bridge

A picturesque old building near Crewe

I left this road here for obvious reasons

Day 25 Wigan to Warrington

2010-09-13T22:06:00.017+01:00

Monday 13th September 2010

Today would turn out to be very different to any day on my walk so far. Until now this had been a one man event with me gradually making my way down the country completely alone.

Kev and Angela had been very kind to me during my overnight stay, the hospitality they showed to someone they'd never met before was unforgettable. I was very well fed, had a hot bath, a warm bed for the night, my clothes were washed, I was taken to the local pub to share a drink and introduced to their friends. Nothing seemed too much trouble. Even the neighbours joined in, a kind lady bringing me a packed lunch for the day shortly before I left.

On arrival at the depot I was shown around and introduced to manager Mick and the Milk & More team including Lorna who was to be my brave walking companion for the day. Lorna, Mick and myself then posed for a few shots for a local press photographer.

Lorna was very courageous to be the first person to volunteer to join me on the walk and had been busy raising sponsorship money for MacMillan before my arrival. She doesn't walk too much and wasn't sure how she'd do, but after meeting her I was confident that her determination to do her very best for such a good cause would be enough to carry her all the way.

The weather didn't make our task any easier. The rain started to fall almost as soon as we set off. During the first big downpour we took cover under a bus stop shelter and our waterproofs had to go on. We pressed on despite the rain, having somebody to talk to for a change really helped pass the time and took my mind completely off the weather and the walking. When we had covered a bit more than half the distance we stopped in a pub for a while to rest our legs and get in the dry for a bit.

After getting back on the road we passed Haydock Park racecourse before reaching the outskirts of Warrington. Lorna bravely pushed through a tough patch with a couple of miles to go, stubbonly refusing to give into her tired legs. Soon after the rain eased off enough for Lorna to take off the bulky Milk & More coat she'd had to wear to keep dry, from that moment on she seemed to grow stronger again and the last mile soon went.

We were both elated to reach our destination, the Howley Milk & More depot in Warrington. Lorna had managed to walk more than a half marathon in a shade over 4 hours despite the bad weather, a fantastic achievement. We had little time to rest though, another press photographer was waiting and within minutes of arrival we were posing for more pictures.

At Warrington I met office girl Lesley and manager Peter, he had very generously arranged local accommodation and a meal at no cost to myself. My place to stay for the night was a couple of miles to the south in the Stockton Heath district, the same way I shall be heading in the morning. I refused the offer of a lift and walked the extra distance to give me a little less to do tomorrow. On the way I crossed the River Mersey, then the Manchester Ship Canal via a huge swing bridge. Taking off my boots I noticed I have my first blister, it's below the ankle on my right foot, I didn't feel it at all while I was walking.

Tomorrow I shall be dropping in at two more Milk & More depots at Northwich and Crewe. Today had been a wonderful day and I was very fortunate to meet some great people. In particular I'd like to say an extra big thank-you to Lorna, Kev, Angela and Peter.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 15.44 miles, walking time 4 hrs 40 mins, average walking speed 3.3 mph

Weather; rain, max 18C

Cumulative mileage; 539.95

The Halliwell Jones Stadium, home of Warrington Wolves

Passing Haydock Park

Lorna took this picture of me next to an old mile marker

Day 24 Garstang to Wigan

2010-09-12T20:20:00.006+01:00

Sunday 12th September 2010

It was a sultry start to the morning, not ideal with a big pack on your back. The light showers that blew in every now and then were actually quite refreshing, the wind always picking up and the temperature dropping with each shower. Between Garstang and Preston I saw the canal passing under the road a couple of times, but I absolutely had to stick to the road today with my destination Wigan being 28 miles away by the shortest possible route.

After some pleasant countryside I passed through Preston, I didn't really see much there as the busy A6 bypasses the city centre. All I noticed were the museum, which was shut, and a prison. In keeping with everywhere else on my route so far there were hand car washes to be seen on many closed down petrol station forecourts. After crossing the Ribble I bought my lunch in a convenience store and ate it while I rested on a bench.

From Preston I walked to Wigan via the A49, this was a bit quieter and free of HGVs due to a very low bridge. The A49 took me past the edges of Leyland and Chorley. For some afternoon refreshment and a rest I stopped at the very pleasant Hinds Head Hotel at Charnock Richard.

As I got close to the centre of Wigan, after taking a shortcut through a boggy field and a cemetery, I saw crowds of Wigan Warriors rugby fans on their way to watch a big play-off match against rivals Leeds Rhinos. Wigan is a relatively small town, but it can boast a Premier League football club as well as a top class rugby league team. Soon after I finally arrived at the first Milk & More depot on my walk, supervisor Kev came out on his day off and met me. Kev and his wife Angela have very kindly offered to put up for the night in their lovely home.

Today I passed two pleasing landmarks; 500 miles and 1 million steps. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to walking to the Howley depot with Lorna, a Milk & More office girl at Wigan.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 28.75 miles, walking time 7 hrs 0 mins, average walking speed 4.1 mph

Weather, sunny spells and light showers, max 19C

Cumulative mileage; 523.81 miles

A reminder of the past near Wigan

Good weather and beautiful scenery at Charnock Richard

The River Ribble at Preston

Day 23 Carnforth to Garstang

2010-09-11T18:40:00.011+01:00

Saturday 11th September 2010

Today offered me a choice of two routes to Garstang. I could either walk along the Lancaster canal, a meandering 22 miles, or take the A6 which is more direct and would only require my legs to manage 18 miles. After yesterdays big mileage it seemed sensible to make the day as easy as possible, so I chose to go by road. Surprisingly when I set off my legs felt no different to usual despite yesterdays hard work. A night of hospitality at the Queens Hotel, where I had excellent value for my money, must have been an ideal tonic for tired legs.

The 7 miles to Lancaster, in much improved weather, went by in no time at all. I was close to the sea leaving Carnforth and caught occasional glimpses of Morecambe Bay to my right. With plenty of time in hand I stopped at Lancaster to browse in a few shops and have lunch. On my way out of town I came across a laundrette by chance, something I'd looked out for but been unable to find in the city centre, I stopped there for another hour to get yesterdays clothes washed. While I was sat watching the machine spinning I was amazed to receive a text message from the owners of the Queens Hotel telling me they'd decided to donate my room fee to MacMillan Cancer Support. Generous gestures like that are very touching and really help me focus on my motivations for doing this walk.

South of Lancaster at Galgate Marina I joined the canal for a while intending to walk just a couple of miles on a stretch parallel with the A6. This part of the canal is still open to traffic so it was quite different to yesterdays abandoned sections where the only users of the water were the local wildlife. Almost straight away I decided to over-rule my earlier route decision. The tranquility of the canal and the flat grassy towpaths beat a road easily. It would cost me an extra couple of miles, but my legs felt fine anyway, so I decided to take the canal the rest of the way to Garstang. It was a peaceful few miles, watching swans and ducks and a few longboats chug by. All I had for company on the towpath were occasional dog walkers and fishermen.

Arriving at Garstang the sign next to the canal informed me this is the worlds first fair trade town. When I found my B&B I had another pleasant surprise, there were empties on the doorstep, Dairy Crest Milk & More empties no less, my first sighting of them on my walk as I enter the northern limit of the area served by Milk & More.

Today felt fairly easy and relaxed compared to many previous days, tomorrow I need to put in a slightly higher mileage to reach the Milk & More depot at Wigan. With my projected final mileage looking like it will come in at slightly under 1,000 miles it's quite possible that I've already passed the halfway point of my epic journey.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 19.91 miles, walking time 5 hrs 2 mins, average walking speed 4.0 mph

Weather; morning a few light showers, afternoon dry with bright spells, max 19C

Cumulative mileage; 495.06 miles

Lancaster Castle

I think you'll agree that canal traffic is preferable to road traffic for a walker

The empties I saw on the B&B doorstep

Day 22 Shap to Carnforth

2010-09-10T22:02:00.008+01:00

Friday 10th September 2010

My night in the pub was quite a success. I was sharing the beer garden with a few boozy walkers who were walking the popular Coast to Coast Walk that passes through Shap, but after a day of walking and a couple of pints I can sleep through just about anything now, including the rain that fell most of the night.

As I left Shap the sun was trying to come out and there was a large rainbow in the sky, but my waterproofs had to go on right from the off as the rain was too heavy. That would turn out to be my only glimpse of the sun all day. As I started the long gradual climb up the A6 towards Shap Fell the weather deteriorated. The rain got heavier and heavier as I made my way up and there was a stiff wind blowing in my face. By the time I reached the summit, a notorious blackspot for problems in poor weather, I was literally up in the clouds. The visibility was very poor, I could barely see the other side of the road, walking on the grass verge was my only option to stay safe.

At Shap Fell summit I paused for a moment to take a couple of pictures and update my Twitter status. While I was there an odd coincidence occurred. Four cyclists going the other way pulled into the same lay-by as me, I couldn't help noticing they had Devon flags on their bicycles. I went over and asked where they were from, it turned out they were all from Exeter, the very city where I make doorstep deliveries on my Milk & More round. They were cycling from Lands End to John o'Groats. It was great to meet them and I think we all forgot the foul weather for a few minutes while we had a good laugh.

The very poor visibility and rain persisted as I made my descent down the other side on unpleasant winding roads, clearing up slightly by the time I reached Kendal. I stopped there in a supermarket cafe for a slightly extended lunch break knowing it was going to be a day of high mileage.

Nearly all the way from Kendal to my eventual destination Carnforth I had the luxury of walking along the flat and grassy tow-paths beside the abandoned section of the Lancaster Canal. It was nice to get away from the roads for a few hours. I managed to miss the start of the canal at Kendal, but I picked it up at the nearby Sedgwick Aqueduct. Highlights included the long Hincaster Tunnel in the dry section, you can't walk through, I had to go over the hill. Also the eight abandoned locks at Tewitfield, these are right next to the M6 motorway on the Cumbria/Lancashire border. A couple of times in the afternoon I took my waterproofs off when it looked like the rain was finally stopping, both times it turned out to be wishful thinking, I had to quickly put them back on within minutes when another heavy shower blew in.

It was a relief when I made it to Carnforth after tough day. The highest daily mileage on my walk so far (7.7 miles further than a full marathon) had managed to coincide with the worst weather. Tonight I'm staying in B&B for just £19, it's an easy choice when the campsites in the local area charge you £18 just to pitch a tent in their field for the night, with no food included. The going rate until now had been £5 to £8. I shall sleep very well tonight knowing that I have a much easier day tomorrow, my destination in Garstang being a little less than 18 miles from here.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 33.90 miles, walking time 8 hrs 36 mins, average walking speed 3.9 mph

Weather; morning wet and windy, afternoon frequent showers, max 19C

Cumulative mileage; 475.15 miles

Percfect for walking, a grassy canal tow path

Hincaster Tunnel on the abandoned canal

Approaching Shap Fell in the rain

Day 21 Carlisle to Shap

2010-09-09T19:30:00.008+01:00

Thursday 9th September

This morning I left Carlisle with fresh legs after my rest day and wearing the new boots I'd bought while I was there. I kept the worn out pair and took them with me just in case the new boots rubbed badly.

All day would be spent walking along the A6 through the pleasant countryside of the Vale of Eden, which lies between The Lake District and The Northern Penines. You would expect the A6 to be a busy road, but it is only really used by locals, the nearby M6 taking nearly all the passing traffic. Most of the day I had footpaths to walk on, where there weren't any there were often well kept grass verges to use. Yet again I had the good fortune to be walking in very pleasant weather.

Penrith was the only big town I saw after leaving Carlisle, I stopped there for lunch after walking the first 18 miles of the day. Penrith was surprisingly busy, the traffic-free narrow lanes in the shopping area had great character and reminded me very much of a similar area in Brighton.

Soon after leaving Penrith, at Eamont Bridge, I came across a prehistoric earthwork called King Arthur's Round Table. It was quite a site and very well preserved, but it has nothing to do with the legendary king, pre-dating him by at least 2,500 years. There was more history to be seen soon after at Clifton. Clifton Moor was the site of the last battle on English soil in 1745 when the Duke of Cumberland's forces clashed with the retreating army of Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Until today the only item in my backpack that had remained unused was the first aid kit. That particular run of good luck came to an end though when I managed to graze my wrist quite badly on the peeling paint of a stiff gate. Who'd have thought that it would be a part of my body other than my feet that would require the first medical attention of this journey (my wrist is fine now).

By the time I reached Shap, with my feet still feeling fine, I no longer felt it necessary to carry the old boots as an emergency backup. They were binned to lighten my load. That pair had done a great job for just £25, getting me through the whole of Scotland without a single blister. Fingers crossed for a similar performance from the new ones.

My plan today had been to stop at Shap for my evening meal, then walk a little further on and wild camp in the woods. But while I was in The Bulls Head Inn I discovered that passing backpackers can pitch their tents round the back. So tonight there will be another new experience for me; my first ever night spent in a pub beer garden.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 28.62 miles, walking time 7 hrs 4 mins, average walking speed 4.0 mph

Weather; sunny spells, max 19C

Cumulative mileage; 441.25 miles

The ancient earthworks at King Arthurs round Table

The Vale of Eden

Clifton Moor battle site

Day 20 Rest day in Carlisle

2010-09-08T17:26:00.000+01:00

Wednesday 8th September

Day 19 Ecclefechan to Carlisle

2010-09-07T17:35:00.004+01:00

Tuesday 7th September

After a wet night it was still pouring down this morning when I intended to pack away my tent and start walking. Using my iPhone to see the latest rainfall radar pictures on the Met Office website showed me the band of rain should pass quite soon, so I delayed my start by an hour. It was a good strategy, the rain stopped just at the right time and the sun came out as I started to walk. It's amazing the sort of things you can use smart phones for these days.

By the time I reached Kirkpatrick Fleming I could already see across the Solway Firth and the peaks of England on the horizon. A few miles further on I came to Gretna Green, of wedding fame. The Blacksmiths shop is a busy spot attracting lots of international tourists. A traditional Scottish piper does a very good trade playing tunes and posing for pictures. There were no weddings imminent, and I didn't want to pay to look inside so after hanging around for a while I walked a little further on into Gretna where I stopped for lunch.

A short distance out of town at 1-50pm as I crossed a bridge over the River Sark I proudly made a big landmark in my walk; I crossed the border and entered England. Scotland had been wonderful, the scenery had been amazing and the people ever so friendly, I'd even had good weather. In particular I will never forget my eight day off-road trek through the beautiful Highlands, but to make it into my home country was a big moment for me. My wonderful journey through Scotland had taken eighteen and a half days during which I walked four hundred and three miles.

The route to Carlisle was along an unpleasant road running next to the M6 with no pavement or cyclepath. The only thing I really noticed was a huge waste site.

I arrived my hotel in the centre of Carlisle ecstatic at reaching England, I will celebrate later with a pint of good English beer. I'm going to stop here for a day because I need to do a few things, not the least buy a new pair of boots. Then I will focus on walking to Wigan, when I get there I'm very much looking forward to my Milk & More depot visit and walking with a colleague for the first time on my journey.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 20.48 miles, walking time 5 hrs 0 mins, average walking speed 4.1mph

Weather; sunny spells after early rain, max 19C

Cumulative mileage 412.63 miles

The last house in Scotland

I spy with my little eye something beginning with E

The Old Blacksmith's Shop at Gretna Green

Day 18 Moffat to Ecclefechan

2010-09-06T18:30:00.008+01:00

Monday 6th Sepember 2010

After leaving Moffat I spent all day on roads running south parallel with the motorway. There were always wide cycle paths to use, hardly any cyclists around, the few hills were all slight and gradual. So all-in-all, with the weather staying dry, conditions were pretty good for walking. I faced a stiff headwind again, but you expect that when you walk from north to south, Britain's wind blows in from the southwest most of the time.

There was little of interest to see, so to pass the time I started counting how many steps I make each mile using my handheld GPS gadget to measure the distances. It works out to be 2,000 steps per mile at a steady pace on a flat road. That means I've already made three quarters of a million steps on this walk so far.

Lockerbie was the only town of any size I passed through all day. On the way in I saw a huge sawmills, the destination for many of the lorry loads of pine you see being transported round Scotland. In the town centre I was disappointed there was no obvious memorial to the victims of the Lockerbie Disaster, I discovered it's out of town at a cemetery. With rain threatening in the strengthening wind it seemed unwise to make a diversion so I pressed on.

A few miles later I reached Ecclefechan, where I had chosen to camp for the night. There was a big statue of Thomas Carlyle on the road into town, they're very proud he was born here. The English border is very close now. I can almost smell the roast beef and Yorkshire puddings from here.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 23.07 miles, walking time 5 hrs 37 mins, average walking speed 4.1 mph

Weather; windy, bright spells in the morning, overcast in the afternoon, max 19C

Cumulative mileage; 392.15 miles

A statue of Thomas Carlyle in Ecclefechan

You see occasional reminders that a quiet b-road used to be the main road
before the motorway was built

Lockerbie town centre

Day 17 Douglas to Moffat

2010-09-05T18:00:00.005+01:00

Sunday 5th September 2010

There was very little traffic around early this morning. I continued along the B7078, which was almost deserted, using the wide cycle lane on the disused half of the old dual carriageway. I only saw only one cyclist, and he was using the road for some reason. The first few miles passed through barren moorland, it was five miles until I saw the first house of the day.

After 7 miles of walking I came across the Abington Motorway Services (you can get access even if you're not using the motorway). I decided to stop there for an early lunch break as opportunities to buy food and drink looked like they could be few and far between in this region. After leaving the services I passed through Abington itself, I was surprised to see a sign saying it was Scotland's highest village.

The whole day would be spent passing through lowly populated rural areas, the complete opposite to yesterdays urban route. A stiff wind was blowing in my face much of the time, but the sun was poking through the clouds quite often and it was dry. At one point you see a big T-shaped plantation on a hill overlooking the motorway, I wondered if it was anything to do with Tennent's Lager, the T being the same shape as that on their cans, best sellers in Scotland.

Late in the afternoon I reached Moffat, where I had decided to camp for the night in a caravan park. This lively little town was a much better place to stop than yesterday's choice, having many pubs and restaurants to cater for hungry tourists.

My body is still holding up well with the demands of the walk, but the same can't be said of my boots. I've noticed the soles are wearing out much more quickly than I'd expected. It won't be long before I have to buy a new pair.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 26.28 miles, walking time 6 hrs 22 mins, average walking speed 4.1 mph

Weather; sunny spells, windy

Cumulative mileage; 369.08 miles

Abington claims to be Scotland's highest village

For several miles in the morning I walked along this empty cycle path next to a
very quiet road through unpopulated moorland

Arriving in pretty Moffat

Day 16 Glasgow to Douglas

2010-09-04T20:39:00.003+01:00

Saturday 4th Sepember 2010

Glasgow had been a good place to rest, my first proper visit to this lively city. Leaving this morning though I was soon passing through industrial areas in a bad state of decline, a total contrast to the grand city centre. Celtic Football Club's stadium was the only thing I saw of much interest as I left.

All through the Highlands I had felt perfectly normal walking around with my big backpack, there being others like me everywhere. But I began to feel I was the odd one out today, getting curious looks from people wondering why someone looking like me was walking through their street. Something else changed too, in a pleasing way, as I left Glasgow I started to see road signs for Carlisle, these were the first signs I had seen anywhere on my walk mentioning a place in England.

With 13 miles or so covered in hazy sun a moderate breeze, perfect walking weather, I stopped for lunch in Hamilton. After Larkhall I came into the first real countryside of the day. There were several wind farms in this area. I don't understand why many don't like them, in the right places they seem to add to the landscape in a strange way to me, if they're creating green energy too I can't see what the problem is.

I'd planned to stop at Lesmahagow to buy my main meal of the day and take a break. I arrived on schedule but unfortunately the town seemed to have fallen on hard times. Around half the businesses in the main street were boarded up, including the main hotel. The two pubs didn't look very appealing to me, so I bought fish and chips and ate them on a bench.

The B7078 south of Lesmahagow is a strange road. It must have been the main north/south route before the nearby M74 was built. Today it's still a big wide dual carriageway, but it has almost no traffic. Good news for a pedestrian of course, also good news for motorcyclists, some were using the long straight empty road to test their bikes at very high speeds.

The services at Cairn Lodge were another good spot to rest my legs for a while. After leaving there I continued south for a bit, then wild camped close to the B7088 near Douglas. My good fortune with the weather continued, the first rain of the day fell just after I'd finished putting up my tent.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 30.95 miles, walking time 7 hrs 37 mins, average walking speed 4.1 mph

Weather; hazy sunshine and a moderate breeze, max 20C

Cumulative mileage 342.80 miles

Boarded-up shops in Lesmahagow

One of the many wind farms south of Glasgow

The B7078, surely Britains quietest dual carriageway

Day 15 Rest Day in Glasgow

2010-09-03T12:09:00.002+01:00

Day 14 Drymen to Glasgow

2010-09-02T16:55:00.003+01:00

Thursday 2nd September 2010

After a short while on a country lane this morning the West Highland Way followed an old railway bed for several miles. The going was flat and easy, the old railway line being shared with a huge pipe that takes water from Loch Lomond to Edinburgh. This was all through a typical British agricultural area, the Highlands were behind me now. After leaving the railway bed there was a steep climb over a ridge, the only proper climb on this warm day.

From then onwards the path goes through pleasant wooded areas and by some small lochs until it eventually emerges in the centre of Milngavie. The official start of the West Highland Way is marked by an obelisk. I met some mountain bikers there who were about to begin an attempt to cycle all the way to Fort William in 24 hours.

Leaving the West Highland Way was quite a sad moment. Yes, it had been tough work, but I'd thoroughly enjoyed my four and a half days walking it. The Highland scenery had been truly amazing, I knew it was going to be good but my expectectations were far exceeded, surely this is Britain's most beautiful unspoilt area. I'd been blessed with good weather during my time there too. At the moment I don't think any other part of my walk can possibly compete, I'm going to be on roads most of the way now. Surely when I finish it will be the Scottish mountains that provide the best memories of all.

Without stopping I'd covered the 11 miles to Milngavie by midday. After a rest there for lunch I pressed on towards Glasgow city centre. Beautiful sights like mountains, forests and lochs were now replaced by Asda, MacDonalds and Esso. As the city got closer I quickly passed through some unsightly rundown areas, eventually arriving at my hotel mid-afternoon.

I'm now around a third of the way through my walk. I still feel absolutely fine, no blisters or injuries to report so far, I'm as strong as ever mentally. I hope my good luck lasts. After walking the Great Glen Way and the West Highland Way back-to-back in good time I'm taking a self imposed rest day in Glasgow. I will resume walking on Saturday. My next target is England!

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 18.29 miles, walking time 4 hrs 37 mins, average walking speed 4.0 mph

Weather; sunny, max 21C

Cumulative mileage; 311.85 miles

The official start of the West Highland Way in the centre of Milngavie

300+ miles and still going strong. I took this snap moments after arriving at my Glasgow hotel.

The old railway track south of Drymen

Day 13 Inversnaid to Drymen

2010-09-01T17:39:00.008+01:00

Wednesday 1st September 2010

Today I'd like to start my blog by saying a big 'thank-you' all the people who've made generous donations to MacMillan via my Just Giving page since I started walking. Also to everybody who has been sending messages of encouragement via Twitter, Facebook and other ways. I haven't been able to reply to most of you due to the limited time I've had online, but I can assure that everything is read and very much appreciated. Your support is a great source of inspiration to me.

To visit my Just Giving page and make a donation to MacMillan Cancer Support click here

To see my Twitter feed, including the most up to date location news and pictures click here

The Inversnaid Bunkhouse turned out to be a great place for an overnight stay. Dave and the team made all their guests very welcome and there was a great atmosphere. All the other West Highland Way walkers were very friendly. I seemed to be the only person heading south, so many were asking me what horrors awaited them as they headed north to places I'd already seen.

While in the Bunkhouse it was comforting to read in a guidebook that the section of the West Highland Way I passed through yesterday afternoon was considered to be by far the toughest section of the whole 96 mile route. So I set off in the morning hoping for easier terrain, I wasn't disappointed, the path had it's difficult spots here and there, but they were nothing compared to yesterdays horrors.

Through the forests I made good progress, though the loch views were limited until I reached Rowardennann. From there onwards you spend much of the time walking along pleasant shoreline sections of Loch Lomond, the views are very pretty. Also noticeable from Rowardennann onwards was that the mountains were gradually turning into hills, it felt like I was beginning to leave the Highlands. There were more people and more litter too as I edged closer to populated areas. Until now the West Highland Way had been almost completely litter free, a credit to it's thousands of users.

When I reached Balhama I stopped for lunch in the sunshine. My legs had been feeling surprisingly fresh all morning and the first 15 miles were very easy. I wasn't quite sure why, perhaps it was the huge bowl of porridge I'd eaten for breakfast, or maybe it was knowing I'd survived the worst the West Highland Way could through at me.

After studying the map in Balmaha I chose to walk to Drymen by road. It meant I would miss the view from Conic Hill, but it would also save me a couple of unnecessary miles and some steep hill climbing. I must remember that my focus is to make Lands End, not walk every inch of the West Highland Way. A couple of miles beyond Drymen I stopped to camp at Drumquhassle Farm, well placed to make Glasgow City Centre tomorrow.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 20.81 miles, walking time 5 hrs 40 mins, average walking speed 3.7 mph

Weather; morning overcast, afternoon bright spells. Max 17C

Cumulative mileage; 293.56 miles

A view of Conic Hill from my shortcut on the Balhama to Drymen road,

Loch Lomond at Rowardennann

Loch Lomond from an old fort near Balhama

Day 12 Tyndrum to Inversnaid

2010-09-01T09:35:00.001+01:00

Tuesday 31st August 2010

Leaving Tyndrum through woodland this morning there were several interesting things to see. Firstly an area where lead ore from the hills used to be worked years ago that is still totally devoid of vegetation, nothing will grow on the poisoned land to this very day. Next came a small Loch where Robert the Bruce was involved in a battle in 1306, then the remains of St.Fillan's Priory.

After a mile or two through farmland the West Highland Way then passes through a forest that contains some nasty uphill sections. Where the path passes close to Crairnlarich I made a half mile detour to the town to buy food and water. While there I noticed that the A82 was fairly quiet and the stretch going my way was wide with a cycle lane. I didn't fancy the steep climb back into the forest so I made a snap decision to take the road instead. The tarmac was a welcome relief from the bone jarring surfaces of the West Highland Way, which I rejoined a few miles up the road at Beinglas Farm.

I stopped at Beinglas for a cold drink, it looked a nice place to camp, then I pressed on. Soon after the northern end of Loch Lomond came in to view as I passed over a ridge, a very fine sight it was too.

My destination for the day, Inversnaid didn't look too far away on the map, but it was to take me a long time to get there. The path along the side of the Loch gets very difficult here, it was more like an army assault course than a footpath, boulders, roots and fallen trees cause all sorts of crazy obstacles. If a health and safety officer ever walked through this section they would most likely have a seizure, though actually you don't walk much here anyway, you clamber and climb, desperately hoping you don't trip and tumble in the Loch never to be seen again. At Rob Roy's cave I took a wrong turn and had to use rock climbing skills to get myself out of a tricky spot. None of this was made any easier by my heavy pack, it was now clear to me why many walkers choose to get their packs transferred each day.

Finally making Inversnaid was wonderful after such a test. I'd been planning to wild camp for the night, but I heard there was room in the Inversnaid Bunkhouse and opted to rest my weary legs there for the night.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 20.86 miles, walking time 6 hrs 10 mins, average speed 3.4 mph

Weather; sunny, max 17C

Cumulative mileage; 272.75 miles

As I cross over a ridge the northern end of Loch Lomond comes into view

Which way now? Sometimes there are no signs to help those going the 'wrong way' along the West Highland Way.

One of many crazy obstacles near Inversnaid. The boulder on the right is about four feet tall, try getting up there wearing a 14KG backpack!

Day 11 Kingshouse to Tyndrum

2010-08-30T19:08:00.004+01:00

Monday 30th August 2010

After a surprisingly cold night I woke realising that camping in a communal area has it's pros and cons. It had been nice going to sleep knowing that you're surrounded by like minded folk. But a tent on my right played Elvis music until the early hours, and a man in the tent to my left sounded like he was in training for the world snoring championships.

The sun was shining for a change as I set off to continue my southward journey on the West Highland Way. The first section today climbed up close to ski lifts at the Glencoe Mountain Resort. It was a relief that the surface nearly all day today was better than yesterday. The path was more like cobbles now, far from perfect, but much better than rubble and rocks. Also there was the bonus of bridges over the streams

The path then passes through the spectacular Highland wilderness of Rannoch Moor until you reach a short stretch of tarmac road leading to The Inveroran Hotel. From the hotel the path leaves the road and goes up a steep path to cross a ridge. This climb was the toughest of the day, sticking to the road looked like an easier option, but the views over Loch Tulla from the top were fantastic.

After The Bridge of Orchy, a scenic spot where I stopped for a cold drink, the path continues along the foot slopes of a mountain following the railway line until it reaches Tyndrum. Surely Tyndrum must be smallest town in the country to have two separate railway stations. I found the local campsite, pitched my tent then made the most of the camp showers after a day in the sun.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 19.40 miles, walking time 5 hrs 16 mins, average walking speed 3.7 mph

Weather; sunny, Max 17C

Cumulative mileage; 251.89 miles

A view of Loch Tulla

Rannoch Moor, unspoilt Highland wilderness

The Bridge of Orchy

Day 10 Fort William to Kingshouse

2010-08-29T20:44:00.013+01:00

Sunday 29 August 2010

The West Highland Way out of Fort William follows a road next to the River Nevis for a while, then you turn off onto a track which gradually climbs as it takes you up into the mountains. It's not long before you're looking at breathtaking Highland scenes, classic picture postcard views in every direction. There's a price to pay though, the tracks are very tough on your feet, basically you're walking on rocks and rubble and it's always going either up or down. In countless places streams flow across the path and you do your best to get across by looking for submerged stepping stones. I was very glad my boots were still waterproof.

Putting up with the rugged terrain is well worth it though, I can't think of a better way of seeing the Scottish Highlands than walking through them. Again and again my camera came out as more marvellous landscapes came into view.

From mid morning onwards there was a steady stream of walkers going the opposite way to me, most people walk the West Highland Way from south to north. This was clearly a much more popular route than the Great Glen Way, where I saw hardly any other walkers at all. Judging by the accents today it seemed at least half were from overseas, the West Highland Way must have international repute.

The steep climb down into Kinlochleven was very tricky underfoot, it seemed closer to rock climbing than walking to me. The tortured faces of those coming the other way showing it wasn't much fun going up either. The van I saw in town marked 'West Highland Way Baggage Transfer Services' explained how some of those walking managed to travel much lighter than others.

After a break for lunch in Kinlochleven I got back down to the walking. The path goes alongside a series of huge waterpipes for a while, it looked to me like they emerged high up from the top of a mountain. Unfortunately I had to climb that mountain, eventually passing the top of the pipes that I'd looked up at from far below. That track going up out of Kinlochleven was very steep and went on for ages, it was even tougher than the Berriedale Braes back on day 2.

More amazing scenery and difficult tracks followed. During this stage I reached the highest point (550m) of the West Highland Way, and possibly my whole walk, at the top of The Devils Staircase. The name just about sums up the Devils Staircase, it would be bad enough if it were a tarmac pavement, unfortunately the surface is loose rubble and rocks. Believe me, that is not good news for already tired feet. About a third of the way down I saw a very sweaty mountain biker struggling to push his bike up this dreaded hill. He offered me twenty quid if I'd take his bike the rest of the way to the top, and I don't think he was joking.

Were the path briefly meets the busy A82 (an unpleasant reminder of the busy roads that await me later in my walk) I stopped for a few minutes on a bench to admire the Glencoe mountains and refresh myself with a drink of water. I noticed the bench was dedicated to the memory of 3 men killed in an avalanche nearby in 1995.

A further 3 miles or so along the track I reached my goal for the day and set up camp in an area behind the remote Kingshouse Hotel where wild camping is permitted. I was very tired after a tough but exhilarating day. My venison casserole and beer in the hotel went down an absolute treat. Today had been amazing, surely my walk can't get any better than this?

GPS data click here
Mileage today; 24.45 miles, walking time 7 hrs 7 mins, average walking speed 3.4 mph

Weather; morning overcast with showers, sunny spells in the afternoon, breezy. Max 15C

Cumulative mileage; 232.49 miles

The cairn at the top of the Devil's Staircase, Glencoe in the background

Looking back towards Fort William after a long climb, Ben Nevis on the right

One of the locals

Day 9 Clunes to Fort William

2010-08-28T19:50:00.004+01:00

Saturday 28th August 2010

After a very wet night I had packed away my tent by 8-30am and headed off out of the forest. After walking along a section of road lined by expensive looking big houses the Great Glen Way follows the shore of Loch Lochie. This was a very pleasant spot and easily the highlight of the day.

After rejoining the Caledonian Canal at Gairlochy I walked along a 7 mile stretch of towpath being buffeted by headwinds and light showers in the shadow of Ben Nevis. The towpath takes you to Neptune's Staircase. It's quite a sight, a series of 7 locks that bring the canal down to sea-level.

After a couple of confusing miles the Great Glen way brought me to its end in the centre of Fort William. I had managed the journey in two and a half days, the guide books suggest it should take six.

After stopping for lunch in a large supermarket I made my way to my accommodation. The room was basic, but I was delighted to find I had a bath rather than the usual shower cubicle. My legs were soon enjoying a well deserved soak as I contemplated my next task, The West Highland Way.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 17.85 miles, walking time 4 hrs 33 mins, average walking speed 3.9 mph

Weather; Overcast and breezy, light showers. Max 16C

Cumulative mileage; 208.04 miles

Neptune's Staircase viewed from the bottom

Looking back at the Clunes Forest, far left, where I camped through a very wet night.

Loch Lochie shoreline walk

Day 8 Balbeg to Clunes

2010-08-28T11:31:00.004+01:00

Friday 27th August 2010

Today started with another 5 miles of hiking along forest tracks until I reached the first small town of the day, Invermoriston. On the way it was reassuring to see 2 other tents in clearings and realise that I wasn't the only person who'd spent the night in the forest.

The cafe in Invermoriston would've had my business if it were open, but it was still shut at 10-00am during the peak tourist season. My money was spent in the convenience store instead. Rejoining the Great Glen Way there was a short sharp climb out of town, then more forest tracks all the way to Fort Augustus. The glimpses of Loch Ness were spectacular again, but disappointingly infrequent.

Fort Augustus, at the south west end of Loch Ness, was a very pleasant place to stop for lunch, I relaxed for an hour there watching boats navigate the pretty locks. Whilst here I indulged in another local delicacy, Irn Bru.

When I continued on my way there was a welcome change, the endless hilly forest tracks were gone and I was treated to a flat walk along the tow path of Caledonian Canal. Not a single pine tree to hide the scenery. The flat grass section where the path starts to follow the bank of Loch Oich was a treat for my feet after all the rocky surfaces of the last day and a half, it almost felt like walking on a luxurious carpet.

For a few miles the path follows the peaceful shore of Loch Oich, some of it on a disused rail bed. I found the remains of Invergarry Station, abandoned in 1942, particularly fascinating. Where the path crosses the A82 at Invergarry I took my next break on a grass verge.

Only a mile or two further down the canal I was easily persuaded to stop again when I stumbled across The Eagle Barge Inn at Laggan Locks. It is quite literally a pub and restaurant on a docked boat. I left an hour and a half later with some hot food and a couple of pints in my belly feeling all the better for it. The laugh-a-minute landlord was a great character who made all the customers feel very welcome.

After Laggan Locks the Great Glen Way turns into forest tracks again, though flatter and less rocky than previous sections. I pushed on for over another hour, but when one of the afternoon showers, which had been light up to that point, turned into a cloudburst I hastily erected the tent and settled down for my 5th night under canvas in Clunes Forest.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 29.39 miles, walking time 7 hrs 36 mins, average walking speed 3.9mph

Weather; Sunny spells, afternoon showers. Max 16C

Cumulative mileage; 190.19 miles

The wonderful Eagle Barge Inn

Fort Augustus, Nessie is big business here

A rainbow over Laggan Locks

Day 7 Inverness to Balbeg

2010-08-26T20:47:00.009+01:00

Thursday 26th August

Leaving the guesthouse today I felt fully refreshed and raring to get going again after my rest day. My bag seemed lighter than before, in part because I'd posted one of my books home, but once I'd stocked up with provisions at the local Tesco it seemed to be more or less back to it's normal weight. As I wandered out of Inverness looking for the start of The Great Glen Way I was once again the owner of a waterproof jacket, I had also vowed to be more careful with my kit in future.

It was a bright sunny start as I climbed up several steepish hills heading out of town. For the first few miles the Great Glen Way is actually a bit of a let down and the name doesn't seem at all apt, you don't see any Glens or Lochs, just millions of pine trees as you walk along a series of forest paths. Mind you, this was still a very welcome change of scenery to me after spending so many miles dodging traffic on the A9.

After about a 5 mile stretch without seeing a single soul I met a scruffy, bearded long distance walker heading the other way. After enquiring where I was going and offering me his advice on a few things he told me what he was up to; a Z shaped walk from Dover to Cape Wrath via Lands End, John o'Groats and the summits of 3 mountains. Apparently this friendly chap had already walked over 2,000 miles and camped all the way. And I thought I was mad!

Not long after that interesting conversation I realised I had made a clumsy navigational error and accidentally wandered off The Great Glen Way. Luckily this soon turned into a blessing in disguise, while taking a path through The Abriachan Woodland to get me back on track I came across a tranquil viewpoint with stunning views across Loch Ness. This was easily my favourite beauty spot on the walk so far and I enjoyed an hour long break there admiring the fantastic scenery with the sun shining.

My next stop was at the town of Drumnadrochit, close to Urquart Castle. As I enjoyed an ice cold drink from the local store the town was buzzing with visitors, many of them had bought Nessie souvenirs.

It was 4-00pm by now and I'd already covered around 20 miles, but I was keen to press on. Once I rejoined the Great Glen again it was very quiet again, deserted in fact. When my GPS device told me I had walked 27 miles I thought it best to start looking for somewhere to camp. In a forest on the side of a steep mountain that's not as easy as you might think, it was another couple of miles before I found a suitable spot. Annoyingly the midges were out in force as I hastily erected the tent, hundreds of them swarming around me. I settled down for the night thinking that today had been very different from my first 5 days, and very enjoyable too.

GPS data click here

Mileage today; 29.09 miles, walking time 7 hrs 30 mins, average walking speed 3.9 mph

Cumulative mileage; 160.80 miles

Weather; morning and early afternoon sunny spells, then light showers. Max 16C.

After accidentally straying off The Great Glen Way I found this superb viewpoint overlooking Loch Ness

Much of the day was spent on forest tracks like this

Urquart Castle

Day 6 Rest day in Inverness

2010-08-25T17:17:00.002+01:00

Wednesday 25th August 2010

Day 5 Alness to Inverness

2010-08-24T17:57:00.017+01:00

Tuesday 24th August 2010

Today started with me cooped up in my tent waiting for the rain to cease, frustrated that I was unable to continue without my lost waterproof jacket. Fortunately I didn't have to wait too long, at around 9-00am the rain seemed to stop, so I packed up my tent, emerged from my soggy field and headed south on the A9. Unsurprisingly the first few miles were an unpleasant and busy stretch of road.

After a while, with light rain falling again, the huge Cromarty Bridge came into view. On my approach I was delighted to see many seals playing in the water and relaxing on the rocks. It was also good news when I saw that this particular bridge actually did have the luxury of a footpath. Halfway across the bridge was reduced to a single narrow lane with temporary traffic lights because of roadworks. When I reached that section one of the workers told me I would only be allowed through with an escort. To my embarrassment all the traffic on this busy A road was halted in both directions while we walked through the narrow zone. Typical British humour came to the fore at this point, the colleagues of the worker who escorted me through made several interesting suggestions, including that perhaps he should escort me all the way to Lands End! As we parted he pointed south and said "keep going that way, it's about 750 miles", I left the bridge with a broad smile. As if to deliberately add to my good mood at that very moment the sky finally began to brighten and the rain stopped too.

After a seemingly never ending gradual uphill slog on another tedious stretch of road I reached the local services at Tore. Here I stopped and took my only break of the day. While I was relaxing in the diner a generous trucker who had asked where I was walking thrust a tenner in my hand for MacMillan Cancer Support.

From Tore I again had the opportunity to leave the A9 and make use of some quiet country lanes. When I had no choice but to rejoin the A9 close to Inverness it was almost like a motorway and I found myself having to cross a very busy section of dual carriageway. Entry to Inverness was via the fine Kessock Bridge, Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club's home ground was just over the other side. With the sun shining I wearily made my way to my B&B, I'd made my first landmark city a day earlier than expected and was feeling very happy with my progress so far.

GPS track; click here

Mileage today; 19.92 miles, walking time 5 hrs 2 mins, average walking speed 4.0 mph

Weather; occasional light rain, dry and bright to finish, max 17C

Cumulative mileage; 131.71 miles

My hideaway for a wet night close to the A9 at Alness

About to cross the huge Cromarty Bridge

The sun comes out as I enter Inverness via the impressive Kessock Bridge

Day 4 Dornoch to Alness

2010-08-24T17:56:00.013+01:00

Monday 23rd August 2010

After a hot shower and a whopping breakfast my legs, which had felt quite stiff when I got up from the dinner table the previous evening, now felt remarkably fresh and I was to keen to put in another day of good mileage. Fortunately early morning rain ceased just before I hit the road, but it was overcast and grey, so after a couple of hundred yards I thought it best to stop and put on my high visibility vest.

I set off at a good speed and after crossing the windswept bridge over the Dornoch Firth and passing the Glenmorangie distillery I stopped at a shop in Tain to buy food and drink for the day. Without stopping at Tain for a rest I continued straight on, leaving the A9 and heading towards Alness on The Scotsburn Road. This quiet rural road wasn't particularly interesting, passing through forests and typical agricultural land, but it was peaceful and made a welcome change from the HGVs and speeding traffic on the A9.

On the Scotsburn Road a kind Scotsman in a camper van pulled over and offered me a lift to Inverness if I was going that way, I politely declined after explaining what I was doing. At this stage of the walk my temptation to accept the lift on a scale of 0 to 10 was a resolute 0. After walking the first 6 miles or so of The Scotsburn Road I stopped to rest and eat lunch, while tucking into my sandwiches and reading my book light rain began to fall on my back. This was when I realised I had my first problem of the walk, I went into my rucksack to get my waterproofs, but the jacket, which rolls up into a small net about the size of a cricket ball, was missing. When leaving Dornoch earlier I had made sure it was at the top ready for quick retrieval as rain was forecast, but I must have knocked it out of the rucksack and gone on my way without realising during one of my two stops earlier. Turning back was out of the question, I pressed on towards Alness at a good rate of speed as the rain gradually got heavier.

As soon as I made town I walked up and down the high street looking for a shop that sells outdoor gear but there was nothing suitable. After taking shelter for a while at the train station I decided to retreat to a pub and wait for the rain to stop. Three hours, three pints and a hot meal later it was becoming clear that the rain had set in for the night. My 25 mile target for the day was now out of the question. In the evening gloom I sneaked off to a field next to the Alness Point Enterprise Park and camped for the night. In typical "sod's law" fashion it was to rain continuously for 16 hours from the moment I realised the jacket was lost.

GPS data; click here

Mileage today; 23.24 miles, walking time 5 hrs 48 mins, average walking speed 4.0mph.

Weather; A dull morning, then rain. Max 16C

Cumulative mileage; 111.79 miles.

Arriving in Tain

The Scotsburn road, a welcome reief from the busy A9

'Twenty's Plenty' in wet Alness. Are they trying to tell me something about my daily mileage?

Day 3 Helmsdale to Dornoch

2010-08-24T17:55:00.015+01:00

Sunday 22nd August 2010

After another good night in the tent I was rudely introduced to the dreaded Scottish midges. As soon as I unzipped the tent door I was absolutely covered in the little blighters, there must have been at least one on every square inch of exposed flesh. My Avon Skin-So-Soft, supposedly the best deterrent, was at hand so I sprayed it liberally over myself and rushed back up the main road as quickly as I possibly could. Before hitting the road again I dropped into the convenience store in Helmsdale and made sure I was very well stocked up with provisions in case I had another day like yesterday with shops and restaurants being virtually non-existent.

By lunchtime I had walked the 11 miles to Brora, the road seemed fairly quiet today, I found a bench next to the river and relaxed for an hour. In the afternoon, after passing the impressive Dunrobin Castle (the first castle I have ever seen with it's own railway station!) I pushed on straight through Golspie without stopping, opting to take my next break under a tree a couple of miles further south. In this area the lush countryside to the left of the A9 looked very much like my home county Devon, the rugged mountains to the right being totally in contrast. It had been my intention to camp wild for a third night, but a few miles on after crossing a bridge called The Mound the Trentham Hotel on the A9 near Dornoch changed my mind. I only went in intending to purchase a meal and a couple of pints, but the B&B on offer for just £25 seemed too good to resist after another day pounding the road. After enjoying a delicious meal and some fine Scottish ale I happily crashed out for the night in a very comfy room.

GPS data; click here

Weather; Bright and cool, ideal. Max 15C

Mileage today; 26.55 miles, walking time 6 hrs 36 mins, average walking speed 4.0mph

Cumulative mileage 88.55 miles

The road heading south out of Helmsdale

A roadside memorial to the last wolf killed in Sutherland

Crossing the bleak Dornoch Firth Bridge, no footpath to protect walkers here.

Day 2 Mid Clyth to Helmsdale

2010-08-24T17:54:00.016+01:00

Saturday 21st August 2010

While I'd done much practise walking before my JOGLE I hadn't got round to seeing what it was like to spend a night in my tent. So it was with great relief that I woke on day 2 after a very good nights sleep. My first ever attempt at 'wild camping' had turned out to be a resounding success!

Soon after leaving Mid Clyth I came across a small village called Lybster. I left the A99 briefly, found the friendly village shop and stocked up my backpack with drinks and snacks, hoping to find a pub for a hot meal later.

There seemed to be many cyclists on the A99 today, many of them undoubtedly on JOGLEs or LEJOGs. The cyclists were very friendly, nearly every group giving me a verbal greeting. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said of a long distance walker I saw heading north, when I called out a loud 'good morning' he completely ignored me, stared ahead and continued on his way as if I didn't even exist. I wondered if he was a LEJOGer near the end of his journey and in too much pain to speak.

Today was a hard day due to an incessant strong headwind and the bleak landscape. After resting for an hour at Dunbeath I tackled the Berriedale Braes, it's a lovely spot at the bottom, but the long steep climb up the other side was easily the toughest hill I'd come across so far. I proudly managed it without stopping. My next break was taken at the car park by the Badbea abandoned clearance village. Usually I'd like to have a look around at places like Badlea, but I was tired, I realised I was low on water and I still hadn't found an inn where I could buy a hot meal. For these reasons I knew I had to push on to Helmsdale before settling for the night.

Arriving in Helmsdale was easily the highlight of the day. By coincidence the local highland games were on. The town was really buzzing, there was a carnival mood in the air and crowds of people in high spirits. After soaking up the atmosphere for a while and enjoying a fish and chip supper I retreated to a field just out of town and settled down for my second night in the tent. Today had been a tough, bit ultimately satisfying day.

GPS data; Click Here

Weather; Strong headwind all day, overcast. Max 15C

Mileage today 30.10 miles, walking time 7hr 43mins, average walking speed 3.9mph

Cumulative mileage 62.00


I camped behind this disused cottage at Mid Clyth


Looking back over The Berriedale Braes after walking up this tough climb

A pipe band marching through Helmsdale

Day 1 (and a bit) John o'Groats to Mid Clyth

2010-08-23T17:26:00.017+01:00

Thursday 19th and Friday 20th August 2010

After a hassle free journey from the south of England by plane and bus I arrived at John o'Groats in the early afternoon on Thursday. For an hour or two I hung around savouring the happy atmosphere, bought some postcards and enjoyed a pint at The Journeys End bar. I watched two groups of elated cyclists finishing their LEJOGs and there were visitors of many nationalities milling around.

It had always been my intention to start my walk on Friday 20th of August, but a conversation with the official sign photographer, who was having a busy day, changed my mind. His opening time of 10-00am was at least an hour later than I wanted to start walking the next morning, and while he's not there the sign is removed. So at my request we altered the date on the sign and I had my picture taken a day early.

Then decided I might as well start walking early too! There is a start/finish line for end-to-enders outside the sadly derelict John o'Groats Hotel. I left from the line and enjoyed a very pleasant walk along beaches and cliffs to Duncansby Head and Stacks. Duncansby Head, a couple of miles east of John o'Groats, is the true North East extreme point of Great Britain and The Stacks are a natural wonder well worth visiting. I walked back to my guest house by road and noted that my Garmin GPS device showed 5.90 miles.

On Friday morning after breakfast I continued from where I had stopped the evening before, the front door of my guesthouse which was about half a mile south from the start/finish line, my walk was now well and truly underway. The road to Keiss was fairly desolate, mainly moorland and fields of sheep. After passing through Keiss I walked down a short lane to the beach at Sinclair's Bay. From there I had a very enjoyable 5 mile stroll on the deserted sands until the beach ran out next to a large home that resembles a castle. After getting momentarily lost in the grounds I re-emerged on the A99 just outside of Wick. The 16 miles to Wick had flown by, so I hung around long enough to eat lunch and dinner. 4 hours later I pressed on and eventually stopped at Mid Clyth where I 'wild camped' in undergrowth behind a disused cottage. I slept well, very content with my first days progress.

Weather; Overcast and windy, a few light showers at lunchtime. Max 16C

Mileage today 31.90 (includes 5.90 on Thursday 19th), walking time 8hrs 7mins,
average walking speed 3.9mph

GPS tracks; click here and here

Duncansby Stacks

The start line!

The deserted sands of Sinclair's Bay

My journey begins today - thanks for all the good luck messages.

2010-08-18T11:50:00.000+01:00

In a couple of hours my journey will begin when Lea will drive me to Winterbourne Abbas in Dorset. My parents will meet us there and take me the rest of the way to their home in Fordingbridge. Tomorrow morning (Thursday) it'll be an early start (don't worry, I'm used to them!) to make sure I'm at Southampton Airport in time for my 7-00am flight to Edinburgh with Flybe. From there I will catch a connecting flight for the short hop up to Wick (a short hop in flying terms, not in walking terms!).

At the moment I'm making doubly sure everything is packed. There is only one decision left to make; do I add a fair bit of weight to my pack by adding the two books I would like to take? Maybe I should I take just one? Or do I leave them both behind?

Over the last few days I have received lots of good luck cards, mainly from customers on my milkround. Also many good luck messages have arrived over the internet. Thank-you very much to all of you, they have touched me and will be in my mind as I walk. Again I must thank everybody who has made a donation to MacMillan Cancer Support, the generosity shown to this great cause will give me more determination than anything else to push through the tough times during my challenging journey.

During my walk the best way to keep up-to-date with my progress will be by following me on Twitter. I shall be posting location details and photos live from my iPhone regularly. The link below takes you to my Twitter feed;

http://twitter.com/GaryLQ

My next blog post will be from Scotland!

Gary

Only 5 days to go! Last minute preparations.

2010-08-15T11:22:00.004+01:00

Hello everybody,

I'm delighted to report that very generous donations continue to come in for MacMillan, I've been overwhelmed by the generosity shown by people before I've even made my first step. Every mile along the way is now going to feel more worthwhile than ever. If you would like to make a donation please visit my Just Giving page by clicking here.

On Monday and Tuesday 15th/16th August I'll be working on my milkround as usual. My Journey begins on Wednesday 17th when I travel to the New Forest for an overnight stay with relatives. They live close to Southampton Airport where I'll need to be first thing on Thursday morning to catch my 7-00am flight up to Wick (via Edinburgh). A bus will take me the last 20 miles from Wick up to John O'Groats. After a night in a B&B my walk will officially begin at around 9-00am on Friday morning.

At the moment I'm very busy with last minute preparations, tying up all the loose ends at home and liaising with the MacMillan and Milk & More teams to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible while I'm on the road.

I will start my walk feeling I've prepared as well as possible, more than a year of planning has gone into this event. There has been no compromise between price and quality when it comes to kit, I've only bought tried and tested hi-tech lightweight gear specificly designed for long distance walking. My route planning has gone into much fine detail for the whole journey. As for fitness, I've put in at least 500 practise miles over the last few months, always carrying the full weight of kit that needs to go on the walk with me, I feel in great shape and can't wait to get going. There are many very good websites that have helped me prepare for such a daunting task, travel journalist Mark Moxon's excellent website about John O'Groats to Lands End walking has been particularly useful.

Though I will I begin full of confidence I'm certainly not making the mistake of underestimating my task. Good fortune will have to be on my side, I'm aware that injury and illness could strike me at any time. There are many other things that could affect my progress, severe weather events for example. For these reasons I have chosen not to commit myself to a fixed timetable, my walk will take as long as it takes. If I reach the point of exhaustion or I'm suffering from injury I will stop and take rest days to give me the best chance of lasting the entire distance.

Click here to see an accurate map and graphs of my final practise walk; a 10 mile stroll around Exmouth completed after work on Friday afternoon. This data was recorded on my hand-held Garmin GPS device. I'm hoping to post similar maps and graphs for my entire walk on this blog, however this will only be possible if I can get occasional access to a PC, unfortunately the data cannot be uploaded via my iPhone.

Gary

Route planning and other news

2010-08-07T17:07:00.011+01:00

Route planning

One of the joys of a walk between John O'Groats and Lands End (or vice-versa) is that there is no set route. As long as you start and finish at those two points you can go which ever way you choose.

The straight-line distance from Land's End to John O' Groats is approximately 603 miles, but that passes over stretches of the Irish Sea. The shortest distance by road is 874 miles. Many end-to-end walkers opt to take a scenic route and end up walking as much as 1,200 miles, or even more.

My route has been in the planning stage for several months. When I leave John O'Groats the first 118 miles or so will involve walking along the A9 and A99 to Inverness. From there I will head south west along the Great Glen Way until I reach Fort William around 73 miles later. The 96 miles of The West Highland Way, a scenic but challenging off-road track, will take me from Fort William to the outskirts of Glasgow. From there I will head south until I enter England at Gretna Green.

I have chosen a route through England that enables me to visit my fellow milkmen at 17 Milk & More depots, including my home depot in Exeter. The Milk & More team's backing has been crucial to getting my walk off the ground, without their generous support I simply wouldn't be able to afford to do it. I'm hoping that my depot visits will generate some PR opportunities and boost the sum raised for MacMillan. The Milk & More depots I have chosen to visit are as follows;

Wigan
Howley (Warrington)
Nothwich
Crewe
Stoke
Burntwood
West Bromwich
Redditch
Worcester
Gloucester
Yate (Bristol)
Weston-Super-Mare
Taunton
Exeter
Torquay
Plymouth
Camborne

If anybody living close to my route can offer to put me up for the night I'm very interested, please get in touch.

Seasoned hikers who prefer scenic off-road walks will probably be horrified to realise that my path will take me through several urban centres including Glasgow, Birmingham and Bristol. However the route is of my choosing and I don't mind passing through occasional towns and cities if it gives me the opportunity to visit my colleagues and the possibility of raising more money for MacMillan.

When my walk commences I will be carrying no paper maps whatsoever, though I expect I'll need to buy one or two on my way. While planning I've typed up over 100 pages of detailed route notes and generated 120 maps on my laptop using some very useful mapping websites. These have all been stored on my iPhone, which will be a crucial tool on my walk. I will be able to views all my maps and notes even when I have no mobile signal. A copy of all my notes and maps will also be taken on a USB stick to give me the opportunity to have physical copies printed off when the need arises. My hand-held Garmin GPS device will also aid navigation.

In total my planned route comes in at just over 950 miles, however I'm bound to stray off the path quite often when I'm seeking food, other provisions and places to stay. Also it's inevitable that I'll take a wrong turn every now and then and end up putting in some unexpected extra miles for various reasons. So all-in-all I'm expecting to walk around 1000 miles, in fact I think it will feel good if I actually do manage to break the 1000 mile barrier before I reach the finish line. My GPS device will record the exact daily distances and I will publish them on this blog.

Other news

As I type I have already raised £1,853 for MacMillan, and that sum doesn't include the gift-aid element that will be claimed on the majority of donations at a later stage. I have been over-whelmed by peoples generosity and I'm delighted to reach this figure two weeks before I even start walking. I'm now more confident than ever that I will be able to reach my £5,000 target. Please keep them coming folks!

My training is almost complete, my final 20 mile practise (10 miles each way to and from work) will be completed on Wednesday 18th, with shorter walks to follow on the Thursday and Friday. I estimate that I have walked at least 500 practise miles over the last few months, always wearing and carrying all my JOGLE kit. I'm very lucky to have beautiful countryside to explore in East Devon. My practise boots (that I've also been wearing at work) are almost completely worn out, they're identical to the brand-new ones I'm taking up to John O'Groats with me, I'm going to start wearing that pair in a week before I leave.

For those of you familiar with Twitter, I will be tweeting as I walk. The tweets will include progress reports, photos and anything else of interest. The Tweets will also automatically update my Facebook status. My iPhone has a GPS facility, this means all the tweets will include precise geographical data. Shortly before the walk starts I will add my Twitter address to this blog.

Gary

Welcome

2010-08-01T12:16:00.000+01:00

Hello everybody and welcome to my blog!

In less than three weeks I shall be setting off on my epic walk. I'm fully prepared and can't wait to get going. I've been planning this walk for at least a year now. Although the milkround gives me a good foundation of fitness, I've been going out on regular practise walks for the last 5 months.

As I'm walking solo and unsupported I will be carrying a fairly weighty rucksack which contains all my essentials for the journey. This includes a one-man tent, sleeping bag, pillow, waterproofs, changes of clothes, toiletries, first aid kit, GPS device, mobile phone with charger and back-up battery, etc. etc. The total weight of my kit is around 15KG. All of my practise walks have been completed carrying the full load to get me used to the extra weight. I have carefully researched my kit and purchased high-tech lightweight items whenever possible.

My milkround is a Dairy Crest Milk & More franchise. The Milk & More team have given me very generous support without which my walk would not be possible. During my journey I will be dropping into around 15 Milk & More depots, including the Exeter depot where my own round is based. www.milkandmore.co.uk

Two things have motivated me to walk. Firstly to walk the famous John O'Groats to Lands End has always been an ambition of mine, I like a bit of adventure and I cannot think of a better way to see our beautiful country. Secondly it gives me a great opportunity to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support, a fantastic charity which do wonderful work in the community for cancer sufferers and their families. If you would like to help make my walk worthwhile please make a donation to Macmillan via my Just Giving page. All donations will passed to MacMillan in full, no deductions are being made for expenses. Click Here to make a donation.

The map below shows a rough outline of my intended route. I'm not going to be walking to a set schedule, my route is expected to total around 1000 miles. It is my intention to average 20 miles per day and complete my walk within 8 weeks. Each day I will record precise data about my route and the distance walked using a handheld GPS device.

Click here to see an article about my walk in the Express and Echo.