Walking John O’Groats to Lands End

Afterthoughts

Its been a few months now since I stood at the Lands End Fingerboard and I often find myself thinking about some of the experiences I've had, the places that I have stood and paths that I've walked. Trying to visualise the full extent of the walk in one go isn't possible. It has been such a truely huge undertaking. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to have done this. The memories and sense of achievement will be with me for life.

One thing that a walk along the length of mainland Britain did was to help me feel part of the country that I live in and to gain a greater perspective of the distances between places and towns. Its hard to visualise from any map that the distance from the northern most coast to Inverness is not that far different to the distance between Glasgow and Carlisle. There are some days and places that stand out in the memory such as the sun coming out on the first morning, looking back at the North Sea as it was lost from view, the sheer expance of openness in the flow country and the feeling as I hit the first hundred miles, just to name a few. There are endless memories that give me feel-good thoughts and make me smile as I carry on with the mundane chores of each day.

In general I was very lucky with the weather, it was sunny more often than not and nice and warm when it mattered too. The effort put into the route planning paid off with my only finding myself lost on a couple of occasions.    









I do now find myself missing the sense of total freedom, the open spaces and the daily mission. I now have to consider my next adventure. A bike ride is possible, maybe the Pennine Cycleway as a short adventure or the North Sea Cycleway as something much more serious.  

Since finishing the walk I have found work as a postman. I enjoy this job far more than the office based work that I quit. It has meant that I haven't stopped walking though.

If you are considering this adventure yourself then go for it. You can do it and like me you will be glad you did.