Choosing the Route

 

Since I was first diagnosed with CLL, and started long distance walking, I've been fortunate enough to walk the North and South Downs Ways (2018), the Norfolk Coastal Path (2019), Coast to Coast (2021), the Menorcan Coastal Path and the Ridgeway (2023), the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, the Dales Highway and the Cotswold Way (2024). In amongst those, I walked the Pennine Way (2020) and the South West Coastal Path (2022) for charity.  

In walking these routes, I realised that I love walking on my own, enjoy being immersed in the surroundings around me, able to go at my own pace, stop, observe, and simply be. I love the high moors and mountains but also our beautiful rugged coast - especially the north Cornwall coastline. I very much wanted to re-walk that part of the South West Coastal Path but extended to Penzance - a stretch with which I had been particularly taken.  I also wanted to re-walk the Pennine Way - eventually postponing this so as to incorporate it into this walk. I was also fascinated by the Cape Wrath Trail.

The End to End Trail by Andy Robinson largely provides what I am after - with tweaks required to land me at the start of the Pennine Way.  After endless debate about weather, midges and endings, I decided to take a risk with the notorious Scottish midges and go south to north, exploring new trails to finish.

So the route in summary is as follows:

• South West Coastal Path:                                                      Penzance to Barnstaple
• Across Exmoor, Quantocks, Mendips, Bristol and Severn Estuary to:                 
• Offa's Dyke Trail:                                                                     Chepstow to Knighton
• Across Shropshire Hills, Staffordshire and Derbyshire Dales to:            
• Pennine Way:                                                                           Edale to Kirk Yetholm
• Across Southern Uplands and Scottish Lowlands to:       
• West Highland Way:                                                                Drymen to Fort William  
• Cape Wrath Trail:                                                                     Fort William to Oykel Bridge
• Across the Flow Country to:
• John O'Groats Trail:                                                                 Keiss to John O'Groats