Walking Lands End to John O'Groats 2025 for Alzheimer's Society

I left the wayfarer Inn at 10:15. I was worried that an unsettled stomach was what impacted yesterday and wanted to allow time to recover. I hoped it really would be a shorter and flat day today apart from the pull up to the campsite. This is where not having rest days takes its toll. As it happens, that is how the day panned out - a respite from some of the heavy going of the last few days and as I write I am sitting in a well pitched tent on a beautiful sunny evening with the longer evening ahead of me now that the clocks have gone forward an hour. That will make things so much easier. I’m at a well organised campsite although there’s only two caravans and me here! The luxury of course is having all facilities - toilet, wash basins, showers and charging points. And a beautiful view over the north Devon hills. I feel very relaxed and looking forward to the next few days now. So how did today proceed? This morning I was alert and taking in my surroundings unlike last night. I enjoyed l...

That seemed like a hard day. My feet feel sore and my legs really didn’t want to work today when going up hill. I think I’d relaxed thinking the most difficult part was over, forgetting that Clovelly to Westward Ho! is actually quite a touch walk - extending then to Bideford and Instow. I had left Clovelly on a sunny morning a bit later than intended, around 9:20. I immediately met Kevin, a carer for his mother with dementia and we shared experiences for quite awhile. Joining Hobby Drive I’d forgotten that whilst it’s a gradual descent over 3 or so miles coming into Clovelly, leaving it it becomes a gradual and persistent climb. And then the undulating hills began - as one group said to me - those slopes are vicious, we don’t want to demoralise you but you’ll find the walk to Westward Ho! hard going. So today became something of a battle of wills, although I wanted to enjoy the final day on SWCP. Hobby Drive cuts through steep slopes - my mind was constantly eyeing up potential cam...

Now at the end of Day 14, in total, I have walked 210 miles from Penzance to Clovelly! The red line on the map below shows my route so far: Today, Friday 28th March, I left the Hotel at 9:40am after a lovely cooked breakfast to fuel the 7 valleys to negotiate today. You will notice I enjoy the countdown - helps my motivation and focus more than mileage certainly in this kind of terrain. So here goes: ✓ 1 Out of Hartland Quay 9:50am ✓ 2 up to Dyer’s lookout 10:20am And just in case I thought the big valleys were behind me! This was where I had planned to camp the night before with nowhere sheltered from the wind or flat. A good decision made last night. A kestrel goes up as I descend the valley Lundy Island in the background and a ship going past. ✓ 3  Blegberry beach 10:37am Glorious strata at this beach with the shadows accentuating them. Once I pass Hartland Point the landscape and geology will soften so I want to drink up this gloriously rugged scenery. Next a beautiful peace...

I wake up at 4:30am from a peaceful night except for a few gusts of wind have the tent expanding and contracting with a loud thwack. I debate whether to go out and put out some guy-ropes, but the wind settles and I snuggle back down for a bit. The first oystercatcher call wakens me shortly before 5, ( I’m a light sleeper if you hadn't already gathered!) and I go out to see what the weather looks like. There’s heavy grey cloud out to sea and my sleeping bag seems ever more appealing. I’ll leave it awhile longer. It’s amazing though how quickly the days are lengthening even within this week. Approaching 6am and my mind is buzzing so I decide to start properly planning the day and the business of starting the day. The birds are quiet this morning - a single wren, a couple of gulls and a few oystercatchers. It reminds me, Martin and I met a keen older gentleman who was a keen birdwatcher. He had been out at Porthgwarra nature reserve and bemoaned the lack of passerines (migrant birds)...

I wake up at 5:10am with the light and the bird calls of oystercatchers, a wren, and a blackbird. I get up and have scones, from Port Issac, for breakfast as I take my tent down. I'm trying to get that backpack weight further reduced. I leave the Cornish blue and crackers for lunch and then will resupply at Bude later in the day. As it’s another strenuous and then moderate section to Bude and then severe and supposedly the toughest day of SWCP to Hartland Quay. I’m keen to get as far up towards Hartland Quay as possible today - Warrens’s Gutter is what I’ve earmarked on the spreadsheet although I think that’s quite an ask. I’m concerned that the weather forecast tomorrow afternoon to Friday isn’t looking good - rain and someone has said high winds so I’m thinking of giving Hartland Quay hotel a ring to see if they have a room spare. Glorious exposures of strata on beach as sun comes up. A Steep climb follows but worth it for a superb ridge walk. Castle point with the white blossom ...