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

I headed into town for coffee and pain au chocolat then resupply at Waitrose. Minor drama as I got trapped between their two automatic doors - apparently they aren’t supposed to be operational because of shop lifting.  Bizarrely, I had to fight with claustrophobia - it obviously set off a panic response in me, and caused some consternation and embarrassment for the staff.  I took my time breaking camp - the tent was very wet with condensation but I wasn’t too cold last night despite the frost.  I won’t put a reflective blanket on top of the sleeping bag in future as condensation forms on the underside making the sleeping bag damp. It turned into a pleasant leisurely start and I set off just before 10:15 after chatting to the friendly campers on caravans around me. The tree blossom is in full swing now and wisteria is starting to flower on the front of some of the houses … I wonder how mine is doing on the pergola. It was already heating up as I left campsite so I was alre...

I left my very comfortable Airbnb at Chase farm at 8:50 just as the cows were being taken back to the field after milking. Walking towards Devil’s Pulpit across the fields they were smothered with cuckoo flower. I’ve not heard any cuckoos yet but hopefully I will in the next week or so. The view from devils pulpit is beautiful and the woodlands around filled with wood anemones, dog violets, dog mercury, 3 cornered leek, celandines, harts tongue fern and toothwort which is not seen before - parasitic perennial herb which feeds off tree roots. A jay was being bombarded by a pair of blackbirds having shown too much interest in their nest. I noticed Amelanchier growing in the felled area of ash among beech whilst Song thrushes were holding court in the woodland birdsong. I stopped at the Abbey mill tea rooms and was tempted by the moist and tasty bara brith. I finally left at 11 having reminisced being with the girls here. As I walked around the Tintern meander I loved seeing tortoises in ...

After doing some research over the next few days and pulling together notes on the geology so far, I joined Sarie for breakfast before we set off back to Aust. Sarie dropped me off at 9:30. It felt like a real wrench to leave friends and Bristol behind and I was sorry to go. Walking over the bridge was an experience I had anticipated with some interest although I expected it to be more exposed than it happened to be this morning. It was good to have the time to appreciate the structure even as it vibrated, to appreciate the surroundings and watch the ever-changing eddies of the water. I noticed a large gully intruding through the mudflats and wondered if it was a problem. Looking at the OS map it looks as though it has an appropriate name: the Hunger Pill. By10:30 I was over the bridge heading around the outskirts of Chepstow. Part of this was a pleasant walk was along the River Wye before leading into the town centre where I picked up supplies and treated myself to a pre-prepared M...

After a relaxing night and start to the day Malcolm and Sarie took me back to Ladies Mile and Sarie joined me for the first part of the walk to Aust aiming to meet up with Malcolm at Blaise Castle cafe. I was pleasantly surprised by how the route I’d looked at on the OS mapping managed to take us to discover hidden alleyways and green space from Clifton Down, through Sneyd Park, Sea Mills, Coombe Dingle and Henbury, leading us down to Blaise. Sarie pointing out old haunts and telling me about the history of how the villages on the outskirts of Bristol gradually got absorbed. Going back in time some of the old Roman roads and the fascinating Pitch and Pay Lane based on plague times when Bristol was cut off and people would pitch over supplies and Bristolians pay for them. The scenic valley walking through Blaise Estate and to the castle and cafe was a pleasant surprise, as well as the dramatic cliffs of Goram’s Seat. The cafe proved an excellent place for meeting up with Malcolm. I was ...

Foxes were barking through the night and tawny owls calling one much lower in tone than the other. So atmospheric. I thought the new arrangement was working well but I woke shivering at 4:30. The sleeping bag was damp where I’d wrapped up with the reflective blanket.  I managed to doze but started getting up rather dazedly at 6:20. I suppose predictably there was ice on the inside of the tent again. Green and spotted woodpeckers along with squirrels churring gave a different slant to the dawn chorus this morning. As I took the tent down I realised there were wood anemones all around me, and was pleased to leave before 8. The path took me down the lovely wood full of ramsons (wild garlic) with some toxic lords and ladies mixed in, white wild anemones and the start of bluebells. As I came off the Mendips I seemed to come down off limestone onto red sandstone. Looking back over to the Mendips and where I camped, I realised I was now following the Monarchs and the Samaritan’s Way. Prog...