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

I woke at 6 to light rain which had been on and off through the night although not forecast. I was pleased to be efficient this morning and left at 7:30.  The path took me back up to the top of the scarp but this came pretty easily and after walking along the quarry path which undulated through small scale but extensive quarrying it was when I was descending to Much Wenlock that I saw the best example of a quarry with lime kiln that I’d seen along the Edge. I stopped at the historic Much Wenlock with an attractive covered market. I timed it well for opening of the Tea on the Square cafe at 9 and stayed for 40 mins over a fresh bacon and egg sandwich and cappuccino where the staff were welcoming a I enjoyed chatting with them and felt buoyed up by the company. The path then lead to a disused railway for short stretch, in a cutting filled with wild garlic and with beautiful springy ground underfoot …. unlike yesterday’s longer stretch.  The profuse dandelions of Wenlock Edge fie...

I left at 9 having had a leisurely breakfast and thinking through supply for next 2 days. Amazing where the time goes - I was up at 7. But I do always like to keep airbnbs as tidy as when I arrived and to triple check I’ve not left anything behind. A pleasant walk along the course of the River ensued, to be topped off by the sight of sand martins - a colony of at least 20 flying around the river near their burrows in the sand banks - it was hard to tell actual numbers as they kept going into their holes! And I’d been keeping my eye out for dippers and kingfishers …. No sign of those! Came to Strefford with a couple of attractive timber framed cottages but was soon out and heading for the limestone escarpment of Wenlock Edge. I’m told once you’re on there it is pretty flat and straightforward walking - I was keeping my fingers crossed as it was a fair step to Lower Farm campsite, my destination for the night. I crossed the footbridge by the ford and then to my surprise spotted a dipper ...

Amazingly today I am a third of the way along my journey. I can’t quite believe it. My time with Martin based at St Ives at the start of the challenge seems years ago and I can’t wait to see him in a week’s time.  The days have blended together and I’m so pleased I’ve been keeping this daily journal and photos. The memories I have are so mixed from the freezing cold to the baking hot, from the joy of being, and everything seeming to come quite naturally,  to the sheer dogged determination to make my legs go uphill while carrying that beastly backpack! Today has started damp so we will see how things go, but today I turn away from my second National Trail and head across country over the Shropshire Hills to Craven Arms, Wenlock Edge and across to Ironbridge and Cannock Chase where I’m excited to meet up with 2 of my daughters, Georgie and Maria - whose birthdays are today and tomorrow, so we will have some celebrating to do while I continue the walk! It looks like there’s a fai...

Aware that heavy rain could be an issue today, I was up at 6am and broke camp by 7:15.  I ate a quick breakfast standing by my packed backpack pleased to have got all away before any rain. In full waterproofs and with only light rain I left at 7:40. I walked to rough the attractive town of Kington and started the climb up Bradnor Hill and the highest golf club in England - although with they welcome walkers, unfortunately I was far too early for them to be open - I’d have loved a coffee!  I took my wet gear off at this point as it seemed like the risk of rain had passed at least for the moment. But at 9:50 I was walking into mist! Just at that point I was chuffed to see a pair of very smart redstarts. And finally I was delighted to be walking along the dyke at Rushock Hill - the rest of the day was a revelation for this, and was capped by seeing a stonechat sounding its alarm. The walk from Kington to Knighton is a series of pretty steep hills and walking between Rushock Hill ...

I woke with alarm at 7:30. Bit of a headache but otherwise fine.  I took my time wiping the tent down as there was a lot of condensation today and eventually broke camp and got away by 9:30 having chatted to a young lady who had walked from Chepstow on the Offa’s Dyke Path, but had hit her limit yesterday as the 20 mile walk from Pandy over the mountains had been too much for her. She reckoned, like me, that 12-15 miles was more than enough. She was having whisky with her coffee and then getting taxi back to Chepstow with 3 other people - I asked her to give my love to the 3 “10 trekkers” if in fact it was them. It was a pleasant walk by the River Wye - downstream this time - and I saw another pair of goosander, and continued through fields to a road where the path started to climb. I stopped here for early elevenses as I was already starting to tire. The path then led, soft underfoot, through forest which was being cleared. The larches were coming into leaf, and the smell of pine ...