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

Driving back from Martin’s Mum’s house we left the car at Crowden at 10 having ensured I had walked the equivalent distance to following the Pennine Way.   I heard first a cuckoo, and then curlews, with plenty of willow warblers all along the valley. To my delight a pair of lapwing performed their acrobatics while issuing their distinctive cry. We met a couple of men who were fascinated by what I was doing and shared that they are planning 7 weeks to Peru and Chile and wanted to follow my blog. They later kindly made a donation.  Laddow Rocks, as ever, was stunning. It’s one of my highlights of the Pennine Way.  As we stood soaking up the sun and the view I heard the sound of a bird of prey and a little later we watched a kestrel fly out from the rocks and disappear flying high into the distance.  We stopped for elevenses at our favourite grass patch by the stream where last time Martin had had a siesta while I watched a wren feeding up and down the stream. This time...

The Newfold Farm campsite is superb with a new block of hotel standard (in my view of course from wild camping) and a real bonus that it being a Friday the cafe was open until 8pm so I was able to sit in there to sort notes etc. The downside was that I was cold during the night and the Alpkit bivy bag hadn’t got delivered on time. My left knee and glute were protesting and it was only at 4 am that I thought to let some air out so the mattress was softer. That was a big improvement. It’s become a real love hate relationship with my tent I’m afraid. So, with Martin close by at his mother’s I’ve decided to take advantage of going back to creature comforts while Martin is in striking distance, which also means I won’t have to carry the full weight of the backpack for awhile. I hope nobody is disappointed that I’m forgoing soft for a while. Think of it as the equivalent of a raft day… 1st of June feels a long way off for a break from walking everyday! I woke at 4:45 to the dawn chorus and t...

We arrived back at the A6 start point for 10am and agreed to meet up at Millers Dale. The walk was straight forward enough although steeply downslope which my glute wasn’t too happy about. Martin had - in predictable fashion - got a little distracted by the old railway line but fortunately didn’t miss our rendezvous. We continued together climbing out of the Dale and enjoying the views across the White Peak as we continued along the Limestone Way. Once we arrived at Peter Dale, Martin decided to return to the car via Monk’s Dale while I continued up Peter Dale and then Hay Dale. Apart from a couple of rocky stretches, both made easy walking - Monk’s Dale is rather trickier apparently. Walking up Peter Dale I noticed just how much ash die-back there is. Jackdaws and rooks were taking advantage of the cliffs to nest, and I heard another little owl in the trees. Coming to Hay Dale I discovered that this is part of a Nature Reserve and was notable for its flowers - at this time of year, pl...

With the alarm going at 7am we were down for breakfast as soon as it started at 8am. Don’t ask me why it took until 10 to start walking but I clearly went into relax mode! Dovedale is gorgeous. This morning has to be one of my best. I felt relaxed, buoyed up by seeing the girls and now Martin and, with a combination of exercises and Martin’s massage gun my glute was feeling much less tight and ready to go. I had to steady Martin to a slower pace so I could warm up but the natural beauty around us did more for that than I could.  A heron peacefully fishing was undeterred by us stopping to watch. And then a pair of dippers, obscured by flood debris became bold, continued to feed and swim while we watched fascinated by their movements. By this time we had left the beauty of the stepping stones behind and joined a National Trust ranger as she walked the path picking up litter left behind over the bank holiday. She told us of the story of “Lover’s Leap”, a woman on hearing that her love...

Cooked breakfast, warm up exercises and a couple of ibuprofen for the glute and I was hopeful I was set up for the day. Martin, my husband, was intending to walk out from the Izzak Walton where we are staying tonight, to meet me and I was really looking forward to seeing him after a month apart. My glute was not behaving terribly well - definitely mind over matter for the moment. Entering Derbyshire and crossing the River Dove and A road I entered a field with 50 plus Canada geese, a dozen greylag, and 3 lapwings: Good boost to the morning. Walking along the River Dove towards Rocester and on a large meander I saw sand martins again. I was stunned by the JCB “estate” seeming to run from the Eaton Hall shooting club where new clubhouse and extensive landscaping occurred through the various estate houses along to Rochester where the JCB Academy as part of the HEX group is based - lots of JCB vehicles going by and people carrying and wearing company branded merchandise. Having gone over a...