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

I left at 9:40 with breakfast at 8. I had chatted with a German mother and daughter walking St Cuthberts. The mother had walked the Pennine Way. The daughter was a flight attendant with only a week’s holiday so they were walking the way in 6 days. They took the link for my fundraising. Immediately on leaving the village the path descended into woodland with carpets of wild garlic along a deep ravine cut into the red sandstone. This led to the River Tweed, a stunning way to start the walk. As for yesterday, the nature of the walk changed depending on where I was on the meander - outside of, and I was climbing up and down the river cliffs, inside and I was walking in the river meadows. Along with the river was the return of the back headed gulls and the sentinel figures of herons poised waiting for a fish to spear. Even running low, the power of the river was impressive and the flood flotsam hanging on the tree branches was testament to its strength in flood. The flowers along here were ...

For my first rest day I had a quiet day washing all my clothing, reading a book and exploring the old abbey.  Wonderful! On Day 64 I didn’t rush in the morning as I knew (well, apparently I didn’t…..) this would be a short day and checkout for the homely apartment wasn’t until 12. I set off at 11 and walked along the Jedfoot to re-join the Trail under high redstone cliffs and attractive flower beds on my side of the river. A heron, untroubled by my passing quietly preened itself while mallard dabbled in the shallows below it. I walked up through mixed woodland dominated by mature beech and what I now realised were lime trees. I hadn’t been able to decide that coming into Jedburgh along Dere Street the day before yesterday. The view from the path extended to the Waterloo monument, and I descended back down to Jedfoot river and walked through woodlands filled with wild garlic. At the meeting of the waters was another heron with a hornbeam planted as part of the Teviot Water, part of ...

I indulged in a lie-in and late breakfast before Chris picked me up at 9:40 leaving me at Towford at 10:00. With a lighter backpack as I could leave most things at my Airbnb I really felt the difference - I was floating! I chatted for awhile with farmer who pulled over on his quad bike with 2 beautiful and good natured dogs - one who offered his paw to shake (a gold/brown and white shaggy sheepdog and a smooth coat black and ginger one). He commented on the weird weather - in the 20’s during the day, below zero at night. But lambing was going well.  Walking was straightforward today following the Roman road of Dere Street. Not long after leaving the farmer, I was confident of seeing and hearing a whimbrel for the first time on this Walk. Similar to a curlew but not quite as big, a less prominent beak and a more soulful call not developing in full like a curlew’s. The early part of today was largely through farmland, gradually leaving the Cheviots behind with the higher summits in c...

Today I left England and the Pennine Way behind! Leaving Forest View at 9, it took around 45 minutes for me to climb steadily over Byrness Hill with a nice scramble at the top, before entering the start of the openness of the Cheviot range and Otterburn Training Area. I reached Ravens Knowe/Pike at 11:05 - at 526m the highest I would go on the Cheviots and the sun started to break through the clouds at Ogres Hill. I stopped for elevenses at 11:30 and being over a third of the way there knew I could take my time. It felt quite indulgent! I was enjoying the wind in my hair, a bit of warmth from the sun at last and the bleak vastness of the Cheviots in front of me while looking over into Scotland and the next stage of my journey. I could see the three hills  which I believed would feature more as I walked into Jedburgh tomorrow, ready for my first rest day the following day. I was fascinated by Chew Green Roman camp - much bigger than I remembered although it had been misty and rainin...

After a good meal at the Cheviot Arms (goat cheese pizza) I slept well and enjoyed a bit of a lie-in as breakfast was served at 8. I left at 9:20. It’s a steep climb out of the town but it was a sunny day with a cool breeze so I made good progress. I passed by Woodcock View Farm where they were shearing the sheep and separating them from the lambs - I assumed to send to market. It looked hot work. I then enjoyed meeting Susan Pearce with her 15 year old beautiful grey horse who apparently enjoys his shepherding - she took the QR code and later kindly left a donation. Thank you Susan. As I gained height there were plenty of skylarks, meadow pipits and just before Hareshaw House where I met Susan, stonechats. Below the farm I crossed a small burn with beautiful clear water within an orange red stream bed - a sure sign of iron and it alerted me to look more keenly at the geology. I had moved from limestone to carboniferous grit stone country with signs of quarrying as I walked further. I ...