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

Well I’m glad I delayed my rest day - it snowed on the tops yesterday and last night. That walk over the High Pass would have been cold! And thank goodness I wasn’t wild-camping! After a good rest and final planning of the last 20 days of LEJOG, it was good to return to my walking routine. I’m not sure how I’ll feel when I’m not getting up and walking 12 miles plus a day! It will be quite a transition and I’ll have to train my body to eat less! Anyway back to the day at hand. The forecast wasn’t good - heavy rain showers expected throughout the day. I had planned to simply follow the roads to the end of the West Highland Way, but when I saw the snow on the Nevis range I changed my mind and when Martin dropped me back at Braveheart car park at 10:30 I went up along the Cow Hill circuit to look into the range and across to Loch Eil. A squall of rain was well timed as I was able to shelter under a cluster of trees while I put my waterproofs on. By the time I was sorted the rain had gone t...

I can’t quite believe I’m writing this… but there are only 19 days left of this wild, beautiful, crazy journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats! In some ways, it feels like I’ve been walking forever - through rain or shine I have so far walked 1,110 miles! And yet, I can still remember the excitement and the nerves I felt setting off at the very bottom of Cornwall - but that does seem a lifetime away. But this isn’t just about the miles. It never was. It’s been about the extraordinary and varied natural world of the British Isles, which I’ve had the chance to really savour at leisure.    It’s been about the people I have met and the huge range of conversations and support I’ve had.   It’s been knowing that my father is meticulously following me on the map with a piece of precious bluejohn and willing me on every step of the way - as have so many others. But most of all it’s been about remembering my beautiful, wise and ever-patient mother, who I will always treasure ...

The previous night we had been delighted when a pine marten came to visit the bird feeders while we ate dinner. The feeders were also drawing in chaffinches, coal and great tits, and siskins.  Having decided to delay my rest day to the following day when bad weather was forecast, I still pleaded for a slower start that morning, which meant that with a 90 minute drive back to my start point we didn’t set off until 11am. It was a steady and in some places, steep climb out of Kinlochleven, but with a breeze blowing, no midges and plenty of interesting geology to work out. In these lower stretches there was metamorphosed limestone which almost looked like marble in some cases. Further up we saw slate bedding which had been skimmed off by glacial erosion…. Martin acted as model for my photo. We got to the first col at 12 with fine views back to the north face of some of the Glen Coe crags up the Kinlochleven valley, and into the High Pass where I would continue to walk. Granite was now ...

Knowing that Martin wouldn’t be able to arrive before around 15:00 at Kinlochleven and the walk would take me around 4 hours I had decided to have a lie-in! I was staggered when I didn’t wake until 8:30. I’d obviously found the roar of the stream in spate lulling! Or else I was just tired. But I was relieved that the midge bites hadn’t kept me awake. There hadn’t been as much rain as I expected over night but the tent was still wet so would need drying once I’d arrived at the lodge at Loch Laggan. I left at 9:50 with mixed emotion knowing that that was my last camp - and as a wild camp it really was one of the best. Rain started to sweep up Glen Coe as I started to walk up towards the Devil’s Staircase but the views back still had me stopping to watch - I’ve always been fascinated by mists moving across mountain tops and this was no exception. The Devil’s Staircase strictly refers to the zigzags which take you to the col. I became quite emotional reaching the cairn. I’d done it - I had...