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

A slow start today due to checking out of the Drumnadrochit cottage and the long drive out to Skelbo. Passing over the Cromarty Bridge I got a message from Tracey to confirm that they would like to film me at Skelbo. Arriving at 11:20, Tracey and Holger were ready to proceed with filming and the interview, so we got started straightaway. I enjoyed chatting to Tracey on camera, and was tickled during the filming to see an osprey fishing, and then upwards of 30 eider duck feeding and preening behind me.  As well as talking about the John O’Groats Trail, Tracey was keen to explore what motivates people to walk, and to what it’s like for a woman to walk alone. For much of the day I reflected further on the conversation and what Tracey had said. Slower time, it’s something I’d like to write about further. It was past mid-day before I started walking for real, and I was starting to think it unlikely and not necessary for me to walk further than Golspie. I was however lucky - the heavy ra...

Martin dropped me off at the start point in Tain by 11am following a long drive including stop off for coffee at Inverness as a treat. The path guided me out of Tain and across the busy A9 through woodland and farmland down to Dornoch Bridge. I can’t say I was looking forward to walking over a long bridge. But again, my prejudice was challenged. First I saw a rather plain brown duck moving in seaweed below the bridge, but her straight forehead to beak and distinctly shaped tail made me think of an eider duck. Just as I was making a note of it a rather compelling white and black bird flew in - which I quickly realised was a male eider duck. I was pretty chuffed to have made a correct identification with the less distinct female. Having to walk for large part in the loose stone of the soft verge, this felt like a long walk but some prolonged hooting of horn made me turn around - it was Martin driving past. Towards the end of the bridge, I was excited to see a pair of common or arctic ter...

I started at 10:35 having stopped at a bakery in Inverness for coffee. Very civilised - I wouldn’t mind doing that again! It was a hot day today - I was wearing a tee shirt and 3/4 trousers from the start and debating on a sun hat - that appeared within 15 minutes. Today’s walk was mostly on minor roads, but the use of forest tracks and paths for some third of it was a relief. This kind of walk is not my favourite but on the other hand it was getting me closer to the ultimate destination efficiently. As a trail the JOGT had been well signposted so far and would be largely on the coast in another day’s time. The first part of the minor road went through farmland and there were a number of yellowhammers with their classic song “ little bit of butter and ……. cheese’ perched high on the hedgerows. Most of the houses as on previous days continued to be like crofts - single storey stone built, with some having rooms within the roof. Having spent many of our holidays in France this made me fe...

First, I’ve now checked out cuckoo migration and I was wrong! Apparently, cuckoos typically leave Britain between late June and early August to begin their migration back to Central and Southern Africa, where they spend the winter. Adult cuckoos depart first, from late June to mid-July: they don’t have to raise their young after all! The young cuckoos, which fledge later having been raised by their foster parents, leave a few weeks after the adults, generally by early to mid-August. What staggered me is that the young cuckoos make the journey alone without guidance from adults, navigating by instinct. Thank you, to one of my neighbours who pointed out that she is still hearing the cuckoos down south! After a saline wash and sleep, my eye seemed to have recovered, much to my relief. We arrived at the drop off point at 10 and Martin walked out with me a short distance before turning back. The path descended quickly down towards Cromarty bridge, with a red kite as usual being pestered by ...