In April 2018 I started my walk from Land’s End to John o’Groats. I was very unsure if I would make it and I also thought this would be a once in a livetime experience, never to be repeated. In the meantime I realized that I love long distance walking and hopefully I will be able to undertake similar walks in the next few years.
If you want to follow my whole walk form Land’s End to John o’Groats, please go to https://www.tumblr.com/blog/fraenzisays, there you find a day to day account. Here you will find a summary of my walk across Britain. And in the future you will find all my new walks. Some will only be a day or two over the weekend and some will hopefully be several weeks.
My walk from Land’s End to John o’ Groat
On 22 April 2018, I finally started my long walk across Great Britain. It was definitely an unforgettable adventure and even if I had a difficult day, I never regretted setting out. After three month on 15 July 2018, I arrived in John o’ Groats.
South West Coast Path
I first walked along the South West Coast Path from Land’s End to Barnstaple. Land’s End itself was still quiet at this spring day, but it was easy to imagine how it would look in summer full with tourist. But soon you only see beautiful sand beaches and impressive cliffs. The landscapes those first weeks were just amazing. The first larger town was St Ives and the sea there has a beautiful colour and even on a rainy day it is easy to see why people visit. A large part of the coastal land in Cornwall is owned by the National Trust and thus remains undeveloped, except for the ruins of the mining industry which has long gone. There was often a strong wind but the weather was mostly good and having the sea to your left all day is just amazing. It almost made me forget the hard work of conquering all those switchbacks. The first week two friends joined me and we did luggage transfer, which was a great way to start slowly. So I only had to carry my backpack for the first time after a week, when I already got a bit used to walking. After that the days also got longer and harder, as I made sure to start with shorter days. I was really glad I had my walking poles, since I’m not sure if I would have made it up and down all those valleys. Especially the first few weeks the path was sometimes still very muddy.
Exmoor and Somerset Coast Path
After the South West Coast Path I crossed Exmoor and the Quantocks to Bridgwater. The days in the Exmoor National Park were probably the hardest. It was really foggy and the paths often non-existent. After the first day, I decided to stick to the roads as it seemed too dangerous to walk over the moor in bad weather. The Quantocks were beautiful and I had some amazing views over the Bristol Channel. After two rest days with my friend in Bridgwater, the trail continued along the coast to Weston-super-Mare and then across the River Avon and the River Severn to Chepstow, where I joined up with the Offa’s Dyke Path. This part is not very nice and around Weston-super-Mare I had to take a long detour inland as there are no rights of way along the coast. Crossing the bridges over the Avon and the Severn was nice but because the footpath runs next to the motorway, it was also very loud.
Offa’s Dyke Path
I was glad when I reached Chepstow and walked the first few kilometres on the Offa’s Dyke Path realizing that this is a very well signed path with visible trails through pasture and woods. There are lots of hilly green fields and long sections where you can actually walk on the Dyke. On this path you also cross the border between England and Wales many times and you are always greeted with a welcome sign on both sides. Here I also experienced the magic of walking alone on a long distance path for the first time. I got to know other walkers and they invited me to join them for dinner and walk with them. I really enjoyed and valued those first of many encounters with total strangers who felt like friends only after a few miles. I also had a rest day in Hay-on-Wye and spent a beautiful day browsing the many book shops there. Had I not been walking, I’m sure I would have spent a fortune. As I really wanted to cross the Pontcyllte Aqueduct, I left the Offa’s Dyke Path just after Chirk Caste and turned East towards Wrexham and Chester. The Aqueduct was definitely worth seeing, walking high above the ground just next to the canal with the narrow boats on it. Even though I didn’t walk the whole of the Offa’s Dyke Path, this is definitely a trail that I can highly recommend.
Cheshire and Greater Manchester
Around Wrexham the weather was very rainy and having left the National Trail, the paths were again harder to find and not really maintained. Luckily I walked by the Erddig National Trust estate, where I had time to dry up and look around. Chester was a great city for another rest day and from there I continued along the North Cheshire Way south of Manchester. One of those days, I even got some free cake, which was definitely a highlight. This part of the way was a very positive surprise. I had no expectations and it turned out that it passed some of the most beautiful landscapes along rivers and canals. I can especially recommend the Anderton Boat Lift and Great Budworth, a lovely little village about an hour from Manchester.
Pennine Way
After Hayfield in the Peak District I joined up with the Pennine Way. The trail is definitely a challenge with lots of moors, but there are also some beautiful places like Hebden Bridge, Malham Cove, the Yorkshire Dales, the Teesdale and Highcup Nick. I also met some wonderful people who were hiking the Pennine Way as well. Since you tend to see the same people again and again, you start to feel like a community and it is always really nice to see a familiar face again along the way. I spent 16 days on the Pennine Way and was definitely lucky with the weather. I crossed Cross Fell, the highest point of my entire walk just a day before storm Hector would have made it impossible to cross. The Yorkshire Dales are beautiful and High Force and Low Force after Middleton-in-Teesdale were amazing. As for Highcup Nick, the moment the view opens up to is hard to put into words. The day I walked through Malhalm Cove was another sunny one and it was very beautiful. There are also some very nice towns along the way such as Hebden Bridge and Hawes.
Scottish Boarders and the Canals
After Bryness I turned into Scotland to Jedburgh and from there to Melrose crossing the Scottish Boarders, then following the Union and Forth & Clyde Canal north of Glasgow. The crossing into Scotland was a bit of a disappointment as there is not sign or anything like you see in Wales. Being in a real town after weeks in the country side made me really happy. I realize that I really love nature, but I guess I will always be a city person. I took the train to Edinburgh and stayed there for 3 nights, which meant I didn’t have to carry all my luggage. I walked by the Falkirk Wheel, which is really impressive. And I also took the time to visit the palace in Linlithgow. In the end it was quite a varied stages with moors, canals and cities.
West Highland Way
Shortly after the beginning of the West Highland Way, I also joined up with it. The weather was amazing during this time and the way along Loch Lomond (including a swim in it) was just beautiful. Since this path is busier than others, I met quite a few people. It was really nice walking with them. This is also where I had Mac and Cheese with fries for the first time. The second part of the West Highland Way was a bit harder as it followed the old military roads which were hard on my feet. But I also met some Scottish Hill Walkers and at Bridge of Oichy, the hostel was on the platform of the train station. The walk through Glen Coe and the view towards Ben Nevis was just breath taking. I know that most people will never see all the mountains on such a beautiful day, usually clouds are a lot more likely.
Great Glen Way
After Fort William I walked on the Great Glen Way to Inverness, this is a very well maintained trail with beautiful views over Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal. The trail was only opened in 2002 and because people complained that too much of the way was through forests, a high route was created that allows stunning views over the Loch Ness. A friend joined me for this part and we really enjoyed the nice summer weather in Scotland. Whenever there was a lock we took the chance for a break. Especially the Neptune Staircase just after Fort William and the looks in Fort Augustus were very impressive. There are also some really nice hostels along the way. At the end of the Great Glen Way I enjoyed another rest day in Inverness.
John o’Groats Trail or a long walk along busy roads
After Inverness my route mostly followed the road up to John o’Groats. Work on the John o’Groats Trail has started, but it will probably take another five years before it will be finished. I walked parts on it, but it was hard work, because so few people use the trail, in some places the bracken grew higher than me. In the end it was a lot easier to follow the street, even though it was quite busy. These last few days were quite hard, especially on my feet, but I was still sad to have finished this amazing walk on 15 July 2018.
An unforgettable experience
I walked about 1955 km with around 54’000 meter elevation. I took me 74 days and had 11 rest day. I walked through one pair of shoes. It rained on 14 days, though sometimes this was only a thunderstorm or some light rain. I had 3 weeks of sunshine in Scotland, and generally the weather was just amazing and made my hike so much easier. Luckily I only had four blisters. I ate lots of chocolate cakes and burgers as I ended up in a pub most nights.
I was walking for almost three months and it was one of the best times of my life. It is hard to explain that feeling where you start to be one with your body and soul.
On the path 