Lands end John o groats (walking) LEJOG

[i4got]

Thank you for all the kind words and also thank you for all the donations to Bowel Cancer UK. It’s amazing how generous PHers have been. I suspect with gift aid and some offline pending donations, it could reach £6k. Way more than I expected.

Great last two days walking along the JoG trail and away from the A99. Yesterday strong winds walking along deserted sandy beaches. Today the wind disappeared so a good day for clifftop walking.

Weather today was pretty good until it started drizzling about a mile or do from the end. Mind you its now 940pm and it’s bucketing down.

Last (ever) two vids.

https://www.relive.cc/view/vmqXNVoVjoO

https://www.relive.cc/view/v7O9BE24dL6

Got to John o groats mid afternoon, met my wife and headed to the JoG brewery bar for a celebratory drink.

We’ve booked the motorhome into the campsite up here and will meander out way home over the next couple of days.

[i4got]

On this thread on 18th April I posted

i4got said:

30/03/2022 Lands End to Penzance
31/03/2022 Camborne
01/04/2022 Truro
02/04/2022 Indian Queens
03/04/2022 Bodmin
04/04/2022 Liseard
05/04/2022 Liskeard
06/04/2022 Lydford
07/04/2022 Okehampton
08/04/2022 Crockernwell
09/04/2022 Crediton
10/04/2022 Tiverton
11/04/2022 Taunton
12/04/2022 Rest Day
13/04/2022 Aller
14/04/2022 Glastonbury
15/04/2022 Chilcompton
16/04/2022 Bath
17/04/2022 Rest Day
18/04/2022 Tormarton
19/04/2022 Dursley
20/04/2022 Stonehouse
21/04/2022 Gloucester
22/04/2022 Tewkesbury
23/04/2022 Worcester
24/04/2022 Rest Day
25/04/2022 Stourport
26/04/2022 Swindon
27/04/2022 Calf Heath
28/04/2022 Great Haywood
29/04/2022 Cookshill
30/04/2022 Cheddleton
01/05/2022 Buxton
02/05/2022 Hayfield
03/05/2022 Crowden
04/05/2022 Slaithwaite
05/05/2022 Hebden Bridge
06/05/2022 Silsden(join Dales Way at Addingham)
07/05/2022 Appletreewick / Burnsall
08/05/2022 Buckden
09/05/2022 Ribbleshead
10/05/2022 Sedburgh
11/05/2022 Burneside
12/05/2022 Windermere
13/05/2022 Rest Day
14/05/2022 Langdale
15/05/2022 Borrowdale
16/05/2022 Skiddaw
17/05/2022 Hesket Newmarket
18/05/2022 Carlisle
19/05/2022 Ecclefechin
20/05/2022 Lochmaben
21/05/2022 Moffatt/Dumcrief
22/05/2022 Ettrick
23/05/2022 Whiteknowe Head
24/05/2022 Peebles
25/05/2022 Rest Day
26/05/2022 Carlops
27/05/2022 Edinburgh
28/05/2022 Inverkeithing
29/05/2022 Kinross
30/05/2022 Bridge of Earn
31/05/2022 Perth
01/06/2022 Dunkeld
02/06/2022 Pitlochry
03/06/2022 Blair Athol
04/06/2022 Falls of Tarf
05/06/2022 Courrer
06/06/2022 Aviemore
07/06/2022 Carn Thearlaich
08/06/2022 Moy
09/06/2022 Inverness
10/06/2022 Rest Day
11/06/2022 Alness
12/06/2022 Dornoch
13/06/2022 Brora
14/06/2022 Helmsdale
15/06/2022 Berriedale
16/06/2022 Lybster
17/06/2022 Whaligoe
18/06/2022 Wick
19/06/2022 Keiss
20/06/2022 John O groats

Interestingly (to me anyway) the route changed a lot but I did finish in John O Groats on the 20th June - albeit more luck than judgement.

I only stayed in 6 of the 31 places I’d originally listed for Scotland.

Edited by i4got on Tuesday 21st June 21:28

[i4got]

soad said:

Well done!

Cheers and thank you for the beer drop off at the Appletreewick campsite - one of the memorable bits of the walk.

[i4got]

irc said:

Falls of Tarf? Lovely spot to spend a night.

Falls of Tarf was on my original itinerary when my plan was to head up east Scotland via the Cairngorms.

Although I enjoyed switched to the West Highland Way, I’d still like to do a few days walking and camping in the Cairngorms.

[i4got]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

When I started to read this thread I thought that the OP was batst crazy!

However, like others, please let us know your selected charity and method of donation, I have a few quid to throw into the pot.

Keep safe, OP.

I ate my own hat last evening, and washed it down with a beer, humble pie was my dessert.

Well done, OP, I hope that you enjoyed both your adventure and your well deserved rest.

However, behind every successful gent there's usually a very organised lady, Mrs i4got also deserves thanks for her efforts in trudging up and down the country in support, offering comfort, succor and clean socks as required.

So well done to you both.



and enjoy a

Cheers Daimlerv8. She certainly does deserve thanks. Also I now have a wife who can drive the motorhome solo and who mows the lawn.

[i4got]

oyster said:

Randy Winkman said:

Austin_Metro said:

Best of luck OP.

Pasties for the next few days.

One of the best things about long distance walking. Pasties, bags of chips, 99 ice creams and if you can find somewhere suitable, cream teas.

When I did LEJOG nearly 20 years ago this was something I fondly remember - AND each week I got thinner and thinner.

(though that might have been from carrying 20 OS maps which you don't need to do now).

Not sure what weight I started at but it was over 12 stone. I finished at 11 stone 1.

Despite all the beer and chips.

[i4got]

Bannock said:

i4got said:

Not sure what weight I started at but it was over 12 stone. I finished at 11 stone 1.

Despite all the beer and chips.

That's interesting. What would you say your average mileage was per day?

Between 15 and 16.

[i4got]

GloverMart said:

I know you're not going to walk back to LE, and no one would seriously expect you to, but do you think you could have managed it?

Physically I think I’d have been OK. Had a problem with a couple of painful toes but thats cleared up since I got back into normal shoes. Actually felt pretty fit by the end and could have carried on.

But (and it’s a big but), mentally I was ready to finish - not sure I could have motivated myself to carry on.

Also logistically and financially I couldn't have done it.

Edited by i4got on Wednesday 29th June 14:50

[i4got]

The Mad Monk said:

Do you have any idea what sort of money it cost you?

Am I being impertinant?

About £6k all in (accommodation and all food) so averaged about £500 a week - bear in mind I was eating out a lot so I think that's not too bad.

[i4got]

One final update on the fundraising front. My local pub selected me as their supported charity for 12 weeks, and I just received a donation from them for £1,020.

This takes the total raised to £6,443 for which I am pleasantly surprised and grateful.

[i4got]

mikeiow said:

Ah, well done!
That was one helluva journey you took on: I loved vicariously enjoying it without the pain
What’s next?
…..

Not sure what next. Think I may have mentioned that I'd love to do the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome. It's around the same distance as LEJOG but logistically a lot trickier - especially for camping (and getting through the Great St Bernard Pass at a time of year when its open).

But hopefully it will happen.