Postscript 2 - Presenting the Money!

Lindsey and I went down to Cornwall on July 17th and met John and Yolanda at Precious Lives where we formally handed over a wad of cash, representing the £11,047 plus £1195 GiftAid that we have raised.

We saw the plans for the new hospice, which will be on a hill overlooking Truro and looks like it will be a very nice building indeed. It will be great to know that we contributed when we see it being used.

Niether of us has suffered ill-effects and memories of the dark days yomping along under leaden skies are fading. In fact, John is getting decidedly euphoric about it all! Well, I'm very glad he has happy memories. So do I.

Post Script

I have taken over 1,000 high resolution photographs, some of which are very beautiful and will be making the best of these available in due course. I also hope to publish something based on the whole experience and will keep anyone informed who is interested.

If you would like a print or copy of a photograph, or for further information about our walk, please contact Doug Kennedy on dgkennedy@alloverde.com.

Day 51 - Last Stage to John O'Groats

The Pics from the top:

* Doug, Yolanda and John at the finishing post just after we'd arrived;

* Ackergill Tower in Sinclair's Bay (a castle offering very luxurious accommodation);

* A deserted croft in the bleak countryside during our last day.

Day 51 - Monday May 25th. Our final day dawned dull and damp: dreich as the Scots say. We set off by car after breakfast, returning to The Old Smiddy pub and were on our way, for the last time, before 9am. Physically, we seem to have managed well: our legs and feet have become hardened to the task and hills are little effort. John's shin splint pain has gone and there seems to be no sign of wear taking it's toll apart from some small aches that would be cured by a day or two's rest. We were accepting of what was to be a pretty boring day, what with the dull weather masking the distant views, and the countryside becoming more level and bleak.

For some time now, we have walked separately most of the time, meeting at odd points during the day. My natural walking speed is a bit faster than John's,but then I stop a lot to take photographs or check out some flower or bird while John tends to keep a steady pace going. In fact he said that he felt he had become a 'walkamaton', and it is true that, once we have got a rhythm going, the feet just seem to step out one after the other for as long as necessary. Today we were set on walking together and finishing as we started, together, and it made a pleasant change. We somehow had more to say to each other, reviewing the previous weeks, commenting on our surroundings and joking. However, as we approached Wick, the weather closed in further and it drizzled steadily.

At Wick, John saw Yo and the car in the Tesco carpark as we passed, so we sat and had a cup of coffee and Yo said that she had visited thegolf clu which was right by the beach and there it seems you can walk along it. We checked with a local who said that we could go a few miles towards the village of Keiss on it, which would be much more pleasant than the road. So we got to walk on a sandy beach with the grey sea gently lapping at our feet for about half an hour and were feeling really happy. We were hopeful of reaching Keiss this way, but were stopped by a broad stream that emerged from the dunes in which the water was brown with peat, and you couldn't see the bottom, and it looked too deep to wade anyway. I did go in above my knees and hadn't got to the deep bit, so decided to go no further. We were therefore forced to follow the 'stream', which looked more and more like a river, and to find our way around and over deep drainage ditches, tussock grass, fences, gates and finally a field of oats before getting back onto the road. Sadly this has cost us about half and hour, but we had enjoyed the change.

Now it was a solid and boring yomp to the finish. The last 9 miles seemed to take a very long time and for part of it, we were in a thick, damp mist. Eventually, after 4pm, we saw the little tower of the old John O'Groats Hotel in the distance and knew our challenge was almost over. We didn't skip down the last mile, but were certainly elated and relishing the fact that we had done it.

The finish is the old hotel with the signpost pointing to Lands End in place whilst the photographer is there: as at Lands End, they take the top off when he's not. John and I touched that post at the same moment, then the photographer put LEMUSICALJOG 1,024 MILES onto the sign post and we had our photo taken. We thanked Yo for her days and days of support, then went to the cafe for a celebratory toast in good Scotch Whisky.

Tomorrow, I will hitch a lift with John and Yo to Inverness, then take the train home whilst they drive on back down to the south-west.

In conclusion, we feel that we have succeed in completing the challenge and done it well. We kept up 20 miles per day average, finished 9 days in advance of our original limit and have experienced some of the most wonderful countryside in the UK on the way. Our route had been overall a good compromise between scenic and direct and everything had gone to plan. We had certainly demonstrated that 60 is no limit to physical stamina and strength. Personally I have proved to myself that the long walk I had talked about and thought about for a long time was within my capabilities and, although it is not something I would want to repeat, is an experience that I will value forever. It has not been one of John's ambitions, but he seemed happy to have succeeded in the challenge and was making noises about finding another, very different challenge for the future.

If you have not done so, please do SUPPORT OUR CHOSEN CHARITY to build a children's hospice in Cornwall. This can be easily done by logging on to www.justgiving/johndrinkwater. This makes our efforts worthwhile in the wider context and is the main reason that I put so much into the Twitter and Blog.
If you HAVE already supported us, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Finally, I would like to dedicate my walk to my lovely wife, Lindsey, who so readily agreed to my doing it so soon after our marriage at a great cost to herself in terms of spending weeks alone. She has been brave and supportive throughout, so thank you my darling.

Day 50 - Newport to Thrumster

The Pics: Dunbeath Castle; The way buildings were around here in Caithness; Typical coastal view.

Day 50 - Sunday May 24th. It was a lovely morning; clear and sunny with whispy clouds. We had been staying in a holiday-let place in Tain for 3 nights, so cleared everything out and set off before 9am. We drove back up the A9, 46 miles to the spot where we stopped yesterday above Berriedale and were underway before 10. Our goal today was a pub called The Old Smiddy at a village called Thrumster. Many of the place names in this region end with 'ster', which comes from the old Norse for homestead. Apparently Thrumster means 'homestead on the hill'.
The second from last day is not the last day, so ends with another day to go, so it was something to be got through before we could finish. We are both pushing our bodies in order to finish earlier - we really should have taken a rest day at Fort William or Drumnadrochit, but we will manage 2 more 20 mile days. The countryside gets flatter from here, so the walking won't be difficult but it is all on the road, and will become less interesting, but we have the end in our sights.
The views all day were pleasant, with rolling green fields containing cattle or sheep leading to the expanse of the North Sea, and the huge sky to our right, and to the left, fields leading to brown heather-covered hills, the foreground usually dotted with houses. Settlements were becoming smaller and more and more remote. Life up here must be very hard in winter: I'm told that, in fields on the cliff tops children minding the sheep were tied to stakes in the ground so they didn't blow away during storm.
We came across another large castle, hanging onto a cliff at Dunbeath, but there really was not much else of note. But at least it was sunny, so what we saw looked its best. I have been surprised, and a bit disappointed, that we haven't come across any other End-to-End walkers going the other way: in fact there have been no walkers, but lots of cyclists on the road.
I reached the Old Smiddy at 4:30pm, greatly relieved and pretty tired, and John arrived a bit later in a similar state. The pub is homely but a bit run-down, but it has an atmosphere and in the bar a few local men were drinking, listening to the football results and also getting into little arguments about odd things: whether Sunderland was south or east of Newcastle (it is both), or whether the Harris accent is stronger than other Hebridean accents. We had supper there before Yo collected us at 7pm. I found it rather dispiriting to drive the 21 miles to John O'Groats to our hotel as we now know what is coming tomorrow - it gets flatter. When I got to my room I felt too tired to do anything but go to bed and watch the TV till I went to sleep.
One day to go.

Day 49 - Brora to Newport (Caithness)

The photos: Brora Harbour; Two oyster-catchers at their post; a beach near Brora; Helmsdale Harbour.

Day 49 - Sat May 23rd. The 0ver-riding thought in my mind as I was preparing to depart on another 23 mile day that there are only 3 of them left. With Yolanda's support, carrying the gear, cooking and meeting us we are in a very good state, considering that we've walked nearly 1,000 miles. But we are getting weary and need a bit of serious rest and are set on keeping going for this last few miles to our goal.
We were out of the house at 8am, and Yo drove us 24 miles north, up the A9 to Brora and we started walking under a cloudy sky. We walked away from the A9 down to the golf course and the beach, where we were able to pick up a footpath for a couple of miles. Walking on the links golf course next to a beach reminded John of his home in Cornwall. On the beach there were lots of oyster catchers and gulls, flying around and making quite a racket. In one place they had a favourite perch on a series of fence posts an sat there, all in a line.
Once we were back on the A9, that was it for the rest of the day, however, the road was not busy and there were few trucks and vans. The farmland began to be replaced by heather moorland and buildings less frequent: this is a hard country and very far north. A lot of the time, on either side of us, were dark rounded hills which stretched away to the west as far as you could see. To the east an south was the North Sea, grey an quiet today. You could see the dim outline of the eastern peninsula of Scotland in one direction, and in the other, far out to sea, were some oil or gas platforms and a couple of huge wind turbines.
As has become normal, going each at our own pace, we soon split up and I just kept walking the 12 miles to a little town with a harbour called Helmsdale, where I stopped for rest and refreshment. I didn't expect the cafe owner in a place as far north, and out of the way, to be English, but he was. Ran a nice place though and had wifi, so I was able to load up the latest Blog instalment. Other customers kindly expressed and interest and promised to log on an contribute to Precious Lives (www.justgiving/johndrinkwater), which was very nice of them.
John and I both like the feeling at these little places that they are at the 'end of the road' . Every settlement has its own distinct character and, usually, a lot of charm. Of course, it can't be easy living here in the winter, when the weather can be appalling and daylight is very short. But in the summer, even on a dull day like today, there is always something of interest. Helmsdale has a harbour, which looks like it has been beaten about a bit by the sea as one sea wall is only half there. There are several cafes and restaurants down the pretty main street and it sits in an attractive river valley.
There was a steady climb out of Helmsdale on a new EEC funded road (but still no pavement or cycle way), and the road stayed high until the hamlet of Berriedale, where it plunged down to sea level, only to rise up again to our finish point at the top of the hill. Berriedale is deep in a river valley which it follows out to towards the sea, but ends where a huge cliff face with many seagull nests separates the valley from the sea.
Tomorrow we do another 22 miles, then it will be the last day.

Day 48 - Tain to Brora

Pics from the top: The bride across Dornach Firth; Swans on Dornoch Firth; Galspie High Street; Dunrobin Castle near Golspie; A seal on a rock.

Day 48 - Fri May 22nd. John set off early at 7:15 in order to be able to take his time and get an earlier finish. I took advantage of the fact that we were in self-catering accommodation and made myself breakfast, then set off at 8:30. We met up several times in the day and finished together at 4pm, which was perfect. The guide books tell you that there is really no alternative on the eastern route but to yomp along the A9: well that is the case sometimes, but there are some excellent escape routes, one of which we found today.
The A9 Tain bypass is a fairly new road, but no provision has been made anywhere on the road here and elsewhere for cyclists and pedestrians. You can walk safely, but it is on grass of variable condition or on the road gutter. Since this is a recognised cycle route and long distance walking route, and there is NO other way to go, I feel it is a disgrace that this has never been dealt with. It is not uncommon: the Lovat bridge over the river at Beauly is decidedly dangerous and has been for many years, and the A82 near Lanark is horrid to walk on to pick just two examples. But what is really disappointing is that when roads are resurfaced or improved, the authorities still completely ignore pedestrians and cyclists. The A9 has room to spare but pavements are only provided across bridges, then stop: why? The government talks about needing to get people out of their cars but execution is patchy at best.
So we had to walk on the noisy A road with big vehicles rushing by, but at least the scenery was gorgeous. On a luminous day like today, with complex cloud patterns and lots of sunshine between the odd shower, the light is fantastic on water. And there is plenty of open water around to display the beauty of our planet. Crossing the bridge over the firth one was treated to views towards the hills, where the waters narrow, to the west and out over the shallow shoals to the sea and the huge sky to the east. On the way I encountered a charity boat push by which the sign said was 'sponsored by the Applecross Inn', but I'm not sure what they were raising money for. The Applecross Inn is an excellent pub on the West coast, opposite Skye.
The walk along the A9 was not very nice, and John found a good alternative route for part of it, using his GPS. I continued on the road to Golspie, where I stopped for a break. I did meet up with John and Yo at another piece of the ubiquitous Thomas Telford's work in the form of a causeway at Loch Fleet. This is called The Mound and its building separated the river Fleet from the salt Loch Fleet (which is a National Nature Reserve now) and shortened the journey north by many hours.
I rested for a while on the Golspie sea front, eating a sandwich, then continued along the road to Dunrobin Castle, but John had realised that a pathway ran all the way from Golspie to Brora along the beach! The castle is the seat of the Earls of Sutherland and from the sea, looks like it was constructed for a fantasy film, or fairytale, with its tapering towers. Below it is a strip of woodland with the densest and bluest bluebells we have seen I think, and then the sea an the clouds. There were lots and lots of birds - mostly oyster catchers, gulls, terns, cormorants - and also seals sunning themselves on the rocks. And there was the sky and the sea and the distance. I took loads of photos and it turned into a really nice afternoon's walk for us. We got to Brora together and Yo was waiting with the car as usual, and we had yet more treats in store.
She took us back to a small road that runs along the south side of Loch Fleet, where we saw lots of seals on a sand bank, and others playing in the water. Then we went on to Dornoch, which is a delightful little town with it's own small cathedral, founded in the 13th century. This is a simple cruciform building of stone, with a single central tower. It is very simple and gracious inside with the most gorgeous stained glass windows. We had a drink and some delicious hors d'oeuvres in the hotel opposite then set off back to our accommodation.
We had taken for granted that the last days were going to be a simple 'yomp', but today we have been bowled over once again by the beauty and magic of this country.

Day 47 - Dingwall to Tain

Pics from the top: Oil platforms in Cromaty Firth; Typical countryside with a church, an oil platform top and The Black Isle in the background; a lapwing in flight; the Still Room at Glen Morangie Distillary.

Day 47 - Thu May 21st. Another bright start to the day, and we set off in the car before 9 to drive the 25 miles to Dingwall. It was interesting seeing our route from this angle, and it didn't look very inviting for walkers. However, the countryside was looking nice in the fair weather and visibility was good. Showers were forecast. We had about 23 miles to do during the day, following the length of the Cromarty Firth to Tain, on the east coast. Unlike yesterday, the route was on minor roads defined as a cycle route, so it was a great deal more pleasant with lots of variety.
The route took us up through some suburbia, the out onto farmland a couple of hundred feet above the Firth and the A9, affording us great views of the water and the Black Isle. The Isle is not an island and is not black, but a very fertile peninsula stretching out to the North Sea between the Moray and Cromarty Firths. Cromarty Firth is a centre for servicing the oil and gas industry, so you could see huge platforms standing out in the water. The countryside here is gentle and varied and very pretty. Down low, it is farms with cattle, sheep and horses, then higher up the hill, there tends to be forest, and at the top, at about 1,000 feet, heather moor. So there was much to enjoy as we put one foot in front of another for yet another day.
We started walking together, and Yo was waiting for us at around 11am by the road with some peppermint tea and biscuits - luxury again! I wanted to visit the Glen Morangie Distillary at Tain and had to get there by 4.15 to get onto a tour, whereas John was more concerned with completing the day at a reasonable pace. So I set off to see if I could do it in time apart from a stop in Alness for a bowl of soup and a roll, walked solidly and fast, arriving in Tain just in time.
One blemish on an otherwise enjoyable walk was that a farmer had decided this would be the day he would move tons and tons of extremely smelly muck about 3 miles along the road we were walking on. There was little other traffic, but the huge tractors thundering up and down the road with big trailers were not only intimidating, but left a foul pong in their wake! Between tractor loads, however, we could enjoy the big skies with ever-changing cloud patterns, the views and the lovely azaleas and lilacs growing in peoples' gardens. Azaleas do particularly well in the damp Scottish climate and we saw some magnificent specimens. I also encountered lots of birds: some lapwings, lots of finches and tits, a yellowhammer, some buzzards and a sweet little bird with a long tail I didn,t recognise, as well as the usual sparrows, pigeons, crows and so on. I attempted to get some action photos with mixed success.
John's slightly more leisurely pace still got him to Tain at an average of 3.1 MPH, including stops: we really are fitter! Tonight we are staying in a holiday let house with plenty of room so can do as we please, rather than fit in with B&B rules.Tain is an attractive and solidly built town of grey and red sandstone. It seems tidy and well managed and has lovely views out to sea and to the northern hills.
Only 4 days to go! This is putting a spring in our steps even though we are both quite tired.