Day 62 - Mission Accomplished!!!!!

The target is reached! Exactly 2 months after leaving Lands End I arrive at John O'Groats. The Orkneys can be seen in the background.

Andrew promised me a generous donation to the BHF if I walked the last mile. Good try Andrew, but I did make it and here is the evidence.

Not the smartest of signs but it is probably one of the most photographed.

This is Alan whose tee shirt says "Barefoot Challenge" and he really intends to walk JOGLE in bare feet. Having just done it in boots all I could do was to wish him luck - I think that he will need it!

I arrived at John O'Groats at 2.20 this afternoon - in good health and very good spirits. After 62 days on the road there really was a sense of achievement in reaching my goal. Thanks to all of you for your support - both practical and emotional, and I have been very touched by all of the messages of encouragement that I have received over the last few days.

Although the walk has finished this is not the end of the blog. I will fill in the details of today's events in a blog tomorrow when I will also include more photos of today's walk and reaching the end of the road. In a week or so I will also do a summary of the walk including all of the stats and my more considered reflections of my experiences over the last 9 weeks.

I must go now - there is more bubbly to drink!

Cheers

Keith

Day 61 - Almost there!

A storm cloud over Wick as I approach at the end of the day.

What seems to be a typical Caithness scene. Relatively flat land with a mixture of new and derelict farmhouses.

The flags are out for me in Lybster - but they were not too enthusiastic, only managing 2 strings of flags!

How the well dressed walker combats rain and strong winds - self portrait. This season's style is to wear a floppy cricket cap under the hood of a waterproof - remember where you heard it first!

The walk today was almost abandoned. The weather forecast of heavy rain and gale force winds was reasonably accurate this morning. When I got out of the car at my start point (Dunbeath) the wind was so strong that I almost got back into the car. However I decided to give it a few miles to see how it went - agreeing to meet Jean down the road in case I decided to call it a day. The wind was only really bad in unprotected areas near the clifftops- fortunately there were only a few of these. I therefore decided to carry on with my plan to reach Wick which was a total walk of 21 miles today.

The weather in fact relented shortly before lunch with the wind dying away and the rain turning to intermittent showers. There were some heavy showers around - some of them thundery (see the photo above) but my luck was in and they all missed me, but it did encourage me to hurry along to ensure that I stayed dry. The weather has made me realise that the rosy view that I had of Sutherland and Caithness was based on the fact that the weather has been excellent. Now that I have seen bad weather in July and how it changed the feel of the place, I can only wonder what it would be like to live here in the winter.

The day started well with a phone call from Phil informing me that Captain's day at the golf club had raised over £800 for the BHF. Don't forget that donations can still be made to the justgiving page or by sending me a cheque.

As thought yesterday I am starting to see more endtoenders. There is a smug feeling of oneupmanship when meeting people going south, in all their innocence, when I have almost finished the walk. However when talking to two girls on their second walking day I did feel a little bit of envy of what enjoyment and challenges they have to look forward to over the next couple of months.

Tomorrow I have about 17 miles from Wick to reach John O'Groats (I have checked and the JOG council use a capital O) and I hope to reach the end of my odyssey at about 3.00pm. The champagne will be served at about 3.05pm! As mentioned I also plan to walk to Duncansby Head which I regard as a bit of gilding of the lily - but I may as well go there whilst in the area!

Thanks to all of you who have sent me messages of support in the last few days - in particular Martin, Phil, Sue, Julie and Lisa - KBW's to you all!

"Happy is the man who has acquired the love of walking for its own sake." - WJ Holland

Cheers

Keith

Day 60 - Along the coast

A view of the Caithness coastline south of Dunbeath.

The splendid view from the grounds of our hotel for yesterday and today - the Navidale house Hotel at Helmsdale - offering plenty of opportunities for bird watching or just relaxing.

Entering Caithness also marked the 900 mile marker. You may recall that the 300 miles was achieved at Norton Lindsey; the 600 miles was at Lindsay Tower; so I expected that the 900 mile marker would have some Lindsay connection. However the best that I can do is that the daughter of the Countess of Caithness married the 14th Earl of Crawford, George Lindsay, in 1621 - OK it is a bit tenuous! I understand that tickets are still available for the Royal National Mod (whatever that is!)

The 20 mile target to Dunbeath was achieved without any great incident. This leaves 38 miles to go to JOG but I have now decided to carry on to Duncansby Head, the extreme tip of Britain, which is a further 2 miles. I still hope to finish on Monday afternoon although I have just heard the weather forecast for tomorrow which is for heavy rain and gales. As I still have about 8 miles along the coast, before heading in land, it may not make for easy walking.

All of today's route was along the A9 and most was along the coast. This led to having to walk up and down several steep hills as the road dipped down to the villages along the coast. I am however told that there are now no more major hills left to encounter. The traffic was light so never became an irritant although the lack of cycle lanes etc meant that it was essential to concentrate the whole day to avoid tangling with the vehicles. A particular problem was that several times a car was about to pull out to give me space when the unobservant driver behind decided to overtake into a narrowing lane, making the first car veer back into "my" space. A similar problem occurred several times when cars going in the same direction as me decided to overtake which meant that they came very close to me, which was a surprise as I had no idea what was happening behind my back.

From what I have seen of Caithness so far it is more like I expected the far north of Scotland to be. There are isolated farms and cottages in bleak countryside and the land doesn't look to be very fertile. This contrasts with Sutherland which is both attractive as well as productive.

Lisa posted a comment yesterday asking what was in the Lindsay & Co showroom that was pictured in the blog yesterday. My shopping consultant informs me that the showroom is for the nearby hardware store and it displays such items as lawnmowers and other gardening equipment. Lindsay & Co also had a gift and card shop on the other side of the road.

Now that I am nearing the end of the journey I have mixed feelings - I want to finish the task and to achieve something that I have planned for years, but I think that I will miss the new routine that I have grown used to. I guess that I will have to wait a few weeks to come to terms with the events of the last two months. What I will not be doing is taking up Phil's suggestion that I turn around and walk back to Lands End!

I met a couple today who have just set off on their way to LE. They are doing it the long way with their route covering 1300 miles compared t0 my 950. They are doing the Pennine Way and also the South West Coath Path, both of which I decided were too long when walked as part of LEJOG. They expect t0 take 13 weeks to complete the walk. These are the first walkers that I have met who are going south - I have seen only I other going north (Benno - who I am sure is enjoying watching Holland in the World Cup!). the couple did however tell me that they had met a chap about an hour ahead of me who was going north - they said that they "didn't respect him" because he was doing the walk in stages over a period rather than doing it all in one go. They did however think that my schedule was acceptable! I have seen several end to end cyclists today and I expect to see more walkers and cyclists as I approach JOG - there are numerous routes used by endtoenders but they all converge at JOG!

"Walks. The body advances, while the mind flutters around it like a bird." - Jules Renard

Cheers

Keith

Day 59 - By Loch and Sea (or Firth)

A view over Loch Fleet, near Golspie, which is a National Nature Reserve. I walked for 2 miles along its shores to start today's walk - seeing dozens of seals and lots of birds. Unfortunately I didn't think to take a photo of the seals on a sand bank until I was too far past - and it is a rule of long distance walking that you do not go back!

Dunrobin Castle just outside Golspie. We had lunch there today and Jean did a tour this afternoon which also included a falconry display.

Golspie seems to be run by Lindsay and Co with at least 3 shops owned by them. I am currently exploring whether I have any legal redress for them using the name of my firm! If you look to the left of the window you will see the photographer taking the picture - note the shorts which made their first appearance since before the West Highland Way.

Today's hotel does have a functioning wifi (so far) so hopefully I will be able to do a full blog tonight. The hotel is at Helmsdale (it used to be the Duke of Sutherland's hunting lodge)and has marvellous views over the sea from its cliff top vantage point. After my walk today I spent half an hour sitting outside the hotel bird watching in the lovely afternoon sunshine - idyllic.

I managed another 20 miles again today - reaching 5 miles short of Helmsdale. The first 2 miles were along the shores of Loch Fleet. After a few miles along the A9 with no pavement/cycle lane etc (luckily it wasn't too busy) I then took the coastal path for about 9 miles from Golspie to about 3 miles past Brora - this used the links which included walking through Brora golf course. I thought that I was walking beside the North Sea, and in reality I was, but I have been told that it is in fact the Cromarty Firth. On the links I got too close to a nesting ground for Arctic Tern which I didn't realise until about a dozen of them started dive bombing me to scare me away - it certainly worked and I left the area as soon as possible.

Tomorrow I plan to walk another 20 miles to Dunbeath - which unfortunately is all along the A9, hopefully as it is a Saturday it will not be too busy, as it becomes frustrating having to step onto the verge to allow vehicles to pass. In any event it is not very enjoyable as it is necessary to keep concentrating on the traffic at all times - at least this makes me walk faster in an attempt to complete the miles as quickly as possible!

My health and fitness are both excellent - with hopefully only 3 more days to go. This afternoon I had a strange thought that in recent weeks it has been a little too easy. It feels almost like cheating if I don't have to crawl over the finishing line suffering from various aches and pains - it is supposed to be difficult! I will however try to fight such nonsense and to keep fit until the end.

We are currently in Sutherland which is a wonderful place. I had no pre-conceived ideas about what to expect north of Inverness but it really has been a very pleasant surprise - the countryside is attractive and the towns and villages are pleasant and tourist friendly.

"I represent what's left of a vanishing race, and that is the pedestrian... That I am still able to be here, I owe to a keen eye and a nimble pair of legs. but I know they will get me someday." - Will Rogers

Cheers

Keith

Day 58 - The Far north

The Dornoch Bridge over the Dornoch Firth - not as scary as the Kessock Bridge over the Beauly Firth!

The quiet road that I walked for 7 miles into Tain this morning. A pity that it rained all morning

A view from the Dornoch Bridge looking over the Dornoch Firth.

The first road sign that I have seen which shows the destination! I will have to check on the use of the small "o" as I have been using a capital letter.

A short blog today as the dongle is only working intermittently and the hotel doesn't have wifi. Hopefully normal service will be resumed tomorrow. The title for today's blog comes from my LEJOG guide book which describes the walk north of Inverness as "The Far North" - it certainly seems a long way north, but it is a beautiful area.

Another good day with 20 miles walked. I finished at the Loch Fleet nature reserve, and so have a pleasant start tomorrow as I will walk 2 miles along the shore doing a bit of bird and seal watching as I go.

Cheers

Keith

Day 57 - 100,99,98.... (to be continued)

An unusual bench in the park at Alness.

The Cromarty Bridge carries the A9 over the Cromarty Firth.

I love it when they get the flags out for me (or is it to celebrate England's world Cup defeat?) this time it is at Dingwall.

I like the name Digwall. It comes from an evolution of "Thingvolls" which was a parliament in Viking times.

It was a good day today. It was mainly spent on good quiet country lanes and B roads which had proper cycle paths set off the road. the countryside was attractive gentle arable land framed by hills which were always to be seen in the distance. About 10 miles was along land overlooking the Cromarty Firth. Further interest was given by passing through several small towns - Conon Bridge, Maryburgh, Dingwall and Alness. To add to it all the weather was sunny but not too hot with a nice breeze. The only problem was that by the time we got to Morangie the Glenmorangie visitor centre was closed! I will just have to sample some in the bar tonight! I might also delegate Jean t ovisit it tomorrow to see if she can find any free samples.

I am now about 8 miles south of Tain, which I will reach tomorrow. I will also pass through Dornoch after crossing the Dornoch Firth - I haven't yet checked how high the bridge is yet! I do however know that it is the last Firth that I need to cross.

As you will have guessed from the title of today's blog I now have less than 100 miles to go to reach JOG - 98 to be precise! Although it is only a number going past the 100 mark gave rise to a wonderful sense of nearing the target.

Jean had a trip to some shops in Beauly, and in the afternoon visited a new RSPB feeding centre for Red Kites near to Dingwall. She also passed through Keithtown which unfortunately wasn't on my route.

A KBW to Bob for his kind offer of accommodation on the way south - I will get back to you on this Bob as I cannot think that far ahead at present.

"There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo. Even a bicycle goes too fast." - Paul Scott Mowrer.

Cheers

Keith

Day 56 - 8 weeks on the road

The end of today's walk, at Milbuie , was marked by a memorial to a local soldier.

The Kessock Bridge over the Beauly Firth- showing the path that I had to use. This wasn't easy with my fear of heights.

A view over Inverness as I approached this morning along the Great Glen Way. Beauly Firth can be seen to the left of the photo.

I have now completed 8 weeks on the adventure - and I can now see the end in sight (only 118 miles!). Inverness has been one of the landmark places in my mind from before the walk started - others have been Lancaster (half way), the Scottish border, Glasgow and the West Highland Way. I have always regarded Inverness as being in the north of Scotland, until planning the walk when I discovered that there are still over 120 miles to go when it is reached. Many people I have met on the walk have delighted in pointing this fact out to me!

The walk today saw me finish the GGW, although I did not bother to visit the official end which is at Inverness Castle. As I have said before my object is to reach JOG and so I found the shortest route through Inverness to Kessock Bridge and the road to Black Isle. I did not look forward to crossing the Bridge as I am not very good with heights. The photo shows the adequate footpath on the side of the bridge, although I would have liked the guard rail to have been a little higher! I did in fact cope with the height of the bridge, finding more problem with the wind created by the traffic speeding past.

Tomorrow I walk towards Tain. We are stopping tomorrow night at Glen Morangie (where the distillery is) and so I cannot promise that there will be a blog, or if there is, that it will be coherent.

Jean had a red squirrel day to celebrate her birthday - seeing one after dropping me off this morning. She then went on to enjoy the day by spending a couple of hours in a launderette! After lunch she visited a winery which we enjoyed and came away with plenty of samples of their products and also a donation to BHF! We have just got back from a very good meal at a restaurant called Rocpool - Jean really enjoyed her meal, but said that it doesn't excuse me taking her out to one of our favourite restaurants when we return home.

In Jean's Birthday Honours List she has awarded me a KBW for bravery in crossing the Kessock Bridge. She would also like to thank all of you who sent messages to her wishing her a happy birthday.

"If you pick 'em up. O Lord, I'll put 'em down." - "Prayer of the tired walker"

Cheers

Keith