The inside of my tent, from where I wrote most of my blog

My rucksack on the start line painted at John O'Groats

I took this during the first week before I'd thinned out my bag

My Blog

I started my blog when I originally decided to do the walk, more as an online journal than anything because I realised it would be quite interesting to look back on and read.

In the beginning 12/09/07

I woke up one morning last week after a strange dream where I'd walked from Lands End to John O'Groats. It's always been something I've quite fancied doing but with little time and not being particularly fit I've never got round to it. I put it to the back of my mind and headed out to the Disney parks (I was on holiday in Orlando).

However as the days went by it grew and grew until on the plane heading home I started jotting down a plan. I've not got anything planned for the next few months so I'm going to give it a go and see what happens. I though it would be intersting to keep a diary of me planning it as well as doing the walk.

All packed 14/09/07

Well with over a week to go I'm all packed and I've got my kit sorted. I've got a new rucksack - a womans berghaus one and I've also changed by therm-a-rest to a prolite 4 and bought an MSR miniworks waterfilter so I'm all set. I've weighed by bag and it comes in at just under 14kg, but that is without water, food or maps

Because of the logistical issues associated with carrying 53 maps and food for two months I'm parcelling it up into weeks supplies and sending it ahead to youth hostels I'm staying at along the way and I'll pick it up when I get there and send back the finished-with maps at the same time.

At the moment I'm just calculating exactly how far I'm going to be able to walk a day and hence working out roughly when I should be where. I'm going for my first practice walk over the weekend down in Hampshire.

I've also decided that I'm going to get sponsorship to do the walk to raise money for Chelmsford Sea Cadet unit - more info on that soon though!

13 days to go.

Anticipation 20/09/07

I've nearly finished writing my route out and getting a vague idea of whereabouts I'll be stopping each night. I've now got 46 maps neatly scrawled over in pink highlighter and several pages of waypoints and distance calculations. At the moment, I think it should take me between 10 and 12 weeks, but I'll have a better idea after the first week or so walking.

At the weekend I completed my first practice walk, up down and over Portsdown Hill in Hampshire. Everything seems fine, and I've also invested in a pair of walking poles; mainly to attack stinging nettles and spiders with though, as I'm having issues sorting out coordination between them and my feet!

Chelmsford Sea Cadets is going to be the beneficiary from the sponsorship, and before I leave I should have a website up and running where you can track where I am (or was recently) and a button so you can sponsor me too.

7 days to go!

Off to John O'Groats Tomorrow 24/09/07

Well tomorrow morning I leave for John O'Groats. Its a 15 hour train ride to get there so I won't arrive until late evening. My rucksack has been repacked several times and now contains two litres of water as well as my food for the first week and comes in at about 16kg. I'm still trying to get some weight off though.

In the lounge I've got eight boxes filled with maps, food and other bits and pieces. They're all addressed to places I'm stopping at along the route and I'll pick them up as I go through.

I woke up this morning to rain and lots of wind and my first thought was 'I'm so glad I'm not in a tent'. I went back to bed and slept for another few hours by which time the rain had stopped and it was fairly sunny. Not sure if I'll be able to do that when I'm walking!

Three days to go.

All aboard 25/09/07

I've now made it to John O'Groats after over 15 hours on the trains. Up until Edinburgh the trains were fast, however from there onwards it was a local service which stopped at nearly every station. I left Chelmsford at 0615 and didn't arrive in Thurso until 2140 so I was very tired and greatly looking forward to my bed.

When I got off the train at Inverness the first thing that struck me was how much colder it was. I think that was partly to do with sitting motionless on a train for several hours, but it is definatly colder up here than it is at home. I'm hoping i'll acclimatise over the next week or so. I went to Blacks to get a hat and a spare fleece but it had just closed which was rather annoying.

Once I arrived at Thurso I got a taxi to the youth hostel at John O'Groats where i'm staying until I set off on the 27th. The youth hostel i'm staying at is nice. I'm in a 6 bedded room. It's the first time i've stayed in a youth hostel and it wasn't quite what I expected but i'm getting used to it.

Two days to go.

The Penultimate Day 26/09/07

It was very windy when I woke up but it was also sunny and the view from my room was pretty good. I also found out the hostel was in Canisbay not John O'Groats which is a 3 mile walk away. Everyone else in the room had left so I got up and had in 'interesting' (think 'severely lacking water flow') shower before sorting my stuff out and heading out for the day.

I'd decided to walk with all my stuff so I could get a better idea of timings. It started to worry me that I was only making just over 3mph. I think I'm going to spend longer walking each day than I planned. Hopefuly as I settle into the walk my speed will increase.

In John O'Groats I got my photo taken my the signpost and also by the start/finish line outside the Groats bar. There was a coffee shop there too so I had a jacket potato and hot chocolate - the first things i'd had since the train the day before. In the gift shop I saw some amusing postcards regarding sheep, rain and the mozzys.

I walked up to Duncansby Head which is technically the most north-westerly point in the UK. It was about 5 miles from there back to the hostel where I had soup, tuna and a tin of 'BBQ mix'

I leave tomorrow!

The Journey Begins 27/09/07

The weather is sunny and the wind has abated so today feels like a good omen to start walking with. The sun continued all day, and nearly everyone I passed commented on how unusual the weather was.

Most of today was walking down an A-road, though not an A-road as most of us know it. I passed though a few small villages where I stocked up on chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Everyone I met was friendly and chatty which was heartening.

Most of the route was flanked my sheep, cows or marsh, but as I was walking along the coast there were some quite magnificent views over the sea. The saddest thing were lots of stone houses in lovely positions that were just crumbling to pieces.

I spent tonight at a B&B which was about a mile short of the campsite because I was so tired! I stopped at the pub for dinner and when I saw it did B&B I thought it sounded like a fantastic idea.

22 miles down.

Day Two 28/09/07

Today started with a lovely cooked breakfast which I have to admit makes the world of difference. I now truly understand the phrase 'an army marches on it's stomach'. Today was spent mainly on one road. It was a long straight and incredibly boring road.

First of there were fields of sheep and cattle. I've now noticed how sheep will flee from me, as do the calves whereas the cattle don't see to be too bothered. However, cars don't upset them at all. Chatting in the pub this evening I realise thats because they see a fair amount of cars but walkers are few and far between.

After the fields ended I crossed a cattle grid and walked on through a pine forest. Then I encountered more sheep. Because they were plain dumb rather than running away from me across the land they ran down the road. More and more sheep joined in until I had at least 30 running about 50m in front of me. It wasn't until one veered off to the side and the rest followed that the whole charade stopped.

I passed a llama farm and a few very picturesque villages today. The nicest was probably Berriedale, although the 13% incline down to and up from the village did detract from it slightly.

I'm staying tonight in a campsite and I had stew for dinner (cooked very nicely on my jetboil stove) before heading over to the pub for a drink and some human interaction.

45 miles down!

Day Three 29/09/07

Once again, I've got wonderful sunshine. It rained a bit overnight but by the time I was ready to pack my tent up it was dry so that was good. I had a late breakfast at a place called 'le mirage' in Helmsdale. The food was fantastic, as were the views.

I followed the coast today which was gorgeous. There was no wind and the sun was warm. Most of the day I wore a t-shirt, it was only first thing in the morning and as the sun got low in the sky it merited a jumper.

Just south of Golspie I stopped and cooked lunch, I had a boil-in-the-bag pasta with chicken and mushrooms. Golspie was Brocha were two picturesque villages I passed through were I picked up some jaffa cakes.

When I arrived at the campsite last night the lady commented I must be coming from the North because my bag was still huge. I took her cue to prune out some of the things i'd bought with me, sending home a parcel of 2.2kg, including a water filter, t-shirt, trousers, gloves, spare torch, gaiters and some other bits and pieces. No doubt i'll need some of it later but the weight made a difference. I've also reduced the water i'm carrying from 3L to 2L.

73 miles down.

Day Four 30/09/07

I'm at at camping and caravan site in the village of Dingwall. My tent was up and I was putting in the last of the guy ropes when the rain started. At least it didn't start whilst I was walking. There is something downheartening about putting up a tent in the rain.

The walk today was ok. It was mainly across moors and past fields of sheep and cows. Crossing the Donorch Firth was very pleasant and i've got some good photos of that. Realised I've not brought my camera charger with me which is annoying.

This evening I went across to a pub called the mallard for dinner. The waitress managed to confuse oriental noodles with a thai stir-fry which was a bit disapointing. I had some jaffa cakes in my tent as dessert before an early night.

I've only got about 20 miles to walk tomorrow to get to Inverness and Tuesday is my rest day so I can explore Inverness a bit.

102 miles down.

Day Five 1/10/07

Today was been quite nice. I've been following a cycle path most of the day which has been very clearly marked and has negated my need for using a map so its been good to have my hands free. Crossing the bridge into Inverness was very picturesque and although I took my time I didn't get to see any seals in the Firth

I've arrived at the hostel in Inverness which is a lot more like what I thought a hostel would be like! From the outside it looks like a 1980's secondary school and inside its a lot more commerical than the one in John O Groats. The desk staff were very helpful and there was a large kitchen too.

After the disapointing oriental meal last night and to celebrate making it here I treated myself to a chinese takeaway. I didn't quite finish it all so some of it had been duitfully rewrapped and my name scribed onto it for breakfast in the morning.

122 miles down.

First Rest Day - Inverness 2/10/07

Today was spent relaxing and exploring Inverness. I did a little bit of shopping, picking up the things I thought during the week I could do with. I also recieved my first 'supplies box' so I spent a few hours checking my route and working out exactly whereabouts i'll be staying for the next week.

For dinner I got an indian ready meal from the supermarket in Inverness that I cooked back at the youth hostel which was quite nice, although for a korma it was quite spicy.

The last night in the hostel was definatly different. There were three of us in the room and we went to bed about 2200. At midnight someone else arrives and spends fifteen minutes crashing around before going to bed. At 2am we're woken up by the new lady going to the bathroom and treading on someone else who is sleeping on the floor. The floor lady leaves. At 6am the new lady leaves, after 20 minutes spent retrieving her glasses that dropped down behind the bed. I got up about 8am not feeling very rested!

Best moment this week: crossing the Donnorch Firth
Least favourite moment this week: Arriving at John O'Groats
Biggest mistake: Sending home deodrant when I was lightening my rucksack
Most memorable: The baby hedgehog walking down the road

Day Seven 3/10/07

I got up this morning feeling quite tired after the palava last night but I packed and left going into Inverness to send a box home with finished-with maps and some other bits I no longer needed.

The first bit of the walk was along the A98 which wasn't too nice but I soon took a B-road off which was a lot quieter and more enjoyable to walk along. I saw the farmer feeding a field of cows - they were black and fluffy and seemed (comparativly) friendly.

I stopped for a drink in a little cafe in Nairn and as I came out it started to rain so I put all my waterproofs on and put my rucksack cover over. It carried on drizzling for about half hour and just as I was going to take the waterproof trousers off the heavens opened and it really poured.

I'm now in my tent in a campsite just outside Forres and thankfully the rain has stopped. I'm glad i'm only here for one night though as it looks like a building site, the toilet/shower block has seen better days and they charge £12.

152 miles down.

Day Eight 4/10/07

The campsite last night was awful. I had a shower this morning surrounded by spiders, mozzys and other insects, i'm very glad I was only there for one night. It spent most of the night raining too which made me realise how much warmer the cloud cover makes it.

The walk today took me past RAF Kinloss and through Elgin. There were two jet planes flying around above me all day which after a while I got used to, I think they were raf but i'm not sure!

After Kinloss I was going through some very nice countryside down little used roads (identifiable as such by the strip of grass up the centre) until I got to Elgin. I had lunch in a field just outside Elgin where I met the farmer who was very friendly and pleasant, as a sidenote, everyone up here seems to be a lot more friendly than down south...

When I got to the campsite this evening the warden apologised and said the grass was yet to recover from where the river flooded during the summer and as such they weren't taking tents. Because there weren't any other sites nearby I've wound up spending tonight in a B&B, which as £22 is quite good compared to yesterday's awful campsite.

177 miles down.

Day Nine 5/10/07

Nothing beats a cooked breakfast and a cup of tea in the morning. I had a lovely breakfast this morning complete with haggis, although after overdosing my tea with sugar I spent the first hour walking with a sucrose-induced bounce.

I headed back out towards the coast and I passed the first piggery i've seen so far which made a nice change to the fields of cows and sheep. Because of the good weather there are a lot of tractors in the fields too making hay into bales and moving it into the barns.

The weather is lovely again today with clear blue skies and sun, although the locals are adamant it won't hold out i'm keeping my fingers crossed just in case!

I've been following the East costal path which has had some lovely views and some very quaint villages. I think my favourites were either Buckie or Portsoy. I'm staying in an amazing campsite in Macduff tonight; friendly owners, laundrette, and a clean and warm shower block.

198 miles down

Day Ten 6/10/07

I'm really tired tonight. Staying overnight at Strichen after following the coast most of the day. The weather has been soso, not the sun i've grown accustomed to, but it didn't rain either, just overcast and miserably cloudy.

I had lunch at the top of a cliff which was very pretty, although it did get a bit windy and I wound up putting on my jacket just to keep the wind off. I had one of my dehydrated meals which was decidedly easier to cook (and lighter to carry) but not as tasty as the boil-in-a-bag versions. The bits at the bottom didn't quiite get mixed up properly so it was a bit crunchy too.

I saw huge flocks of migrating birds which were quite fascinating to watch. Some flew in a great big group and other were in the 'arrow head' kind of formation.

223 miles down.

Day Eleven 7/10/07

The weather is lousy, theres no other word to describe it. It's been drizzling all day, with maybe half hour dry all day. It's what I imagine walking through a cloud would be like. It isn't proper hard rain that falls vertically, it seems to float to the ground and is blown by the wind so it comes from 45 degrees instead.

I've now left the coast, at least for the time being and i'm following the Formatine and Buchan Way. It goes all the way down to Aberdeen so i'll spend tomorrow on it too. It's very nicely marked which makes it great to follow and I think parts of it are along disused railway lines.

Camping tonight just outside Ellon. The campsite is a little tiny one but very nice and at £3 a night (including hot showers and a drying room) it's a much better idea than camping wild.

245 miles down.

Day Twelve 8/10/07

I've made it to Aberdeen youth hostel. I was following the Formartine and Buchan way again. I only had 17 miles to walk today which was good!

I spent the last few miles coming in through the outskirts of Aberdeen and past the airport and I got a few strange looks and a comment about leaving my skis somewhere, which after i'd translated from the broad scottish accent I realised was a reference to the fact I had walking poles (I think!)

I'm a bit tired but i'm going to have an early night, mainly because i'm looking forward to a proper bed! My room is shared with three other girls, two who are at Aberdeen university and are staying at the hostel temporarily whilst they wait for/sort out uni accomodation.

Once i'd sorted out my bed and put the first lot of clothes onto wash I decided to get the bus out to Crathes Castle for an hour or so before dusk. I got a coach and the castle was very nice. I'd joined the National Trust a few days before so I'm determined to visit as many places as possible. I got a coach back into Aberdeen and treated myself to a Chinese takeaway which I had at the hostel before I went to bed.

262 miles down.

Aberdeen Rest Day 9/10/07

I woke up this morning and after looking out the window rolled over and went back to sleep. Unfortunately when I got up an hour later the weather hadn't changed at all. I wandered down the high street and did some bits-and-pieces shopping before I headed to a coffee shop for some warm soup and to read the paper.

I hadn't really got much planned for today and with the weather still drizzling and cold I decided the best option was to find an internet cafe and spend a few hours sorting out all the stuff I couldn't do from my phone. Several hours later I emerged having emptied my inbox and done a small amount of internet shopping/facebook/checking campsites.

The weather still hadn't changed and after I stumbled across an Oxfam Bookshop I bought a good book (Chloe by Freya North) and spent the rest of the day reading it.

Day Thirteen 10/10/07

Well I set off from Aberdeen today in fairly good weather compared to yesterday's dismal washout. A bit disappointing to have weather like that on my rest day when I'd have liked to have been looking around Aberdeen but never mind!

I've noticed there were a lot more children around when I was in Aberdeen and today when I was walking. I spoke to one of the ladys in the post office and apparently the kids are all off on a half term break called the 'potato holidays' which I'd never heard off but came about because now is potato harvesting time.

I'd never seen potatos being harvested until today which was quite fascinating to watch. Two tractors drive in parallel, one with a trailer full of pallets and the other with a plough and a potato sorter gaget which then empties the potatos into the pallets on the other tractor.

287.5 miles down

Day Fourteen 11/10/07

Fantastic weather today which was lovely walking along the coast again. I decided to take a shortcut along the beach which didn't quite pay off when there was a small river mouth I had to cross, or take a detour of four miles to a bridge. I chose the paddling option - the water was freezing though!

I arrived in Montrose and had an early lunch at a little coffee shop there rather than indulge in a dehydrated meal and then I headed onto Arbroath. I've wound up staying in a B&B tonight though because the campsite I was planning on staying at has closed a month early.

It wasn't until I rang home and both Mum and Dad said 'Arbroath... isn't that famous for kippers?' that I went for a walk around the little harbour which was very quaint and I got some lovely photos as the sun set.

313 miles down

Day Fifteen 12/10/07

I'm now in a tiny little place called Logie which is more a hamlet than a village in my opinion! I crossed the Firth of Tay today and walked through Dundee. Crossing the Firth was quite good, I like walking across bridges and I'm really looking forward to crossing the Forth Road Bridge later in the week.

When I was walking through Dundee I stopped at Blacks to get another fleece top because I feel it is more practical than the jumper I'm carrying at the moment. I wanted to get another pair of lined trousers as well but they've sold out of them but hopefully I'll be able to pick a pair up when I get to Edinburgh.

It was very windy today and I was glad I wasn't walking along the coast path anymore or I'd have been freezing and making progress with difficulty.

339.5 miles down.

Day Sixteen 13/10/07

Today has been mainly dry with a few light showers but it's been good walking weather. I've seen more fields of potaoes being ploughed which I'm still finding fascinating and also fields of sheep.

I stopped to have lunch just outside Kettlehill where I was joined by two ladies who were also walking the same path as me, albeit in a different direction. I must admit, their lunch of sandwiches and chocolate cake looked a lot more appetising than my 'peppered beef with rices and vegetables' which was not helped by the fact I didn't quite add the right amount of water and it was more swimming than rehydrating.

I'm staying tonight at a rather expensive campsite just outside Kircaldy (which I (repeatedly) pronounced wrong much to the local peoples growing exasperation).

368 miles down

Day Seventeen 14/10/07

Well i'm finally in Edinburgh and the weather has been dry all day. I've spent today walking the Fife costal path and also crossed the Forth Bridge.

I started at Kircaldy and walked to Inverkeithing along the Fife coastal path. It was well signposted and the weather good for the most part giving me some lovely views out across the Firth of Forth. I met lots of friendly people out walking or rambling and it was great to stop and chat with them for a few minutes.

I got to the Forth bridge in the afternoon and crossing it was really good. Because of roadworks the traffic was either slow or stationary and hence it was very quiet. I've got some good photos as well so all in all it lived up to expectations.

I'm now at my hostel which is on Cowgate so i'm very close to the Royal Mile and Princes Street. I'm looking forward to having a lie in tomorrow and not having to carry my rucksack all day!

396 miles down

Rest day in Edinburgh 15/10/07

Today is the 15th October, and i've spent most of it sleeping. It was lovely to be in warm bed with a proper duvet and not have to worry about getting up. The hostel is really nice and it's what I though hostels would be like; fun people, bright colours, open all day and quirky signs.

I've got to Edinburgh a day ahead of schedule so i'm currently deciding whether to have an extra day's rest/sightseeing or to head on anyway and have an extra day in hand in case I get to somewhere i'd like to stay for a bit.

When I got up I had a look around the Royal Mile and Princes Street and also thought about going to Edinburgh Castle and the Brittania Yacht. However, by the time I got out to Ocean Terminal the yacht was closed which was a bit annoying so I went to Thorntons instead.

The weather has been a bit grey and overcast but it's hasn't rained properly so i'm keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow.