A.Walker's Guide: Land's End to John o'Groats.

The impersonators have had their say. Now it's time for the real A.Walker to speak:

So, you ant to walk the length of the country do you? Well if you think you can just do it next week, think again. The more time you have to plan your adventure of a lifetime, the better, and it will only add to the excitement. It's about 874 miles as the crow flies, and that would involve swimming (I walked 1086 miles). There are lots of things to bear in mind, so in no particular order, here goes.

First Questions

There are a few major questions that you need to answer before going too far:

• Are you going South to North, or North to South? John o'Groats is probably a better place to finish, but things to bear in mind are: the prevailing wind (Southwesterly); the tourist season; the midge season; the grouse shooting season; Long Distance Trail books going South-North; leaving larger mountains in Scotland until your fitter, etc.
• Will you go alone, or with someone else? Do you know anyone you could put up with for 24 hours a day, for 10 weeks, through thick and thin, or would you get lonely? What happens if one of you sprains an ankle after 200 miles?
• Will you have a backup vehicle? It will make your rucksack a lot lighter, but you'll need someone (or more likely several people) to drive, which probably won't be too interesting.
• How are you, (and your driver(s),) going to find the time to do it? It's, say, 10 weeks walking, plus one or two weeks rest and recuperation.
• Will you be staying in Bed and Breakfasts, or the much cheaper, and more flexible option of taking a tent. A tent also implies a sleeping bag and cooking stove and fuel, and therefore much more weight.
• Will you be doing the walk as a sponsored event? If you don't, you will certainly be asked by many people, "Are you doing it for charity?" If you do, it requires a lot more work before hand, and also afterwards collecting the money.

I went from South to North, by myself, without a backup veichle, during 15 weeks of University summer holiday, camping, and for charity. Whilst the information in these pages is based on my own experience doing it this way, it should still be useful to a North to Souther, with a nasty reaction to Mars Bars, who uses B & Bs.

Weather

Britain is blessed with a warm temperate climate. In theory. On a single day, it is easily possible to experience the full range of weather from fog, snow and wind, to clear skies and sun. Put 70 consecutive days together, and anything can, and will happen. You can't change the weather, and you'll never quite have a perfect walking day. Often, the baking sun can be worse than torrential rain. However, there's nothing worse than slogging up a hill to a viewpoint on the map, when the visibility is so bad you can't see your boots. Therefore make the most of what you've got, and enjoy it.

Camping

If you don't mind camping, and the added weight of carrying a tent, then it's the way to go. The added flexibility it gives you, particularly in less populated areas is invaluable. It is also much cheaper. It is even cheaper than that if you camp wild. Whilst it is desirable to ask the landowner's permission before you camp, this is often not practicable.

Scotland

A few words of warning to the English:
Mis-quoting the Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy: "Scotland," it says, "is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mindbogglingly big it is. I mean you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to Scotland. Listen... " and so on.
The same could also be said of Cornwall. My point is that if you think Scotland finishes just North of Glasgow and Edinburgh, think again. It doesn't. It is not just large, it is also pretty empty peoplewise. Oh, and there are some big hills in Scotland too. Whilst this makes for good walking, it requires careful thought as to where you are going to spend each night.

Be Prepared

Lord Baden-Powell was right. Be Prepared. Preparation is the key to a successful outcome. To be prepared to walk over 1,000 miles in 10 weeks, you'll need to be fit in three ways:

• Physically Fit. This must go without saying. Whilst there is no need to spend 6 months full time in the gym, it is vital to improve personal fitness before you start, and the sooner the better. Hill walking is ideal, as that is what you'll spend a good deal of your time doing! If, like me, you've not done a lot of walking recently, you'll gain valuable experience as well. Rather than take the car shopping, take your rucksack instead. Cycling or swimming is also good exercise. If it helps, once you've started on the big Walk, you'll grow muscles on your muscles. You'll probably never be fitter.
• Financially Fit. I have included some basic accounts below, but however you do it, it's going to cost you. You may have a lot of equipment already, but does it have another 1,000 miles left in it? This is particularly important for your rucksack straps, but will your tent survive being put up 50 or so times? Last but not least, boots.
• Mentally Fit. This is the most important of the three. Any physical fitness you lack, you must more than make up for in mental strength. You must want to get to the end more than anything else. You need to psyche yourself up, just as much as building up the muscles in your legs. You must be a 'stakeholder' in the Walk. Doing it as a sponsored event helps, in that you will have a lot support from your sponsors: however stingey they are, none of them will want you to fail. If you want to know how mentally fit you have to be, try taking an empty milk bottle, and adding one and a half to two teaspoons of water to it each day until it's full. Depressingly slow isn't it?

Equipment

Below is a list of all the equipment that I took:

It is difficult to rank the pieces of equipment in order of importance. Other than most of the emergency gear, I used everything listed at least once. However, I started with a Trangia stove and fuel bottle. After three weeks of lack of use, I swapped it for the lightweight Hexi stove, which remained unused until three days from John o'Groats. I could have done without the fleece jacket as well, but you never know. And that's the problem: the "Just In Case" factor. You've got to draw the line somewhere. The easiest way to do this is to determine what weight you can carry. A good rule of thumb for an "average" person is one third of body weight. Before I started, I weighed around 10 stone 10 pounds (150 pounds or 68kg), and so set my limit at 50 pounds, or 22.5kg. I managed to get under this limit, and stay under, for all but the days when I needed extra water/food due to the weather/distance. The less of a burden your sack is, irrespective of actual weight or weight ratio, the better: there is no room for luxuries.

Food

If you're camping, and even if not, you'll probably have a stove. Unless you are going for the Land's End to John o'Groats for under £20 record, leave it for emergencies. Use pubs. In many remote places with more than two dwellings, the third building is often a pub. And if it's the only place for some distance, they'll more than likely serve hot food. In larger villages and towns you'll have a choice. The thought of a hot meal and a pint of brown stuff is a great motivator when it's raining. Whilst pasta or jacket potatoes are better than chips, eat whatever you feel like: you'll burn it off. The alternative is to use dehydrated food (requiring water), such as Raven, or the slightly better tasting, more expensive, and heavier ready meals such as XXXX. To quote Crocodile Dundee, "You can live off it, but it tastes like shit". When you tell people you've walked the country, they'll be impressed, but will give you little extra credit for saying you lived off glorified pot noodles, if they ask at all.
I'm normally a great believer in breakfast: a large bowl of museli and a cup of coffee. However, this went by the wayside on the Walk, as it's too much hassle. I often went without lunch, and just made do with that large pub meal in the evening. Avoid eating a large meal at lunchtime as you'll not want to walk on it. To keep going during the day, eat as many snacks as you want. Look for the high calorie products, ideally those high in carbohydrates and low in fat. Kendal Mint Cake fits this catergory perfectly, but chocolate bars, jelly, polos, etc are great (except for your teeth). Bananas, apples, and mixed dried fruit not only provide energy, but fibre, vitamins, and other essentials.
Despite eating lots of what I liked all the time, and especially on days off, I lost one pound in weight a week. I couldn't really afford to do that for too much longer. I enjoyed putting it back on though. Thanks mum!

Expenses

It's important to keep a close eye on your expenses. As I have already said, it's going to cost you a lot. Accommodation will cost £15-£20 a night if you B&B, £2-£6 on a campsite, or nothing if you camp wild. Multiply those figures by 10 weeks and there is quite a difference. Food takes another chunk from the budget. You can't do anything about buying maps, unless you can borrow them from someone. Then there is any other equipment you are short of: rucksack; sleeping bag; boots; waterproof; etc. Don't forget phone calls, postage for things to send home, and then postcards and stamps.
On the subject of money, it's no good having a Swiss bank account full of gold, if you have run out of the readies on your wallet. Depending on your route, you may not see any bank for a week or more, let alone a bank that will take your cash card. This is particularly important in Scotland, but also along the Pennines. Do you know which banks will accept your card? There are a few solutions: open a post office account; have a couple of bank accounts; carry large amounts of cash. Post offices charge £5 to cash a cheque.

The Charities

I was walking on behalf of two charities, so I will give them both a plug at this point:

The first charity is the Children's Society. This is a voluntary society of the Church of England, and the Church in Wales. They help needy children in a large number of ways with different projects all over England and Wales.

The second charity is the Sustrans. Their aim is to build around 6,000 miles of cycle paths, half of which will also be suitable for walkers. Their hope to have completed 3,000 miles of path by the new millennium, and the remainder by 2005. They are increasingly making in impact on people's lives, as they encourage walking and cycling, when previously people would have gone by car. Sustrans' Home Page

Bibliography

"Land's End to John o'Groats - A Choice of Footpaths for Walking the Length of Britain" - Andrew McCloy, £6.99 Hodder & Stoughton (1995) 0-340-63750-1.
An excellent place to continue your preparation for the Walk. Also available in Hardback, but don't bother because you'll probably want to take it with you. The book details three routes from Land's End, including the masochistic Easterly route via Newmarket and Lincoln. Also includes an Appendix on Equipment and Preparation (although not as good as this page!), and a comprehensive Bibliography (better than this page).

"First Aid Manual" - St John Ambulance, St Andrew's Ambulance Association, British Red Cross, 6th Edition, £8.99 Dorling Kindersley (1992) 0-86318-978-4.
Covers most First Aid incidents you might bump into, and more besides. Again, also available in hardback, but don't for the same reason. Clear diagrams and pictures with no-nonsense text will help you carry out emergency childbirth, relieve hyperventila tion, ease sunburn, etc. An essential book.
P.S. When was the last First Aid course you went on?

"The SAS Survival Handbook" - John "Lofty" Wiseman, £12.99 Harper Collins (1986) 0-00-217185-6.
Everything you need to know about survival situations: knots; plants; animal traps; rescues; shelters; killing octopuses (turn it inside out!) etc. Probably too much to take, but also available as a Collins Gem guide. Don't fall into the "It's at times like this that I wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young." - "Why, what did she tell you?" - "I don't know, I didn't listen." scenario.

"Outward Bound Backpacker's Handbook" - Peter Barnes, £8.99 Ward Lock (1995) 0-7063-7363-4.
A good easy-to-read book, probably more relevant than the SAS Handbook. It covers route-planning, equipment, navigation, and food. It's useful to swot up on anything a bit rusty, as well as including some useful tips.

"Two Feet, Four Paws" - Spud Talbot-Ponsonby, £5.99 Summersdale (1996) 1-873475-64-0.
I met Spud just after finishing the Pennine Way. I said I'd just walked 700 miles. She said she'd just walked along the coast of Britain. 4,500 miles. With her dog. Easy to compare with John Merrill's similar feet (sorry!), although I've not read his book. On virtually every page of "Two Feet", I thought, "yes, I can relate to that". An excellent read when you've finished.

OS Maps - Travelmaster Series, £3.99.
Now you've got some ideas for your route, the double-sided 1:625,000 Travelmaster map of Great Britain is a good choice for plotting out some rough ideas. Unfortunately, it doesn't show Long Distance Trails or Relief, but it can give a good indication of places you may want to go, and those to avoid. The other eight maps in the series are 1:250,000 and can be useful for planning while on the move, particularly in Scotland. These do have Long Distance Trails and Relief marked, as well as some campsites.

OS Maps - Landranger Series, £4.75.
You'll need loads of these - I got through about 25, but didn't get ones for Offa's Dyke or the Pennine Way. There is no option other than to bite the bullet and buy them. The Explorer and Outdoor Leisure Series have a better scale, and more information, but don't cover all the country. The Pathfinder Series, whilst at the same scale, cover a much smaller area, and are not good value. I'd recommend getting the first few Landrangers before setting off, but then buy them just before you need them. Send old maps home. OS also produce a free index to all the maps they sell: useful reference for the folks back home.

Road Atlas, 4 inch to the mile or better, various.
A good clear Road Atlas is another essential for the folks you leave behind so they know exactly where you are. It may also include campsites if you're lucky.

"National Trail Guide - Offa's Dyke Path South and North" - Ernie and Kathy Kay and Mark Richards, £9.99 each Aurum Press (1994) 1-85140-295-8 and (1995) 1-85140-322-9.
"National Trail Guide - Pennine Way South and North" - £9.99 each Aurum Press.
Essential books for the Long Distance Trails. Whilst other guides are available, these are the best. They include 1:25,000 strip maps beside informative text on plants, agriculture, history, and of course, the route. An annoying thing is that being books, they don't fold into a mapcase very well, but even so, must be preferable to the much cheaper Footprint maps. You may want to get the Landranger maps as well, as if you walk off the strip maps, you're on your own.

Accomadation guides for the Long Distance Paths, cheap.
These guides are invaluable. Don't leave without them whether you are B&Bing, or camping. Addresses in the above guides.

The Rambler's Association, the Long Distance Walkers Association, the Pennine Way Association, and the Offa's Dyke Association all have web pages:

"The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" - Douglas Adams.
Leave the best till last. It does contain useful advice for any traveller. Whatever you do, Don't Panic.

Acknowledgments

I'm grateful to many people for allowing me the opportunity to do the Walk, including:

• Mum and Dad. They were worried, probably more so than me. They also drove about three times the distance that I walked! And Beckie for nothing in particular. (She must have done something - ed.)
• Uncle Greg, a John o'Groats to Lands End veteran (1987), not least for his tent, but also his advice: J.F.D.I. - Just Do It. He has now recovered from our marathon over the Cheviots!
• John and George, my Scout Leaders, who take great pleasure in telling the anecdote when I hitched a lift, when I should have been on a hike. I probably wouldn't have had the skills and confidence (and madness) to do it without them.
• Carol & Rowland, and Dani & Mark for putting me up on the way.
• An Omega lorry driver with his pliers at Kinross motorway service station, who straightened a couple of pegs, so I could use them as a splint to repair my broken tent pole.
• BT
• Everyone who sponsored me. Thankyou.

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