A belated thank you post and some reflections

You can skip this post if you want to. The only person that knows everyone on the thank you list is me, and so it might be dull. However, everyone on the list has appeared on the blog at some point so you will at least have heard of them. And my reflections aren’t profound so don’t worry that you’ll miss out on finding the meaning of life if you do skip it.

At first sight my walk might seem to be a solo effort but I had help and support from a lot of people and I couldn’t have done it without you.

The first and most important thanks go to Matthew. He made the trip possible – he encouraged me when I first came up with the idea, and kept encouraging me when I was feeling that it was all too much. And he booked nearly all of my accommodation which turned out to be a lot more time-consuming than either of us had bargained for.

I wanted to give up many times. The first time was after a few days. I had expected that to happen but Rachel (rjemj in the comments) talked me through it. Jessica met me and took me out for tea in Padstow (Day 10) and I had breakfast with Chloe and Ollie (Day 11) the next day. I was a bit lonely when Karen said she’d come down for the day-it was great to see her at Bude (Day 16) with Amy and Mylo. She came again at the beginning of the Pennine Way (Day 59-61) during the heat wave and saw me through the first two days which I found very tough. I wanted to give up at Bristol and was rather annoyed that Penny had arranged to walk with me as it meant I couldn’t really let her down. Needless to say, I was glad I didn’t have the chance to stop. Stephanie (days 50 and 51) picked me up from Chirk after a tiring day on Offa’s Dyke and not only fed me (best breakfasts of the trip) but ferried me to and from my destinations for the next couple of days.

Other than Matthew, it is Sue that I need to thank the most. She booked accommodation, and made walking across Somerset a lot of fun. She also got me through the end of the Pennine Way as far as the Central Lowlands-a part of the journey I was not looking forward to. Before she joined me I was pretty sure I was going to call it a day at Jedburgh. When she left, I felt I’d be able to get to the end.

Staying with Elaine and Martin (days 90 and 91) in Glasgow was a real treat -a home from home and it set me up for the rest of the journey.

Having people join me along the way was also a massive boost. As well as Karen and Sue, Penny (Day 36-39) Helen (Day 46-49) and Graham (Day 70-75) were great companions (and Graham carried my camping gear which was wonderful). Charles and Sally (Day 69) joined me for the day from Horton-in-Ribblesdale to Hawes -a day that was also memorable for meeting Raynor Winn and Moth, author of The Salt Path and her husband.

The people I met along the way were also a big part of making the walk seem more doable. Firstly there was Lloyd from Wakefield (Day 18) who was not only the first person I met doing the whole walk but one that had a lot of the same fears about it that I had. Meeting him was a great comfort. Then were Karen (a different one) and Damian who I met on Offa’s Dyke. Graham and I saw Karen again on the Pennine Way which was a great pleasure. I met Carolyn and Anna first outside Hebden Bridge and walked with them (and Derek and their friends Sarah and Ross) from Malham (Day 68) on a day that would otherwise have been bleak and draining. There was also Chris (First appearance Day 66 and last on Day 80) turning up on the Pennine Way in his role as support crew for the team of three lads walking the Pennine Way.

The last of the people I met on the way was Tim. We walked together for about a week, (days 109-114) after which time we had broken the back of the JOG trail. I think I would have found it difficult after Matthew left but having such good company helped a lot.

Lastly, but not least, were all of you that read and commented on the blog. It was a real boost to know that you were reading it so thank you to everyone who commented/sent me messages. And a special thank you to my neighbours who sent me a surprise video message

So what have I learnt from the walk? My initial thoughts revolved around why my knees (and feet, but mostly my knees) hurt quite so much. Now, nearly three months later my knees are pretty good, and my feet hardly hurt at all. I hadn’t really expected recovery to take as long as it has -possibly because I didn’t give any thoughts to recovery, being focussed on just getting to John O’Groats. Of course, when I come to think of it a twelve hundred mile walk is a bit of a shock to the system so I shouldn’t really be surprised.

And what about the meaning of life? Well, you’ll just have to do the walk yourself… I’m sorry to say I can’t enlighten you with any new found wisdom gleaned from communing with the natural world. I was asked if I’d do it again and said yes without any hesitation even though I know I’m unlikely to, and unlikely to have such good weather-and company- if I did. If any of you after reading this decide you want to walk LEJOG or do a shorter walk then do contact me through the Comments. There’s so much that didn’t make it into the blog and I’m happy to bore you talk to you about gear, detailed routes, accommodation, flapjack/cake availability and pretty much anything else.

One thing I get asked a lot is “Weren’t you scared?” Yes, sometimes, but mainly due to the physical aspects of the path or the cows, being followed by the bull was quite scary. There were only three occasions where I felt apprehensive about other hikers, and on all three occasions I wasn’t on my own. In case you’re wondering-there was the man with the gun, another man who didn’t respond to Karen’s cheery hello as we passed and a man out running in the woods with rubber gloves on when I was with Tim. The naked hiker might also have felt a bit unsettling if I’d been on my own, despite his modesty skirt. And I did spook myself camping once (day 113) when the tent rustling sounded like footsteps.

So what will I do next? I have no particular plans at the moment -I don’t have a great desire to walk the Camino or (further afield) the Pacific Crest Trail. I’m thinking more about a shorter (less than two weeks) walk in the spring. We’ll see.