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Doing the Walk Yourself: An Introduction to the Walk

Mark's certificate from the Land's End and John o'Groats Company
My certificate from the Land's End and John o'Groats Company

Walking for a couple of weeks is one thing, but walking across an entire country for three months is another matter entirely. I walked from Land's End to John o'Groats in the summer of 2003 and I rate it as one of the most interesting experiences of my life. I had my ups and downs and had to dig deep to make it, but there's no doubt this is one of the biggest challenges there is. It's something I'll never forget, so to help those who are thinking of doing the walk themselves, I've put together a comprehensive collection of advice that will help you plan your own End-to-End walk:

One of the great things about walking from Land's End to John o'Groats is that you make all the decisions yourself, from where you walk to how long you take. The only rule is to start from one end and finish at the other, but in between you can take absolutely any route you like. There are books that suggest sensible routes, and I highly recommend Andrew McCloy's route guide The Land's End to John o'Groats Walk (available from Amazon) or Andy Robinson's The End-to-End Trail (also available from Amazon) - please note that these are affiliate links, from which I may earn a commission. There are also loads of route options on other walker's websites, but ultimately the walk is completely down to you. You can stick to A-roads for the entire trip if tarmac is your thing, or you can choose a more scenic route that incorporates some of the most breathtaking walking this country has to offer, as I did.