JOGLE

That’s John O’ Groats to Lands End for those not in the know.

For some very cool visual representations of our trip, definitely check these sites out:

Polarsteps app with map of the whole trip

YouTube videos of Mark’s GoPro footage of every day

  • Day 25 – we went seriously downhill today. I can’t deny it, it was a struggle.

    Oh no my mistake…….. Having said that, it has definitely been a type 2 fun day, taking nearly 9 and a half hours to do 35km/22 miles. We started in the Boot and Shoe Inn that we had such high hopes for last night. It’s in a quaint location, it looks quaint, it has some…

  • Day 24 – the longest day is over!

    This has probably been the hardest day yet, not least because we both woke up with an unsettled stomach and needed to walk 44km/28 miles to Greystoke. Yep, Greystoke, legend of Tarzan, this is apparently the inspiration for his ancestral home. We even have MGM memorabilia outside our room in the local pub come restaurant come…

  • Day 23 – a slow news day, so let’s share a handy tip and round up Scotland

    We have arrived at the infamous Gretna Green, well known in the UK as the first place over the border from England where, historically, eloping couples under the age of 21 could marry according to Scottish law without their parents’ consent, which was a requirement in England from 1754. Sure enough, as soon as we walked…

  • Day 22 – stay classy people….

    Yes, to confirm, the second of our Days Inn hotel experiences is as lovely as the first. This is our exceptional bedroom window view (through the crack) to the car park. Lovely huh? The MacDonalds for supper, even better as I now know what a “sourdough-style” bap looks like. It doesn’t look like sourdough. It…

  • Day 21 – today, we have mostly been walking

    This sign also shows that we have found the most fantastic cycle path that will take us all the way to the Scottish border town of Gretna, about 100km away. We tried to avoid lorry dodging this morning by choosing a B road until it turned into this: So we ended up dodging cars, as always…

  • Day 20 – supremely dull, but we have found the holy trinity

    We have reached Larkhall. Notable only because, when we told the hotel barman in Glasgow yesterday that we were walking to Larkhall today, he nearly dropped my Highland Rebel cocktail. That would have been a great shame as the miso washed whisky based drink was divine. However, the barman came from Larkhall and advised that…

  • Day 19 – Reflections……

    A rest day has inevitably meant three things: Glasgow is like a change management project all of its own. You can read the online detail about it: how it was a thriving ship building city to the point of severe overcrowding and poverty, particularly when ship building wasn’t needed so much. So at about the…

  • Day 18 – one third of the distance complete and a rest day tomorrow 🙂

    Today was relatively light on our feet, only a half marathon distance and all downhill. Rather than the mochy weather of yesterday, today was sunny with a breeze – utterly perfect. I like the Scottish word mochy, for muggy, it is reminiscent of constantly fighting your way though a Japanese starchy dessert to reach your…

  • Day 17 – To B (road) or not to B (road), that is the question…..

    A question we have asked ourselves many times today, starting at breakfast, while staring at the eclectic decor in our hotel. We were trying to shorten our route today to recover from yesterday’s technical climbing. A couple of guys at our hotel this morning, doing the West Highland Way south to north raved about Conic…

  • Day 16 – 7km shorter than a marathon, took longer. Today was hard…..

    It was lovely when we started this morning, but got quite hard when we hit Loch Lomond. When I hit the ground on the very steep shore of Loch Lomond, that felt harder still. The route around Inversnaid is 100% not flat and there are definitely some bits that should come with a nearby first…