Author Topic: thinking of walking from London to Edinburgh. Any recommended routes?  (Read 4544 times)

Andy at Focallocal

  • New Member
  • *
  • Posts: 16
I'm thinking i'd like to walk from London to Edinburgh fairly soon. I estimate i could do it in 7-9 days, not particularly bothered about rushing through it quickly.

I'd like to pass through some nice small villages, and walk through a few larger towns too, and see a lot of lovely countryside.

Is there an established route? How would you do it if you walked it? I'd rather not walk alongside big roads for too much of the time, and the police tend to pick people up who are walking alongside motorways (i'm a long-time hitchhiker and have walked fairly long routes in the past fully laiden)

thanks,
Andy

Ridge

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9691

 If you can walk over 50 miles a day then you must have route planning skills already.

gunwharfman

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10255
Coo, I wouldn't want to try walking from London to Edingburgh 7-9 days, I'd be in too much of a hurry and I'd miss so much because I would be constantly focussing on myself, how weary I felt, are my knees OK, am I hungry, am I tired, cold, damp and so on. I have been known once or twice to walk between 20 -30 miles in a day, but only when I've judged its necessary for my well being, or because I want to get to a certain point urgently. This is usually when I'm feeling desperate, for example, to ensure that I get a good evening pint and a decent meal or just to to be warm or dry again. Kirk Yetholme to Byrness springs to mind in on that 'summer' day when it was very wet, very cold and extremely windy directly in my face. My the desire to get warm, to drink and eat well was overwhelming and it spurred me onwards.

I think if I tried to walk from London to Edinburgh I'd use the Pennine Way as my main route and then tack on other walks at the beginning and to get me to the the end. To help me get organised I think I would start with looking at www.gps-routes.co.uk for the London end walks and The Edinburgh end walks. All of the footpaths are laid out in a very easy to understand format, including a back up OS map routed as well.

vizzavona

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 602
Hello,
The suggestion of the previous respondor would link well with then Southern part of the Scottish National Trail..a 864 Kls. trail finishing at Cape Wrath.


The bit after Kirk Yetholm to Edinburgh....


Kirk Yetholm to Halestones
Halestones to Melrose
Melrose to Traquair - Peebles - West Linton - Slateford
Slateford is on the outskirts of Auld Reekie.

Rather be walking

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 482
Walk up the A1  :D
““The hardest part was coming to terms with the constant dispiriting discovery that there is always more hill.”
― Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods

Andy at Focallocal

  • New Member
  • *
  • Posts: 16

Pennine Way


then the Scottish National Trial seem like a good shout.

That would leave just the London to the Lake District.

I'd want to be passing through a few towns though so that'd add quite a detour to the route on the Pennine Way trail as I'd prob want to walk through Manchester and Bradford or Leeds on the way through.

In terms of getting a few cities in, the A1 isn't that bad of an idea, except that it'd be horrible to walk along a major road for too long, and i doubt it'd be too easy to find places to put my hammock up

Thanks for your replies


Owen

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1760
I think you'll find that the Pennine way starts at Edale in the Peak District not the Lakes.

Rather be walking

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 482
Quote
In terms of getting a few cities in, the A1 isn't that bad of an idea, except that it'd be horrible to walk along a major road for too long, and i doubt it'd be too easy to find places to put my hammock up
;D ;)
This is a good read 'Broke through Britain' http://www.petermortimer.co.uk/before.html
Jon.
““The hardest part was coming to terms with the constant dispiriting discovery that there is always more hill.”
― Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods

zuludog

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 172
I have never really fancied LEJOG, but I've thought about doing Kent to Gretna, which is vaguely similar to your project


I would walk the Grand Union Canal more or less to Brum, then work my way round E or W using the Heart of England Way or the Staffordshire Way to SE Peak District; over the Roaches, Shining Tor, then PW, and I'm sure there is a semi-organised route from Kirk Yetholm to the Borders & Edinborough


You could use the Pennine Bridleway which may offer easier walking than PW


You could probably  take the Grand Union right into the centre of Brum, then find some local paths or minor roads to take you out NW


Another option entirely would be to find footpaths, lanes, etc that would parallel the AI/ Great North Road all the way

Doddy

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 417

I could help as I have done a sectional End to End from Cape Wrath and all the 19 GB National Trails but please explain first how you intend to attempt 50mls a day; ie support arrangements such as following campervan; food re-supply. What long walks have you done already.
I am also an Appalachian trail section hiker and walked it but not attempted the Maryland Challenge which is 40 miles across the State in one day. It requires a 5am start and a very long day probably over 12 hours and is done by guys and gals who have probably walked over 1000 miles on the trail and are already very hiking fit.
If you are walking a bit then hitch hiking then that is a different project.

Andy at Focallocal

  • New Member
  • *
  • Posts: 16
i spent most of my youth travelling, hiking and hitch-hiking around the world. i'm comfortable with spending a few days/weeks walking with much more weight in my pack than i'm planning for this trip.

food-wise i'm planning on a large bag of oats with spirulina, protein powder, and some nuts and stuff inside, which will serve as emergency food that can see me through 4 -6 days fairly blandly, but comfortably by just adding water. enough that i could make the entire hike with just that if needed, although not very comfortably.

Sleepwise i'll bring my hammock, so i can travel light, rather than heavily loaded. Water, i have an MSR dromedary bag and a water filter so i can collect from any sources i come across

i'll be hiking as part of publicity campaign for the launch of my communities Public Happiness app, doing activities that make communities a little happier as i go - which is why i want to pass through cities and towns, and ask people ahead of time if they'd like to meet me, walk together, and bring water and food. In towns i'll probably use people's couches.

Walking-wise i'll aim to only walk between 8am till 7pm. especially as my route won't be optimal for distance/time it might end up being longer than 10 days. Perhaps 12 days so i can aim for 10hrs/day with a few hrs spare each day for any extra walking needed.

I'm leaning more towards the A1 route now:
Stevenage
Cambridge
Peterborough
Grantham
Newark on Trent
Doncaster
York
Darlington
Newcastle
Jedburgh
Edinburgh

and finding local hiking routes between each to avoid the main roads except when passing through a town
« Last Edit: 15:06:58, 16/05/18 by Andy at Focallocal »

Ridge

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9691
I guess you have the experience but there is no way that I could do some of those distances in 10 hours.

Andy at Focallocal

  • New Member
  • *
  • Posts: 16
For some i will be putting up my hammock half way

for others the 10hr estimated walking time will give the flexiblility to go for upto 16hrs to catch up if needed

i guess the next step is to begin breaking the route down into specific trails between those points and finding people who have hiked them to discuss how long they'll take

Andy at Focallocal

  • New Member
  • *
  • Posts: 16
i suspect the trails between those towns will take an awful lot longer than walking up the main road would do


bricam2096

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3579
Walking alongside the A1 for that length of time doesn’t sound like much fun. Walking along the A1 is legal, however you can’t walk along the A1(M) which is effectively a Motorway.
LDWs done - 32 in total including 16 National Trails and 3 C2C

Wainwrights 176
www.brians-walks.co.uk

 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy