Author Topic: John o' Groats to Land's End  (Read 5514 times)

annab1984

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John o' Groats to Land's End
« on: 02:54:10, 30/04/20 »
Hello all,


I am thinking about doing a long distance walk next Summer. Coast 2 Coast, John o' Groats to Land's End, Pennine Way are the three that I am thinking about. I would most like to do John o' Groats to Land's End as I will be in a position of not having to rush back for work that I probably won't have again once I get a new job. I am returning to the UK from where I live now around the 9th of July 2021 (I am a. bored on lockdown and b. a lover of forward planning) so would probably be ready to start my hike the week after, around the 16th or so. If you were going to start John o' Groats to Land's End in mid July would you recommend going north to south or south to north? I am thinking that come the end of Sept Cornwall might be nicer weather wise than the highlands. My goal after that is to hike the PCT in 2022, after which I will have to come back and get a job again before I burn through all of my savings :( ! I have a window to do these two hikes which I have thought about for a long time. Kit wise I can research, although recommendations welcome. Second question is whether anyone here has done John o' Groats to Land's End with their dog? I have a fit little terrier cross who I would love to bring with me on my UK hike!


Any tips welcome.


Thanks,


Anna

Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #1 on: 06:45:51, 30/04/20 »
Although you will find climate graphs that show that September has worse weather than July and August in Scotland, my experience of over 20 years here is different. We often find that we get better weather in April, May and September than in the summer months. The weather is very variable up here and can be very different year to year. Personally, I wouldn’t worry too much on the weather score. Day length in June and July will be long and that might make a difference.

SteamyTea

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #2 on: 06:58:12, 30/04/20 »
The prevailing wind in the UK comes from the South West.
So heading downhill from Scotland you will be walking into the wind a fair amount.
That may be why it is usually referred to as Land's End to John o' Groats.


How long do you think it will take you?


I have a locals pass for Land's End, not been much use recently.
I don't use emojis, irony is better, you decide

harland

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #3 on: 06:59:55, 30/04/20 »
A few people on here have walked Lejog so previous posts may help to cure any boredom of the lockdown. In the "search box" at the top of the page just type Lejog and you will find previous posts and accounts of the walk.

Jac

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #4 on: 09:02:35, 30/04/20 »
It has been done with a dog too - look for posts by 'Man and dog'
So many paths yet to walk, so little time left

gunwharfman

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #5 on: 10:27:18, 30/04/20 »
I can understand that some people will try to walk the route in the most direct route possible but is there a read where, as far as possible a hiker has tried to link as many long and short distance paths as possible to do it? For example, the Scottish National Trail, then south on the Pennine Way, etc.

Owen

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #6 on: 10:37:10, 30/04/20 »
Yes, John Sutcliffe walk from Cape Cornwall to Cape Wrath, he did very little road walking. His book is called "Cape to Cape", not s bad read even if he does tend to wander off into geology a bit.

harland

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #7 on: 11:17:25, 30/04/20 »
Without listing all the minor paths/trails I walked my Lejog (in stages) it was the SWCP > Offa's Dyke (1/2 way) > Pennine Way > West Highland Way > Great Glen Way > JOG Trail (not all as some streams were rivers!).
I have mentioned this account of a couples walk before but this is worth reading, very well written:-
https://www.ukendtoend.com/

tonyk

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #8 on: 13:40:56, 30/04/20 »
 Probably best to get Scotland out of the way first as the stag stalking season lasts from mid-August-mid October.If you start from the south you will hit the stalking season in late September/early October.

WILDWALKINGUK

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #9 on: 08:14:01, 20/06/20 »
I've walked all these and the Pennine Way both ways. Walking North to South or vise versa made little difference, it's all about when, where and how much rain you have. The UK weather is variable any time of year, that's what makes hiking here interesting.
I loved walking Lejog but make sure you've done some long distance walking before starting it and you travel light weight, under 10kg base weight if camping. I found that you can plan a really good route but when you get walking it's best to be flexible with the route, to allow for the weather and how your body is on any particular day. I don't like walking on hard surfaces but during Lejog, when it rained I often was happiest on the cycle ways and roads instead of boggy fields. Covering easy mileage and getting closer to my destination was more satisfying than a nice path. 
I walked the Pennine Way with a dog (Collie cross Whippet), it was tiered by the end of the day and completed the walk but many peoples dogs don't apparently.

watershed

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #10 on: 10:13:46, 20/06/20 »
Anna welcome to the Forum.
the Cicerone guide "The End to End Trail" by Andy Robinson is a must read for you.
it is also down loadable so can be carried, lightly on a kindle to keep the weight down.
he chose to design his route, as you hope to do, avoiding roads and using some of the main long distance trails. he has made excellent maps to fill in the missing trails connecting these up.  
A lady I met in Shetland in 2017 walked it pretty much following his route and found his book most useful.  
https://lucywoodwalks.com/category/my-walks/lejog-2017/
She met him during the walk as he was updating some of the connecting routes and they exchanged notes.
He gives a detailed account and includes reasons why he chose his route and information and advice on stalking seasons etc that need to be taken into consideration.
His route came to be about 1200 miles.
Best of luck in your research and travels.







 

Pepe

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #11 on: 15:07:08, 02/03/21 »
Hello Anna,


I too am planning ‘a walk’.


I’ll be starting the route in Edinburgh, probably following the JOGLE route as far as Bath then I’m planning heading south.


I was wondering if you had found a good guide book with details and maps, they all seem to be the opposite way from LEJOG.


I do have a rough idea of my route but I would like some detailed instructions and maps, I am prone to getting lost so want to avoid this!!!


Penelope

gunwharfman

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #12 on: 15:12:07, 02/03/21 »
Have you had a look at A to Z maps, I bought their two books about the Pennine Way and visually they are really very good.

harland

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #13 on: 17:42:26, 02/03/21 »
I was wondering if you had found a good guidebook with details and maps, they all seem to be the opposite way from LEJOG.
The SWCP guidebook shows the way to Lands End from Minehead if you are going to walk the coastal path. I just used OS maps (borrowed from the library, when they were open!) and just plotted a route between places. You could pick up the Macmillan Way West, that would be helpful to get you to Minehead to start the SWCP. I expect that there will be something online either as a guidebook or just guidance. Walking that distance you will become temporarily misplaced on a few occasions, just keep going you will get to Lands End eventually!

Naomi8070

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Re: John o' Groats to Land's End
« Reply #14 on: 07:25:45, 18/05/21 »
Thanks for the info)

 

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