That’s it! We’ve done it! 1000 (and a bit) miles as promised, and delivered almost bang on time. Needless to say, we’re totally astonished. We finished at 7:30pm, Tuesday 31st August, taking our walking time to 65 days in all. It was an odd experience; John o’Groats is just about one of the bleakest places on Earth, possibly second only to Land’s End, but it was reassuring to have my Mum and aunt there to scream as embarrassingly as possible as we reached the famous (and, shockingly, privately owned) finish post. The much photographed Groat’s Hotel makes for a deflating, dreary backdrop to the already sparsely populated village, surrounded by builder’s fencing and in desperate need of a makeover that it clearly will never receive. However, the sun was shining and it was smiles all round!
This final blog has taken me completely by surprise. I thought it would be by far the easiest excerpt to write - that I would be gushing with joy at having completed what has turned out to be the most difficult challenge I’ve ever undertaken, and full of enthusiasm for perhaps some of the more mundane aspects to being home. But I’ve been putting off writing how it all feels, because I don’t quite know. Foremost, there is an overwhelming sensation of satisfaction. Relief comes second, very closely followed by exhaustion, and assorted tail-enders such as pain and happiness are scrabbling around somewhere too. More surprisingly, though, as our train undoes all our hard work, taking us back South through the Highlands towards Inverness, there’s a very heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach telling me that I’m going to miss this, quite desperately. The freedom and vigour of being outside for 12 hours a day, the self-sufficiency, the changing landscapes and, most of all, the people whose kindness has consistently taken us aback have all made the last 10 weeks far more bearable. I might not miss the heavy pack rubbing my shoulders, or the tramping 20 miles through sheeting rain, but I don’t know this experience without those aspects, and so perhaps I’d leave them in to ensure I preserve the whole experience as perfectly as possible.
Linda Walker - head of the Chernobyl Children’s Project - and her husband, came to see us last night in John O’Groats, and I think it is imperative that I mention that the reasons we undertook such a difficult challenge still stand, and now seem more poignant than ever. The charity’s continuing hard work makes a huge difference to the lives of many Belarusian children who are suffering quite terribly, and almost silently, from the effects of the nuclear disaster of 1986. It’s a constant surprise to me when I come across children and young adults who have little or no knowledge of the event, and even less so of how much it is still jeopardising so many young people’s futures.
It’s now November, nearly 3 months since we finished. Although the money is still being donated, our current total stands at £3,049 - a full £49 over our intended goal. Admittedly, for a while, we thought that this might be where our journey ends. However (as I was warned repeatedly), this type of thing is totally addictive. The need for money and awareness has far from being solved, and so I am currently in the process of planning next summer’s challenge.
Please do keep in touch, and watch this space over the next month, or so, for news of the next event! And thank you, everyone, for everything you’ve done.
x
