Day 49: 1200 mile walk from Cornwall to Caithness, UK (THE FINISH!)

Tuesday 29th June 2010

30 miles walking with a 4.30am start and I arrived at John O' Groats at 4pm. I stood at the signpost and bellowed my victory out to sea startling a few seagulls and tourists alike! I'd wondered what I would do once I reached my destination to mark the occasion and decided I needed to shout out my achievement. Mustering a loud shout of 'I have arrived' with both arms raised in the air felt both a little bit silly and very fulfilling all at the same time... I'd worked hard enough over the long weeks and needed to mark the occasion and make a fuss.

What a fantastic feeling it was to reach the end and it wasn't long before i was sitting supping a beer and exchanging stories with some cyclists who'd just completed the same trip. The next people up at the signpost after me where a young couple who'd just completed the cycle ride and the guy had "marry me" put up on the sign... she started balling her eyes out and it was very nice to see.

Daily stats:

Start - Reay
Finish - John O'Groats
Mileage - 30 miles/ 48 km
Feeling - Proud
Sleeping - John O'Groats campsite

That's all folks ;-)

My thanks to everyone that has followed my journey for your encouragement and your generous donations to Naomis House Childrens Hopsice. It gives me great pleasure to know my efforts will help to support such a worthy cause.

Epilogue

I'd started planning this trek shortly after being made redundant from a job and also splitting up with my then partner of several years. I'd spent most of my life trying to make decisions and choices that I thought other people would view as the right thing to do, and it had got me so far but left me feeling unsatisfied, I was not being who I wanted to be and living the life I wanted to live.

I realised that pleasing others wasn't always pleasing me, and I needed to do some things that I believe have value and are interesting to me, even if others don't see the value. I planned this trek over about 3 months while finishing at the job (there was an extended period helping them migrate the business to the US so it was quite drawn out). I'd been a few months moved out from living with my partner and was living with my grandma as a 33 year old man. It was one of the most wonderful things to live with my grandma and get to know her better. We'd always been close but having the opportunity to share this time with her I wouldn't exchange for anything, she was an amazing person, with a quality of character that you rarely find. When others thought my plan was ridiculous and that I should be urgently searching for a new job she was non judging and supportive.

During the trek, and as I was blogging away daily, most of the naysayers started to enjoy the journey along with me. My message from this is to do what you need to do, and what you think has value, and mostly people will get on board with it.

This trek was a really big event in my life, a big achievement, in a relatively short time, and a golden memory of all the beautiful scenery of England and Scotland. Almost without exception everybody I met was friendly. You do not need many material things to have fun... just go out there and enjoy the world!!!

After completing the trek I holidayed in the Orkney islands for a week (I've a few more blogs to share there) and then headed back home to Grandma's. My sister gave birth to twins a few weeks later and I picked my mum up from the airport and took us both up to Wales to see the two new girls in the family. While there I met a friend of my sister who needed some help to complete a house renovation and that became my new job for a couple of months. By the end of the year however it was time to seek professional employment again and I luckily landed a new job as a project manager and lead engineer on a medical diagnostic development in SW London. In London I met my partner Sylwia and life has never been the same since. We now live in Melbourne, Australia, and enjoy the outdoors, the beaches, and time with the good friends we have made.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. I hope you have enjoyed it.
Malcolm