Malcolm’s Reflections.

So we did it – phew! Before we started my big fear was injury or illness meaning we had to abort without finishing which would have been soul destroying, and considering the pounding our legs took over 7 weeks without a day off, it’s a minor miracle that neither of us did suffer any serious injury. We ran on some very difficult surfaces, from rocky paths to bogs, from boulder scrambling to river wading and we went up and down some very steep inclines (down being much harder on the knees etc than ups). The back problem at Lands End car park was an horrendous scare, but after that I got away with only some sore and blistered toes.

So, been there, done it, got the tee-shirt (courtesy of Chris, who presented us with commemorative tee-shirts he had got printed). The signpost at John O’Groats says 874 miles to Lands End, so our 1204 miles clearly wasn’t the most direct route. But for anyone wanting to experience the incredible beauty and the wonderful variety of beauty of this island then I honestly believe our route couldn’t have been surpassed. Spring is far and away my favourite season, when everywhere looks at its best and we had primroses, bluebells, brilliant yellow gorse and soft green beech leaves with us from start to finish.

I think my favourite area was the Cheviots in the Scottish Borders – an area I had only ever passed through by car. The Cheviots are uncomfortably boggy underfoot, but the stunningly beautiful views from the hilltops make the difficulty of access an irrelevance. An early return to the Borders is a must. But there were so many other fabulous places en route – Malham Cove, High Cup Nick, Couldron Snout, High Force, Loch Lomond, etc, etc, that it seems churlish to select a favourite. We loved all of it from start to finish (well there were perhaps a few boring bits but I’ve blotted them from my memory). It was a long time to be away and I was ready to come home at the end, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It was a fantastic experience.

And finally some thanks:

To everyone who has donated to our charities;

To Charles for the website;

To everyone who ran bits with us, everyone who came to visit us en route, and everyone who has taken an interest via the website.;

To Carolyn from Drumnadrochit for her totally unexpected kindness;

To Hilary for the bunting;

To Gareth and Judith, my partners at Atkins Bassett, for letting me go and Trish and Shelley for covering my work for 7 weeks;

To Katie for being proud of me and for making me feel proud;

To our wonderful back-up supporters; Jess and Matt; Jo and Dave; Barbara; Gill and Bernard; Gary and Mary; Chris Brassington; Pam and Frank;

To Chris Wren for his fantastic support, encouragement, assistance and inordinate patience from the very inception of this idea, throughout the months of planning and during the trip itself.;

And to Aly for putting up with me for 7 weeks; for waiting for me (mostly); for sharing with me an unforgettable adventure and for being such a good friend.