The oldest man to walk between John O’Groats and Land’s End
It was around September 2022 when I was driving along and switched on the car radio. It was in the middle of a book review where listeners could phone in to ask questions of the author. The book being reviewed was “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry”. Some of you may have read the book or seen the film but for those that haven’t it is about a retired man who walks from the West Country to Berwick upon Tweed to visit a work colleague who was dying from cancer whom he had not spoken to for 20 years.
I read the book and thought “I can do that”, and then my mind turned to the famous walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End. The oldest man to complete the walk is Alan Knight who on 2 November 2021 was 76 years and 144 days. I am now 80 years old and planning to start the walk on 1 September this year and hopefully finishing it by 31 October or thereabouts. There isn’t any limit on time. The record is for the oldest.
I have never attempted such a huge task but feel confident that I can do it. I have run about 30 marathons/ultra-marathons. My longest ultra in one day was the well-known Comrades Marathon in South Africa over 55 miles. I have trekked to the top of Kilimanjaro, Salkantay Inca Trail, and at 73 trekked to Everest Base Camp. My daughter and I also ran the Cape Odyssey over the mountains near Cape Town running for five days at an average of a marathon per day. My wife and I also trekked across England on the famous ‘Coast to Coast’ walk.
I will be walking by myself (unless of course someone wishes to join me for a day) with a support driver, starting in John O’Groats down the east coast of Scotland through to Inverness, Edinburgh, Carlisle, Kendal, Preston, Shrewsbury, Hereford, Monmouth, Bristol, Taunton, Okehampton, Bodmin, Penzance and Lands End.
If anyone wants to follow my progress I will be putting my daily report, pictures and videos onto ‘the drive’ (cloud) making it available to everyone.
I have chosen St. Barnabas House Hospice as my charity as it is where my sister received such special care. They do such a wonderful job in supporting not only people towards the end of their life but also their families. I have set up a ‘Just Giving’ page which can be reached by going on to www.justgiving.com. Follow directions for claiming gift aid if you are a British tax payer. St. Barnabas will handle that side.
How much should you give? That is a personal decision but based on 900 miles, a sponsorship of 1 penny per mile = £9 or a sponsorship of 10 pennies per mile = £90. Or just make a donation. I am funding my whole journey myself so all monies collected go directly to St. Barnabas House Hospice.
Thank You
Anthony Bishop