Distance 18.48 miles , cumulative 1,300.87 miles, time 7 hrs 25 mins, walking time 6 hrs 30 mins, pace 2.8 mph, B&B Lamorna House
A fine sunny morning for our last day. After a full breakfast we stepped out of the B&B straight onto the coast path and we quickly reached Newlyn to pass the fishing harbour. The local graffiti artist had captured us well.
We headed towards Mousehole passing the memorial to the crew of the Soloman Browne, the Penlee lifeboat.
We passed through Mousehole and had our only tea stop of the day at Lamorna Cove.
We reached Porthcurnow and the Minnack Theatre. The show on this week was ‘The Titfield Thunderbolt’ which was sort of appropriate given the number of steam railways we have passed and the old railway lines we have walked along. For the benefit of readers who will not have seen the 1953 film starring Stanley Holloway, probably everyone apart from our Dads, the story concerns a village trying to stop it’s railway being closed.
We stopped for lunch and carried on through Porthgwarra a pretty unspoilt little slipway with a few fishing boats.
We soon got our first glimpse of Land’s End in the distance. About a mile out we stopped and had a hug as the emotions caught up with us. Lynn put her sunglasses on even though it was now getting overcast and drizzly and Steve got the grit out of his eye.
Just short of Land’s End are a few fields with animals in including llamas which made Steve’s day, at last the pack animals he had been searching for – typically too late to be of any use carrying his rucksack.
We reached Land’s End to be met by Geri, Ryan, Alexander, Sandra and John who we had met yesterday. They had generously brought some fizzy and chocolate cake so we were able to celebrate in style and have the obligatory finish post pictures. A special thanks to them for meeting us on what was becoming a wet and quite cold day at Land’s End.
A little tiddly we were dropped back to our B&B for a well earned and needed bath.
Writing this blog has been a joint effort. Lynn takes a few notes during the day and then Steve writes an initial draft which Lynn adds to, corrects, edits and censors. Sometimes Steve will slip a few uncensored comments in but invariably there is a price to be paid.
The walk has not been about the actual physical walking or even about the logistics of the exercise. What has made the experience truly life affirming has been the places we have passed through but above all else the wonderful people we have met along the way. To all of them and to all of you reading and responding to the blog a big thank you.
This bit is from Steve – Lynn had always dreamt of walking from John O’Groats to Lands End and it has been her resolve and determination that has seen us successfully complete the challenge and to have enjoyed it so much. It has simply been my good fortune to have met and married such a remarkable women. It is therefore only proper and customary that the final word should belong to her.
From Lynn – although we both decided on the broad route we would take for the walk, I would like to thank Steve for spending hours on the detailed planning. There were only a couple occasions where I wish I had been more involved (30+ mile days), but it was a huge task so l quickly forgave him. I also thank him for tolerating the camping element of the trip which for me has added to the enjoyment due to my love of the great outdoors. How lucky to have someone one mad enough to share this wonderful experience with.