Walk the length of Britain: John o' Groats
→ to Lizard Point

Technically there’s nothing to it: no scrambling, no glaciers, mostly paths, sometimes bog and road. What makes it hard is the length. 1,766 km means walking every day for six to ten weeks with a full pack, in the rain too, and when your feet have had enough. The toughest part in the north for us was the John o’ Groats Trail (overgrown, hardly any waymarks southbound, wet feet for days); the Great Glen Way, on the other hand, is almost a stroll. Each trail page has a short profile of what to expect.

Don’t underestimate the wind. On Yes Tor on Dartmoor it nearly blew us away, and on the ridge of the Black Mountains (Offa’s Dyke) we almost lost the tent one night. It never gets alpine like in Switzerland, though.

Less than you’d think. If you’re fit, you can do it without much training; just plan a few extra days and shorter stages at the start. Trail legs come surprisingly fast. What’s worth practising: walking all day with a pack (your whole life is in there, after all) and getting on with your gear. Knowing what you need and, above all, what you don’t, and then being ruthless about leaving it at home. That was the biggest challenge for us. Our first trip in 2016 on the West Highland Way was in jeans, with a far too big tent and a pocket knife that would have done for three. It gets better, you learn.

What you really need to watch is your body. Tired means clumsy, especially on rough ground, and that’s when injuries happen. On the John o’ Groats Trail our joints complained (you often walk at an angle along the slope), later our shins. A PCT first? You don’t need one. For us this was the test of whether ultra-long hiking is our thing at all. It is.

If you’re fit and love being outdoors: very likely. If you don’t fancy being wet, sweaty, dirty and smelly: probably not. You go without a lot, because only what you can carry fits in. You spend a lot of time alone with your thoughts, even as a pair. And there are boring days with nothing but road, just as there are the really beautiful ones. You need to be able to live with that mix. It got us hooked.

Depends on your pace. At 25 km a day it’s a good 70 walking days, at 32 km around 56, at 40 km about 45. We took 49 walking days plus 3 rest days (30 June to 20 August 2025). In the day planner you set your pace and rest days and see roughly where you’ll end up each evening.

In Scotland, yes: the Scottish Outdoor Access Code allows small tents for a few nights, well away from buildings and roads. There are exceptions, such as the permit zones at Loch Lomond. In England and Wales you officially need the landowner’s permission. To be honest, we never asked anyone, but we never had any trouble either. People over there are hugely into walking, many have done a route like this themselves, and by far most don’t mind a tent that goes up late and is gone early. As long as you don’t behave like an idiot: no litter, no fire, no climbing over walls or fences, not in among the animals. And if someone comes along and doesn’t want you there, you chat, pack up and move on. If you’d rather not, there are campsites, hostels and youth hostels along the way. More under Sleeping out.

Dial 999 or 112. In the hills or on the moors, ask for “Police”, then “Mountain Rescue”. Note down first: where you are (coordinates from your map app), who is hurt and how, how many of you there are, your mobile number. Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you (Mountain Rescue England and Wales). If you’re deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired, you can text 999, but you have to register your phone beforehand (Relay UK). For less urgent medical questions, call the NHS on 111.

We had travel health insurance but no satellite messenger (one of those Garmin things lots of people carry). On this route we found it unnecessary, since you have enough signal for an emergency call almost everywhere. What we think matters much more: don’t be alone when you’re off the beaten track. Walking solo is surely a great experience, but if something happens, you’ll be very glad someone’s there. If you’re going alone, you might see the gadget differently.