OT: Long Distance Walk

[merlinmurph]

I like that! I'm going to put it on my very long list.
Thanks for sharing.

[tuxbailey]

That is awesome. Thank you for sharing.

[fellowpicker]

Congratulations, what an amazing experience.

[NHAero]

Thanks for sharing, great pix!
45 years ago I hiked the Pennine Way, which may be a suitable encore to your trip. At the time there was a wonderful guidebook by Wainwright called the Pennine Way Companion, with beautiful pen and ink drawings of the route and sites/sights along the way.

I got very wet, which had its drawbacks camping 😁

[Spaghetti Legs]

How very British! Thanks for posting and I’m going to keep this in mind for future retirement adventures.

[PJN]

Can recommend the lechtal alps section of the “eagles walk” in Austria if you want another walking experience.

E5 is too busy and too much vert/day to be enjoyable.

Westweg is nice but northern 1/2 is pretty boring.

I really want to do the kings walk in Sweden or go to the Hardangervidda plateau in Norway but never made it happen.

So much great walking all over euroland.

[jwalther]

Originally Posted by biker72

Is this walk supported or are you on your own. Just thinking of food,water, lodging...etc.

A little of both. Macs booked all of our lodging and arranged for day to day luggage transfers leaving us with just our day packs to worry about. Most days we passed through one or more villages giving us the option to stop at a cafe.
The B&Bs/public houses we stayed at all offered pack lunches for purchase, though we carried bars and other snacks if stopping to eat somewhere wasn't an option. While most folks complete the walk on their own, we ran across a couple of large guided tour groups.

[jwalther]

Thanks all! We really, really enjoyed the trip. A year ago I had no idea this was even a thing. We travelled with another couple who first planned the trip, then invited us along. When my wife broached the subject my first response was along the lines of hell no, if I'm going abroad for three weeks I'm riding my bike, not walking! After giving it some thought, I somewhat reluctantly agreed and am so glad I did. We plan to go back in 2024 for one or more walks (maybe completing two shorter walks rather than one long one).

[Nevets]

Thanks, great pix, born in UK and lived there till 1991 before moving to CA, even so there's so much to see I haven't, the weather can be unpredictable and awful very quickly, which is a concern, long walks soaked are not fun. (Not so ) fun fact....spent my first honeymoon in Robin Hoods Bay.

[stefthehat]

Can I point people towards TrailBlazers guidebooks ,being a Brit company they have books for all the ‘classic’ Brit long distance walks but also others for Europe and other parts of the world .They also do excellent rail guides ,all the books are authored by folk that have actually done the trip ,are regularly updated either in print or on their website and include info such as how to get to and from start/finish points .

[Jeff N.]

"Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time"-Steven Wright

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by jwalther

England has a Right to Roam law, allowing walkers to traverse private property. Consequently, we walked through fields of livestock which largely tolerated our presence.

Pedantry ahead...
England has a very limited right to roam. Only about 8% of the land is included and recent efforts to expand that have failed.
https://www.treehugger.com/expanded-...ngland-5267975

Scotland has a much broader definition of "right to roam" than England and Wales.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by Alistair

Scotland has a much broader definition of "right to roam" than England and Wales.

Virtually unlimited, if you're reasonably inclined to respect the environment and the property of others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilmhR_EgK8Y

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by reuben

Virtually unlimited, if you're reasonably inclined to respect the environment and the property of others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilmhR_EgK8Y

Yep, pretty much. Beyond the normal tread-lightly stuff that should be standard for outdoorsy people, don't spook livestock, keep your dog under control, don't camp in somebody's garden, and don't stumble onto an estate during deer stalking season.

That said, apparently the #vanlife / #insta-dirtbag crowd are really pushing tolerance in the remote highlands... trash and poop all over, etc. Of course, the national park (and surrounding parks) up the road from me (Great Falls, VA) has the same problem. People suck.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by Alistair

Yep, pretty much. Beyond the normal tread-lightly stuff that should be standard for outdoorsy people, don't spook livestock, keep your dog under control, don't camp in somebody's garden, and don't stumble onto an estate during deer stalking season.

That said, apparently the #vanlife / #insta-dirtbag crowd are really pushing tolerance in the remote highlands... trash and poop all over, etc. Of course, the national park (and surrounding parks) up the road from me (Great Falls, VA) has the same problem. People suck.

The new John O'Groats trail from Inverness to John O'Groats has been on my list for about five years, back before it was officially open. I talked to the guy who was the driving force behind it and he gave me a few tips. For a variety of reasons I haven't made it yet. After the trail I plan to go up into the Orkney Islands and hike some more.

Great Falls - I remember going there many times as a kid. I plan to go again after my Crosshairs frame arrives and I build it up. Hopefully I won't be too disappointed.

Fun fact - the guy behind the JOGT is from our MD/VA area, or at least he lived here for many years.