Ever walked 25km or more in a day? With the appropriate fitness and footwear, and the right map or guidebook, it's not all that difficult. But imagine doing it every day for 10 consecutive weeks, and by then you'll have clocked up something in the region of 1,770km and walked from Land's End to John O'Groats. And by so doing you'll have joined the small but growing band of "End to Enders" and enjoyed what must surely be the ultimate British walking adventure.
Some see it purely as a physical challenge or romantic odyssey, while for others it's a chance to raise money for charity, but either way how better to explore your own landscape than on foot? As the late John Hillaby, author of a classic End to End account, once put it: "Thick as it is with history and scenic contrast, Britain is just small enough to be walked across in the springtime."
It is, of course, perfectly possible to link Cornwall and Caithness in under 1,500km via busy highways, but my detailed walking route specifically picks out the quiet tracks and lanes, towpaths and drove roads, and links a string of premier long-distance footpaths, including the Cotswold, Pennine and West Highland Ways. Above all, the End to End walk takes you through some outstanding scenery - from the moors of Cornwall and Devon, the Cotswold escarpment and the leafy Severn valley to the rugged Pennines and the mountain grandeur of Scotland. And if 1,100 miles in one go sounds too daunting or impractical, consider walking it in shorter stages over several years, and prolong the excitement and anticipation.
The End to End walk is what you make it: a high-level yomp or a gentle lowland wander; from village to town, B&B to youth hostel, or self-sufficient backpacking all the way. Likewise, you can start in sight of the Scilly Isles and head towards the hillcountry of the north; or instead turn your back on the Orkneys and aim for the warmer climes of the south. The thing to remember is to be ready for the 1,000 or so miles in-between.
Walk one (Scotland)
Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse, 20km
This sublime wilderness walk around the edge of Rannoch Moor is packed with breathtaking mountain views and ends within sight of the awesome Pass of Glen Coe (starting further south at Tyndrum can extend the stage to 29km). Despite the remote location it's a relatively straightforward walk, since you mostly follow the winding but purposeful course of a former military road that is now a part of the popular West Highland Way long-distance walking route (it's waymarked with a thistle symbol). The wide and obvious track makes navigation easy, but in bad weather the final six miles are open and exposed with virtually no shelter, so check the forecasts and make sure you're well equipped.
There's not much to see at Bridge of Orchy because there isn't much there. Just a railway station, hotel and bunkhouse, together with the pleasant, one-arched river crossing that was built around 1750 by government troops. The network of military roads that spread across the Highlands throughout the 18th century was begun by General Wade and designed to subdue the insurgent Jacobites and improve communications between the Crown's key forts north of the central Lowlands. On the far side of the River Orchy, you follow their route up through the trees and out on to Mam Carraigh, a low but rewarding hilltop viewpoint. Peaks and summits crowd the horizon, with Black Mount most obvious to the immediate north; while below sits Loch Tulla with the vast, boggy expanse of Rannoch Moor stretching out into the distance.
Drop down to reach the sheltered Inveroran Hotel, and perhaps a quick coffee; then the track begins to climb once more past a series of tiny plantations and out across the western end of Rannoch Moor. It's an undulating but not exacting route in terms of surface and gradient, and allows plenty of time to admire the endlessly changing panoramas and striking natural features such as Coire Ba - a vast basin or corrie and a good place to see red deer - and Meall a Bhuiridh, the hill of the rutting stags.
The obvious lunch-stop is at Ba Bridge, where the River Ba gurgles its way down to the lochans and peaty pools stretching out eastwards. Covering almost 1,600 hectares, Rannoch Moor is a desolate jumble of heather and blanket bog, a high and unremitting wilderness that sends its rivers to both the east and west coasts of Scotland. Such is the amount of water (and, unfortunately, rainfall) it attracts that it is apparently possible to swim most of the way across the moor in the summer.
Beyond Ba Bridge the route climbs to almost 450m and swings north-westwards below the chairlift of the White Corries ski centre. Ahead is the handsome shape of Buachaille Etive Mor, the Great Herdsman of Etive, and beyond are the huge dark peaks guarding Glen Coe, one of the most stunning mountain arenas in Britain.
Standing before all this, ant-like in size and in glorious isolation, is the well-known Kingshouse Hotel, which for two centuries has played host to drovers, soldiers and early tourists like Robert Southey and the Wordsworths. Latterly it's been generations of walkers and climbers who have crowded the bar and, evening light or midges permitting, this is a wonderful area for an after-dinner stroll to soak up the atmosphere, before heading back for a wee dram by the fireside.
Where to stay: Bridge of Orchy Hotel (includes bunkhouse, tel:01838 400208), Kingshouse Hotel (01855 851259). Further information: Tyndrum Tourist Information Centre (01838 400246), Fort William Tourist Information Centre (01397 703781). Maps: The West Highland Way (Harveys strip map), Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure 38: Ben Nevis & Glen Coe (shows route of West Highland Way).
Walk two (England)
Land's End to Penzance, 26km
The first - or possibly the last - stage on many people's End to End walking route is one of the most dramatic and memorable of the entire journey. Novice or heavily-backpacked walkers may opt for my inland option, but for me the Cornish coast path offers some of the most exciting if challenging walking in England, with a succession of whale-back headlands peppered with tiny sandy bays and hidden coves. In the summer the sea sparkles ultramarine blue and the clifftops teem with wildlife; but beware the occasional Westerly storms which can make some of the steeper and more exposed sections hazardous. The route is part of the South West Coast Path National Trail and is waymarked with an acorn symbol throughout.
There are frequent buses from Penzance to Land's End, plus all manner of accommodation - from campsites and the youth hostel at St Just to en-suite rooms at the Land's End Hotel. Once you have posed for a photo by the famous signpost and stared wistfully out to the Longships Lighthouse, it's time to leave the crowds behind and head south-east along the obvious clifftop path.
For over three miles, until Porthgwarra, there is not a car park or ice cream kiosk in sight, just an undulating cliff-edge track skirting a series of coves that huddle at the foot of plunging cliffs. In the late spring and summer the southerly location attracts a whole host of seabirds - from shearwaters to kittiwakes and cormorants - plus insects and butterflies blown in on the mild Atlantic winds; and don't forget to keep your eyes peeled seawards for sightings of seals and basking sharks.
After rounding Gwennap Head, incorporating a spectacular blowhole known as Tol-Pedn-Penwith, the cliff path heads due east and breezes past Porthcurno (with its open-air clifftop theatre), Penberth and Lamorna, where seasonal refreshments can be found. But thankfully these modest villages are all tucked away up side valleys, and there's none of the brashness nor sprawling caravan sites that blight other parts of Devon and Cornwall. Instead you can inspect the Holy Well at St Levan and the fishing huts at Penberth in relative peace, then resume the cliff path as it climbs back up through the pink banks of thrift to reveal fresh vistas. A short diversion across the headland at Treryn Dinas allows the chance to scramble on to the famous Logan Rock; while beyond St Loy there is more bumpy ground as the coast path follows the rock-strewn beach for a short while.
There are plenty of ups and downs along the route, and some stiff climbs around Lamorna, but by that stage Mount Bay will be heaving into view and you can rest before the final couple of miles at a harbour-side café at pretty Mousehole ("Mowzel"). There are buses into Penzance for the weary, or else a gentle waterside walk via the fishing fleet of Newlyn for a well-earned fish and chip supper in Penzance.
Where to stay: Land's End Hotel (01736 871844); youth hostels: Land's End (0870 7705906), Penzance (0870 7705992). Further information: Penzance Tourist Information Centre (01736 362207). Maps: Ordnance Survey Explorer 102: Land's End, Penzance & St Ives (shows route of South West Coast Path).
