#73 ARRON MEETS BEN

The blogger meets his destiny, on LEJoG Day 73 Day 73 pre-amble You could argue that the whole of LEJoG was leading up to this. I called myself “Ben Wainless”, knowing that ‘Ben’ was a Scottish word for mountain. The reveal of my real name was always going to happen in Scotland. And, at the […]

#72 IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

The Ultimate Sidetrack – LEJoG Day 72 Day 72 pre-amble Well, this is a longer pre-amble than usual, because it includes a rest day. On Tuesday 22 September I woke full of plans for an assault on Buachaille Etive Mor and, if time allowed, a side trip to Glencoe village. The beckoning pyramid of The […]

#67 THE REMAINS OF THE WAY

Welcome to the West Highland Way: LEJoG Day 67 Day 67 pre-amble This is the first day of the best long-distance walk I’ve completed so far: the West Highland Way. It’s also a strong contender for the best day of my LEJoG so far. Certainly it was the most memorable since Malham Cove and Pen-y-ghent […]

#61 OWER DREICH AND DROOKIT

Welcome to LEJoG Day 61 – drying out slowly Day 61 pre-amble Obviously Airplane II: The Sequel isn’t as good as the original Airplane! But there are some memorable moments, of which one is the “Over Macho Grande” sequence. Watch in full (it’s under a minute) to understand the full context, but the key exchange is: […]

#60 HELLWALKING

Abandon hope all ye who enter… LEJoG Day 60 Day 60 pre-amble Most of the time I just call it walking. But yes, my hobby developed by scaling mountains and hills. So “hill walking” makes it sound slightly more challenging. In the Lake District especially, those hills and mountains are often called “fells”. And I […]

#58 “…. I’LL SEE YOU IN SCOTLAND”

Welcome to LEJoG Day 58… We made it! Day 58 pre-amble Almost a year after crossing the border, we return to Scotland to continue the trek from Land’s End to John o’ Groats. The reason for such a long delay is obviously the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, as discussed here. My original plans to walk […]

#56 A HALFWAY SERIOUS UNDERTAKING

Welcome to LEJoG Day 56, and all the best to Joyce and Colin Day 56 pre-amble The final stretch of the Pennine Way, from Byrness to Kirk Yetholm, is without doubt a serious undertaking. Trailblazer suggests that it will take 10½ to 13 hours of walking, and it includes almost a mile of vertical ascent. […]

#55 MIXED FOREST VIEWS

Welcome to LEJoG Day 55 Day 55 pre-amble Destination: Forest View Walkers Inn, Byrness. The essential pinch point for any Pennine Way planner, i.e. you need to book this place well in advance otherwise you will have great difficulty in completing the trail. Much more of this place in ‘After the walk’ below. I can […]

#50 HIGH FORCE, LOW FORCE

Welcome to LEJoG Day 50 – please stick to the paths Day 50 pre-amble Today’s post is named after the two waterfalls you will pass on the route between Middleton and Langdon Beck. The use of high and low also echoes the previous post title. LEJoG Day 50 (Monday 22 July 2019) Middleton-in-Teesdale to Langdon […]

#36 A BIT OF CRAIG AND CHARLIE

Celebrate a milestone with Craig and Charlie Day 36 pre-amble I’m gonna be honest: did you think a man on a long distance walk, with a fondness for pop music, was going to resist this reference? As of today, I have walked 500 miles. And by the time I’ve walked 500 more I will be in […]

#26 WYE (“DON’T YOU… DO SOMETHING LESS BORING INSTEAD?”)

Switch off your television set and go out and enjoy LEJoG Day 26 Day 26 pre-amble The River Wye was a near-constant companion today, at least for the first half of the walk. As for the bit in brackets, it’s another reference for the 70s and 80s kids… Didn’t all that overt moralising get on […]

#18 INSPIRED BY MIST-ER MACONIE

Welcome to LEJoG Day 18… what a load of Quantocks Day 18 pre-amble So you’re a keen walker and music lover. Your next blog post is dedicated to a walk through the Quantock Hills. Thus far you’ve indulged in a few punning titles for posts, taking care to explain or deconstruct but never apologise. What […]