About this blog

The journey from John o'Groats to Land's End took place in 14 sections, starting in 1996 (a week or so each year). The idea came to me in 1995 and I completed the British JoGLE Watershed in June 2009.

I was joined by a number of relations and friends from time to time. Most notable among my walking companions were my son Tim (7 sections) and nephews Peter and Jonny.

After walking the first section in 1996 I discovered that Dave Hewitt had already pioneered the Scottish Watershed (to Cape Wrath) in 1987, and had published his excellent account Walking the Watershed in 1994. We have been in touch since then, and he has been a great encouragement.

A simple definition of the watershed is that any rain falling to the left of the path finishes in the North Sea or English Channel, and anything to the right flows into the Atlantic Ocean, the Irish Sea or the Bristol Channel.

I believe that this was the first walk along the full length of the British JoGLE Watershed. I became aware just after I completed the journey that the late Mike Allen walked a slightly different version (from Land's End to Cape Wrath) between 1988 and 1994, so he will have covered the same ground apart from the most north-easterly 220km.

There have subsequently been several walks and publications about parts of the JoGLE watershed, including Peter Wright's 2010 Ribbon of Wildness account of his Scottish section walked in 2005, which has brought the subject of watershed walking in the UK to a wider audience.

I hope you enjoy this blog. I'm planning to publish a full account in 2013/4. A summary of the walk appeared in The Angry Corrie volume 76 in 2009.

Malcolm Wylie.

Monday 15 July 1996

Day 7 - west to Crask

We took advantage of running water by having a thorough and necessary pedicure. I'll spare you the details of what our feet were like by now.

The first half of the day was slogging through bog. Because there'd been so little rain, we had become a bit blasé and had started walking across some of the groughs on the crust which had formed........ until Tim went right through it and started sinking. I managed a rescue by getting him to lie back onto my carry-mat (exhibit A) and then  gradually digging his feet out of the mire with one hand while I gripped his other! Funny to look back on, but a fright at the time.

After lunch by Loch Gaineamhach, the second part of the day was great. The photo which I've chosen as the background to this blog was taken on the way up Creag an Lochain, overlooking Strath a Chraisg and Crask Inn. When we got down to the inn, we found that it was closed, and up for sale - so we camped nearby at 525245. (The inn is now open and thriving - visit it if you can).
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