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 13 August 2007

Day 110 - towards the Bristol Channel

We were off again at 9am, and thanked the farmer on our way out. We dropped down to the Grand Western Canal, and walked the towpath for a pleasant few minutes. We then had a struggle with  stinging nettles in an area of quarry towards Holcombe Rogus (where we restocked at the little shop).

Afterwards we were on narrow roads as far as Clayhanger, where we stopped for a picnic lunch.  On the way, at Staple Cross, we watched a horse being shod (see photo).

There were more paths and roads in the afternoon as we gradually climbed up to the Brendon Hills, which are only about 8km from the Bristol Channel. The last part was along an excellent green path which had once been a railway. We knocked on a door near the Round House on the B3224, and were made welcome to camp (at 984355).

In the evening an IT friend of mine living in Exeter picked us up and drove us to the Rock Inn at Waterrow. I was pleased to visit this village, as I'd spotted it on the map while planning this Section. It's quite close to the Watershed, but steeply down from it, by the River Tone. Paul very kindly left us with a goody bag for our journey, and £20 sponsorship for my charity, when he dropped us back at the tent.

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