A walk on the wild side
Trees for Life supporter Neil Diment walked the length of the UK across 2022 and 2023 to help raise funds and awareness for rewilding. Here, he shares his experience of completing this epic journey.
I’ve been a supporter of Trees for Life for over 20 years now, ever since starting work for Northumberland National Park, and have had a Trees for Life wall calendar every year at home since too. One of the things I’d always wanted to do after I retired from a career in conservation and heritage interpretation, was sign up for a Trees for Life Rewilding Week as a volunteer. But as a keen long-distance walker, I also wanted to have a go at the ‘Big One’ – and walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats!
So as not to impact my summer passion for scything and hay meadow conservation, I mapped out a circuitous route spanning around 1,400 miles over two years from 2022-2023. This journey comprised roughly 145 days of walking, including rest breaks, and featured a midpoint pause at my home in Hebden Bridge last summer. After the 2023 haymaking season concluded, I embarked on Part 2 of the route along the Pennine Way in August, and finished my ‘LeJoG’ walk by the end of October.
I was often asked two questions by friends, family and people I met along the way:
‘What was your favourite bit?’
‘Why do you do it?’
In answer to the first I would mention the South Cornwall Coast path round to the Lizard, the southern half of the Offa’s Dyke Path and the Northumberland Coast Path (a long-time personal favourite). But now, after a week’s reflection, I think I would have to say the John O’Groats Trail was certainly the most spectacular, scenery-wise if also, in coming right at the end, one of the hardest!
I met Jay Wilson, whose idea the ‘LeJoG’ was in the first place, and he would be the first to admit there’s still work to be done to improve path infrastructure, but for me the section north from Dornoch to Duncansby Head is definitely the one I would most like to do again! I think in time, this walk will become recognised as one of the top coastal walks not just in the UK, but in the world!
Answering the second ‘Why?’ question was much easier! It gave me the opportunity to bring up the fact that I was doing Part 2 of the walk to raise funds to support Trees for Life! Thanks to Trees for Life’s Marketing Officer, Claire Slaney , I was even able to include a visit to the brand-new Dundreggan Rewilding Centre which was just off my route along the Great Glen Way!
It was great to be able to spend a whole day at the centre and, especially, to see the tree nursery – and realise that all the money I hoped to raise would ensure that funds were available to help plant out these very trees ! It felt that by undertaking the walk I was making a very tangible contribution to the work to help restore the native Caledonian forest in the Highlands, something I’d sadly seen very little of on my walk through Scotland.
I set off again with fresh determination after my visit back on the path and looking forward to the final leg along the John O’Groats Trail from Inverness. Against a fascinating cultural heritage backdrop, which included ruins of ancient Celtic brochs, the Clearance villages and homes and harbors’ from the herring fishing industry, I was would also try and describe the wild Caithness coastline and its sea stacks, caves, arches, and geos to my questioners.
And recall these words posted on my LeJoG Facebook page towards the end of my walk on Day 139. I’d stopped to rest with a magnificent cliff top view just north of Berriedale, after I’d been holed up in Helmsdale for a day by Storm Babet:
It’s for days like this!
If anyone ever asks why do you do this, here’s the answer.
After the storm has abated the sun returns, and you have incomparable views on the Caithness coast like this… all to yourself, and the wheeling gulls.
This is what makes it all worthwhile.
This is why you do it.
And, boy, am I thankful I still can…
To support Neil’s fundraising for the Caledonian forest, visit his JustGiving page here.
