"The Long Way Up"  Land's End to John o' Groats run via...
 London Marathon
Snowdon Summit Sca Fell Summit Ben Nevis Lochaber Marathon 1300 miles - 14 marathons on foot - 900 miles by cycle* - Britain's Three Highest Peaks - 27 Days - 1 April to 27 April 2008    
In
1983, I cycled from John O' Groats to Land's End via the 3 peaks. I
completed the journey in just 14 days raising £2500 for a local
charity. I always said I would like to return to run the same distance
on foot. 25
years on, I plan to set off from Land’s End on 1 April and run to
London where I will complete the Flora London Marathon on 13 April. I
will then continue through the Thames Valley to Birmingham and into
Wales where I will run to the summit of Snowdon. I will continue north
through Lancashire where I will run Sca Fell Pike then on to the
Scottish Highlands. In Fort William I will run Britain’s highest
mountain, Ben Nevis before competing in the Lochaber Marathon on 27
April. I will then continue north finishing at John O' Groats by the
30th April. I would like to raise funds for Cancer Care
and invite my friends, colleagues or anyone else to sponsor me. This
will give me all the encouragement I need to complete this massive
challenge that I have set myself. I propose to run the distance
unsupported and carry my own tent and sleeping bag most of the way,
simply camping on the roadside as I go. The
event will involve running 50 x 26.2 mile marathons in 30 days. I will
warm up doing one marathon a day, for 12 days until I reach London.
After running London I should hopefully be fit enough to run two
marathons a day for the remaining 17 days. Added together, this will
total around 1300 miles distance and the equivalent of 50 marathons
within the given 30 days. As far as I know this 'End to End' route has
never been attempted before. To sponsor me go to: www.justgiving.com/slateman Here you can make a tax free on-line donation. Thank you to all those who have kindly sponsored me so far. Daily Report and Route I
am travelling extremely light and taking my laptop along is out of the
question. However, a brief diary of my journey will be updated every
two to three days. A full report with pictures will follow on
completion of the journey. Let's hope I make it!! Updates - Summary 2/4/08 -
The original plan to camp most nights has changed and I have now opted
for the easier option of a warm bed each night without having to carry
a tent and sleeping bag! *14/4/08
- Due to injury to feet after reaching London the plan has changed and
I will now cycle the remaining 900 miles to John O' Groats. I will
still run each of the peaks as well as run the Lochaber Marathon on the
27th April. I haven't ridden a bike for some years so the cycling
option may well prove to be just as big a challenge!
Picture Gallery
Date | Destination | Day | Sleep |
Daily Stage Report | Daily Miles | Total Miles | Feet of Ascent Run | Feet of Ascent Cycle | Monday 31/03/08 | Penzance 
| | Tent |
Flew from Manchester to Newquay this
afternoon. Journey to airport was not without drama.
Train to airport delayed and helped passenger travelling to Milan to catch
his plane by running from rail terminal to check-in desk to ask them to keep
his desk open for him - which they did and he caught his plane. Supplied him
with sponsor form in return for mega-run through terminal. Bright yellow kit
and shoes helped visibility!! Hope he sponsors me. Caught bus to Truro and
train onwards to Penzance. Camped overlooking Land's End. Still a few miles
to do in the morning prior to start of epic journey. Wild and windy night.
| | | | | Tuesday 01/04/08 | Land's End - Cambourne
| Day 1 | B&B |
Radio Lancashire and Radio Cumbria
called first thing (7am) to do live interviews. Walked the three
miles to Land's End and then set off at midday with clear blue skies
and sunshine. Very hard 26.3 mile run to Cambourne. Shoulders aching
from rucksack. Checked into pub B and B where mine hosts were
extremely kind and dried out all my kit and sleeping bag ready for
tomorrow. Looking forward to good night's kip ready to face the next
marathon challenge.
Total ascent today was 1650ft. | 26.3 | 26.3 | 1,650 |
| Wednesday 02/04/08 | Cambourne - St Austell 
| Day 2 | Hotel |
Set off at 10am. Decided to jettison
the tent and sleeping bag to save weight. The luxury of staying in a
b and b is sooo much more inviting with the long journey ahead.
Another long journey through Redruth and Truro and onwards to St
Austell. Some long mind-blowing stretches of road. Two marathons now
taking their toll on my feet but hopefully will overcome this. Legs
fine. Shoulders still sore but backpack much lighter now. Total
ascent today was 2,400 ft. | 26.6 | 52.9 | 4,064 | | Thursday 03/04/08 | St Austell - Callington 
| Day 3 | Guest House |
Set off at 10am. Had to take a couple
of detours due to roadworks and road closures which added extra
mileage and, consequently, didn't reach Tavistock as planned. High
mileage today with 5,706ft of ascent in 65 degrees. Very hilly round
here!! Tough day. Staying in lovely guest house. | 36.2 | 89.1 | 9,770 | | Friday 04/04/08 | Callington - Moreton Hampstead 
| Day 4 | Hotel |
Went via Tavistock and over Dartmoor
to Moreton Hampstead. Misty on the tops. Dramatic scenery. Another
long day. Feet are very sore but legs holding up.
Arrived at Moreton
Hampstead about 7pm.
Staying at the White Hart.
4,747 ft of ascent. | 31.63 | 120.7 | 14,517 | | Saturday 05/04/08 | Moreton Hampstead - Honiton 
| Day 5 | B&B |
Fine, pleasant day - part cloudy.
It's been a very hard day today and this kind of mileage is more
than enough. I have now caught up with my schedule. Again the legs
are totally ok but my feet are terribly sore and blistered. Staying
at Ellis Hayer Farmhouse B and B just two miles outside Honiton.
3,368ft of ascent. | 33.5 | 154.23 | 17,886 | | Sunday 06/04/08 | Honiton - Yeovil 
| Day 6 | B&B |
Woke
up to snow which cleared quickly and set off. Snow flurries all day and
a cold wind. Found small hotel just outside Yeovil called Yeovil Court
Hotel. Kindly allowed me to wash and tumble dry clothing too! Getting a
bit
smelly.
Gave me complimentary dinner and looked after me very well. 4,397ft of
ascent. | 29.5 | 183.7 | 22,283 | | Monday 07/04/08 | Yeovil - Shaftesbury 
| Day 7 | B&B |
Radio Lancashire and Radio Cumbria
both phoned to carry out live interviews before breakfast. Changed
running shoes in Yeovil and got new pair to replace others which
were worn out! Hopefully these will last a bit longer! Ran via
Sherborne to Shaftesbury (home of the Hovis advert hill) and found
nice B&B on outskirts of village. 2,952ft of ascent. | 26.4 | 210.1 | 25,234 | | Tuesday 08/04/08 | Shaftesbury - Stonehenge (Amesbury) 
| Day 8 | B&B |
Set off at 11am from Shaftesbury to
Amesbury via country lanes and villages to Tisbury and then along
the very narrow and extremely busy A303 to Stonehenge. This was the
only route to get me to Stonehenge and the nightmare traffic
conditions prompted me to pick up the pace and run hard to the Stone
Circle. Ran round the perimeter and down to Amesbury. Found very
nice small hotel called the Antrobus and enjoyed lovely hot bath.
Feeling very much in my stride now. Feet still sore but blisters
seem to be disappearing. 2476ft of ascent today. | 29.03 | 239.2 | 27,710 | | Wednesday 09/04/08 | Amesbury - Winchester 
| Day 9 | Hotel |
Ran the 26.2 miles from Amesbury to
Winchester today. Helped a stranded motorist to get his broken down
car going. In return for the repairs was offered a lift to
Winchester! Declined the offer. Strong run then into Winchester. My
legs feel fine but my feet are very sore and have developed more
blisters which made it very hard going. Really struggling. Made it
to the Royal Winchester Hotel. 2075ft of ascent today. | 26.2 | 265.2 | 29,784 | | Thursday 10/04/08 | Winchester - Farnham 
| Day 10 | Hotel |
Ran the 28.9 miles from Winchester to
Farnham via the Mid Hants Railway. Tackled the A31 with a vengeance
and can reveal, after much research, that 1 in 30 motorists
definitely feel I should be running on the grass verge. The other 29
respectfully indicate and pull out. My feet are still terribly sore
but London is in sight. Must say because of the painful feet I am
considering a Plan B to cycle the remaining 1,000 from London, via
the three peaks, to John O'Groats. Will make that decision on
Sunday. 2248ft of ascent today. Staying at The Mulberry Hotel. | 28.9 | 294.1 | 32,032 | | Friday 11/04/08 | Farnham - Leatherhead 
| Day 11 | B&B |
Completed the 26.2 miles from Farnham
to Leatherhead. Brief spells of hail, sleet and rain - the first
since I started this journey. Interviewed by Radio Cumbria at
4.20pm. Good pace throughout but terrible blister on left foot
is really hampering progress. Arrived Leatherhead at 4.30pm (3,246ft
of ascent) and, after quick change, travelled into London to
register for the marathon. Anne was waiting at the hotel when I got
back. | 26.2 | 320.3 | 35,278 | | Saturday 12/04/08 | Leatherhead - Blackheath 
| Day 12 | B&B |
Navigated my way through South London
via Epsom, Cheam, Mitcham, Streatham and Detford (and a few other
places I had never heard of) and on to the blue start line of the
London Marathon . Encountered the first heavy rainfall for 12 days
just after finishing. 3,535ft of ascent. | 26.4 | 346.5 | 38,823 | | Sunday 13/04/08 | Flora London Marathon Blackheath - The Mall
| Day 13 | B&B |
London Marathon Day- completed the
marathon in 4hrs and 28mins. Feet totally shot at! Have made the
very difficult decision not to give up but to continue the remaining
1,000 mile journey by bike. Thanks to everyone for all good wishes,
texts and phone calls throughout the day. Much appreciated. Will
still run each of the three peaks as planned and finish with the
Lochaber marathon. | 26.2 | 372.7 | 39,423 | | Monday 14/04/08 | The Mall - Aylesbury 
| Day 14 | Hotel |
Caught train into London and cycled
to The Mall (where I finished the marathon yesterday) to re-start my
journey by bike. London gridlocked - interesting journey navigating
out but eventually made it to the A5 and A41 towards Watford. Fairly
tough going because I haven't ridden a bike any great distance for
some years so the cycling is going to be just as challenging but at
least the feet won't be suffering any more! Due to late start decide
to finish at Aylesbury after 36 miles allowing me to break myself in
gently. Legs feel fairly good after the marathon. Staying at Holiday
Inn in Aylesbury. 2,900ft of ascent. Radio Cumbria did another
interview. | 36 | 408.7 | | 2,900 | Tuesday 15/04/08 | Aylesbury - Berkswell 
| Day 15 | Family |
Cycled the 65.6 miles to Berkswell
(just south of Birmingham) with 3115ft of ascent. Bit of a downpour
passing Coventry. Really enjoying the cycling and not too saddle
sore. Arrived at Mary and John's to warm welcome and a lovely meal.
This was followed by a much needed and most welcome massage from
Martin Slevin, of West Midlands Police, who came to Mary and John's
home. Feel very looked after as Mary (an ex nurse) has been giving
me treatment for my toes. Feel a lot better today. Planning a long
day tomorrow. | 65.6 | 474.3 | | 6,015 | Wednesday 16/04/08 | Berkswell - Oswestry 
| Day 16 | Hotel |
Cycled from Berkswell to Oswestry via
the centre of Birmingham and out via Staffordshire, Bridgnorth,
Seven Valley Railway, Shrewsbury and onto Oswestry in Shropshire.
Problems with knee but stopped at chemist and strapped it up. As the
journey progressed the pain eased although still apparent and
swollen. Could be the saddle and pedal position. Puncture five miles
from Oswestry so forced to stop and change the inner tube. Half a
mile from Oswestry got another puncture but managed to pump enough
air into the tyre to allow me to coast down to the Oswestry Travel
Lodge. Total ascent 6118ft!! | 82.0 | 556.3 | | 12,133 | Thursday 17/04/08 | Oswestry - Betws-y-Coed Snowdon Summit (3,560') 
| Day 17 | Hotel |
Bit of a late start today due to
fixing punctures properly. Went via Chirk and Betws-y-Coed to
Pen-y-pass at base of Snowdon. Swapped cycling shoes for fast
ascent. Felt very strong and it only took 1.5 hours to climb
up through the snow to the summit arriving at 7pm. Glorious
sunshine, very cold but amazing views. Tricky descent over ice but
made it to the bottom in 40 minutes. Snowdon 3560ft. Cycled back to
Betws-y-Coed to B & B. Total ascent on bike was 5800ft and running
3200ft. Cycled 70 miles and ran 8 miles. Great day. One peak down
and two to go! Staying at The Waterloo Hotel which has pool and
steam room. Sheer bliss! | 70.0 8.0 | 634.3 | 42,623 | 11,918 | Friday 18/04/08 | Betws-y-Coed - Preston Brook 
| Day 18 | Friends |
What a hard day. Cycled 30 miles
along the Expressway into strong 25mph easterly head wind and,
consequently, did not get as far as planned. Decided at 66 miles to
abort for the day having got a slow puncture which needed repairing.
Contacted good friends Sue and John and arranged to stay with them
at their Cheshire home. Five star luxury, wonderful meal and great
bubble bath. Bliss! Right knee fine now but a little bit of pain in
le3ft knee but nothing to worry about. 3882ft of ascent. | 66.2 | 700.3 | | 15,800 | Saturday 19/04/08 | Preston Brook - Caton 
| Day 19 | Home |
Another tough day into 25 mph cold
north-easterly head winds. I was met at the start of this leg
of the journey by Adrian Royles who I joined the force with as a
cadet in 1976. Adrian was a welcome companion and made the journey
through Warrington, Wigan into Lancashire much easier. Met at
Broughton by running pals Bill Murray and Derek Snalam. Stopped at
my mother-in-law's in Garstang for a quick cuppa then over Quermore
to Caton to finish. Total 64 miles today, 3,860 feet ascent. | 64.1 | 764.6 | | 19,660 | Sunday 20/04/08 | Caton - Leck - Langdale Scafell Pike (3210') Langdale 
| Day 20 | Home |
First headed to Leck for launch of
CancerCare 25th anniversary appeal arriving at 11.55am. Cycled with
Ian Johnston and Ben Slinger. Met by Lady Shuttleworth and members
of the Cancer Care team. Given a great reception and made very
welcome. Continued to Langdale. Joined by Shaun Carthy and his son.
Chilly headwinds (again) into the lake district to Ambleside and to
Langdale for run up Scafell Pike. Arrived at Langdale later than
expected due to one or two unforeseen delays. However, the weather
was fine and the cloud-base was high so visibility on the tops was
clear. Met again by Adrian Royles at Esk Hause and we both ascended
Scafell together returning to Dungeon Gill by 8.30pm. 12 mile run
over Scafell aggravated swollen left toe but will hopefully recover
for final runs up Ben Nevis and the Lochaber Marathon later in the
week! 3,200 bike 3,800 run | 48.1 12.0 | 824.6 | 46,423 | 22,860 | Monday 21/04/08 | Langdale - Gretna Green 
| Day 21 | B&B |
Ian Johnston ran me up to Dungeon
Gill at Langdale where I jumped on my bike and cycled back into
Ambleside to meet the Westmorland Gazette photographer for a
phot-call. Ian was waiting on his bike and we cycled on and over
Dunmail Raise. There another former colleague Myles Newman was
waiting for us in his camper van. Really appreciated the support and
numerous hot cups of tea throughout the day in the comfort of the
camper van. Could have done with one of these in Cornwall! Cycled on
via St John In The Vale and on to the A6 through Carlisle. Diverted
from the A74 because of roadworks and took a longer route than
planned. Still cycling into strong headwinds but will turn North
West tomorrow into Scotland and hopefully the wind will be behind
me. Made it to Gretna Green for 6pm and decided to stay overnight.
Said goodbye here to Ian and Myles. Found hotel with pool, sauna and
steam room. 4250ft of ascent. Right knee painful again. | 65.6 | 890.20 | | 27,110 | Tuesday 22/04/08 | Gretna Green - Dumbarton 
| Day 22 | B&B |
Cycled 118 miles via Dumfries,
Thornhill, Kilmarnock, Glasgow, over the Erskine Bridge and along
the A82 up to Dumbarton today arriving at 8pm. Fair old mileage but
a tail wind and glorious weather for most of the journey really
helped. Had puncture at 80 miles which ate half an hour. Feeling
good and right knee not causing too many problems although still
painful. Rear spindle might prompt an early pit stop tomorrow.
Staying in pleasant pub at Dumbarton and enjoyed haggis, neeps and
tatties! When in Scotland...
5673 ft of ascent | 118 | 1008.20 | | 32,783 | Wednesday 23/04/08 | Dumbarton - Fort William 
| Day 23 | B&B |
Rain at first but did not get too
wet. Eased off by midday and turned into a glorious sunny day and
probably the most memorable day in terms of scenery. Stopped at a
bike shop in Helensburgh to get the spindle checked out. Everything
ok. Route took me via Loch Lomond, Crianlarich, Bridge of Orchy over
Rannach Moor to Glen Coe. Had a puncture as I entered Glen Coe but
couldn't have picked a better place to stop and repair it -
spectacular. On to Ballaculish. Stopped on the bridge to admire the
sunset over Loch Linnie before travelling on to Fort William.
Staying at the Alexandria Hotel in the centre. Very pleased with
progress today and ready to run up Ben Nevis in the morning before
cycling on towards Inverness. 6525ft of ascent today. | 98.2 | 1104.20 | | 39,308 | Thursday 24/04/08 | Fort William - Ben Nevis (4409') - Fort Augustus 
| Day 24 | B&B |
Bought new rear tyre first thing as
the other had worn out! Cycled to Glen Nevis and parked at Visitor
Centre where warden kindly offered to look after my bike. He warned
of the treacherous conditions on Ben Nevis but was happy that I was
competent and had all the right kit to go up there. At 3,000 ft hit
cloud, snow and blizzard conditions. Navigated well through the deep
snow towards summit although at one point realised I was on a huge
cornice and exited quickly away from it! Nobody on the summit but
met a group of mountaineers on the descent. Quick, straight descent
to Glen Nevis - four hour round trip. Feet and fingers numb with
extreme cold and ice. Cycled 34 miles on to Fort Augustus via Spean
Bridge and Invergarry. Sunny weather and great scenery made an
excellent finish to this memorable day. Ben Nevis 4409 ft of ascent
and 2100ft of ascent on the bike. Cycled 34 miles and ran six miles. | 40.3 | 1148.5 | 50,873 | 41,408 | Friday 25/04/08 | Fort Augustus - Golspie 
| Day 25 | B&B |
Cycled the 79 miles alongside Loch
Ness, up to Beauly, bypassing Inverness north up the east coast to
Golspie. Wet and rainy for most of the journey but clearing towards
the end of the day. The worst weather so far but still enjoyable.
Only 72 miles to go now. Will hopefully meet the welcome party at
4pm at JOG tomorrow before heading back towards Fort William for the
Lochaber Marathon on Sunday. 3,600ft of ascent. | 79.4 | 1227.9 | | 45,013 | Saturday 26/04/08 | Golspie - John O' Groats 
| Day 26 | B&B |
The last day cycling.... and another
enjoyable one! A tail wind and sunshine all the way up the A9 and
A99 up the east coast of Caithness. Quite hilly around Helmsdale
with some steep ascents (but great 40mph descents!) Almost got blown
over as I descended one hill as I turned across the wind on a bend.
Anne set off from Cumbria early morning and she phoned me from
Newtonmore to say the petrol garages were out of petrol there!
(Panic! Would I have to turn around and cycle back to Inverness
perhaps??) A further phone call confirmed she had filled up with
fuel near Inverness (With a 70 mpg car there should be enough to get
home). Anne caught me up at Wick and we had a spot of lunch before I
cycled the last 17 miles to the 'Top'. I arrived at John O' Groats
just after 4pm right on schedule. No brass band or fan-fair and the
photographer with the 'fingerpost sign' had left early for the day!
However, Anne, Cass and I celebrated the occasion in a fairly low
key way. Notwithstanding all this, there was still a marathon to run
tomorrow to complete the challenge! We drove down to the
Dumnadroichit Hotel on Loch Ness (One of the few hotels that took
dogs!) for an overnight stay. 3650 feet ascent. | 70.2 | 1298.1 | | 48,663 | Sunday 27/04/08 | Lochaber Marathon 
| Day 27 | Hotel |
It was just an hour's drive from Loch
Ness to Fort William where I registered for the race in good time
for the very civilised 11am start. Lochaber is a fairly low key but
well organised marathon event with only 500 or so field. The weather
was fine, sunny and cool - ideal conditions. I started well and up
to 12 miles was on course for a sub 3.30. However, my left quad
tightened up considerably (followed by the right). (Perhaps
something to do with having just cycled 900 miles since my last
Marathon!) In hindsight a massage would have helped but nonetheless
I continued on and crossed the finish line in 4.18.
The challenge was complete!!!!
A big thank you to everyone who has
supported me along the way. A special thanks to my wife Anne for
updating this daily blog as well as all her support with my mad
antics during the past 28 days!
It is looking as though I may be on
target to raise £2500 for Cancer Care which is absolutely fantastic.
In the coming week, I will personally make contact with all those
who have kindly sponsored me.
Picture Gallery | 26.2 | 1324.3 | 51,773 | |
Amount raised so far for Cancer Care circa £4500 A big thank
you to all my sponsors for your kind donations! |
Grand Totals | Total Miles Run 425 Total Miles Bike 900 | Total Height Run 51,773 | Total Height Cycle 48,663 |
| | Total Miles Run/ Bike 1325 | | Total Feet ascent Run/Bike 100,436 |
Legend shows Day 1 to Day 30 (1 April to 30 April)
Picture Gallery
 
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