The End to End has begun

Day 1, John o'Groats to Wick - 28 kms
Day 2, Wick to Lybster - 22.25 kms

Well folks I have begun what promises to be an interesting, exciting, and challenging adventure.  Each post I will try and remember to put down the mileage, as I know some of you are interested in such details.  I have actually figured out how to turn the GPS on on the tablet!

Now, how have these 2 days gone you ask?  I have achieved what I wanted in terms of distance, but the going has sometimes been tough and slow.  Tough because it has been along a road, which has been quite busy at times, and the asphalt walking is tiring on the feet.  Slow, because when cars come towards me I have to leap off and get as far off the road as I can and then stop so that I know they can see me - especially the trucks!

At one point the mist was so thick vision was only about 150metres.

When I came down the stairs at the hotel a guest said to me "off for a good walk then"?  When I asked him if I looked safe he confirmed I did!

Today was better because there was only haze, not mist, and I could see cars coming.  Because the road has been reasonably flat I could actually see vehicles a long way away, which means I could also work out where the road was going.  Yesterday the mist was so thick that at times the only sense I could use was hearing.  I spent a lot of time with my head on the side, the easier to hear with.  I was actually walking next to some pretty stunning country, moorlands on my right and sea scapes on the left, but I couldn't see either, which was quite disappointing.

 The mist cleared enough at one point for me to see some of the scenes I had been missing along the coast.

 I could even make out old buildings on the shoreline.

The spiders webs made a picture as they collected moisture from the mist.

 A disused bridge on the way to Wick

A floral clock in Wick.

 On the way to Lybster I passed this cemetery, out in the fields, with a magnificent view.

This stone is called the Lybster stone and is thought to be about 1,500 years old.  It is thought to be associated with the celts - the Picts, one of the Celtic groups.  Note the "Celtic" cross in the back left corner.

My arrival in John o' Groats, as I mentioned in the last post, was also in the mist.  Over lunch I met Danny and Michelle and together we walked to the harbour and they took my photo at "the sign".  There is an official photographer who will take your photo with the date on the sign, for a fee, but Danny did just as good a job at the other sign, for free!  I did go back later and a couple of girls from London took another photo with the date switch on the camera, and I in turn took theirs.

The signpost at John o' Groats.

Also had a photo shoot at the " start / finish" line.  This has been moved and re-done since the realigning of the A9 road and in my opinion much better.  You can see for yourself in the photos below.

The start / finish "line".  NZ family - take note of where direct south is - Bluff, 12,875 miles!  Note that the date is stamped on this photo.