Into the last week, I was counting down the days to the end, as the forecasts of the maximum night temperatures were dropping in correlation. The number of pairs of socks in my rucksack was also decreasing at a steady rate. Why carry dirty, wet and threadbare socks?

The final three days were spent walking along quiet roads, the wind blowing across the bleak moors and farmland that reminded me of a landscape closer to home. The roads were long and straight and uninspiring, but seeing the coast and the island of Stroma as I approached John o' Groats raised spirits as the end was now almost literally in sight.

As I walked towards Dunnet Head from Jo'G's, (day 174), the rain gave way for a brighter afternoon. Spurred on, I quickened along the empty road of the headland, the milestones indicating two miles and then one mile to the lighthouse. At the Northern most point of the island I sat alone and gazed out towards Cape Wrath, the sun casting a beautiful orange glow along the coast. I was 472 miles from my start point at Lowestoft Ness, although I had walked two thousand and seventy odd miles in 174 days to arrive here, (taking the scenic route I suppose). This was the end of my incredible journey and I felt a warm sense of pride from what I had achieved, and privileged to have seen so much of this land, though there is still much more.