From John OGroats to Lands End | Page 3

and after being
on the road for a fortnight, or twelve walking days, as we did not walk
on Sundays, we covered the distance of 306 miles at an average of
twenty-five miles per day.
We had many adventures, pleasant and otherwise, on that journey, but
on the whole we were so delighted with our walk that, when, in the
following year, the question arose. "Where shall we walk this year?"
we unanimously decided to walk from John o' Groat's to Land's End, or,
as my brother described it, "from the top of the map to the bottom."
It was a big undertaking, especially as we had resolved not to journey
by the shortest route, but to walk from one great object of interest to
another, and to see and learn as much as possible of the country we
passed through on our way. We were to walk the whole of the distance
between the north-eastern extremity of Scotland and the south-western
extremity of England, and not to cross a ferry or accept or take a ride in
any kind of conveyance whatever. We were also to abstain from all

intoxicating drink, not to smoke cigars or tobacco, and to walk so that
at the end of the journey we should have maintained an average of
twenty-five miles per day, except Sunday, on which day we were to
attend two religious services, as followers of and believers in Sir
Matthew Hale's Golden Maxim:
A Sabbath well spent brings a week of content And Health for the toils
of to-morrow; But a Sabbath profaned, WHATE'ER MAY BE
GAINED. Is a certain forerunner of Sorrow.
With the experience gained in our walk the previous year, we decided
to reduce our equipment to the lowest possible limit, as every ounce
had to be carried personally, and it became a question not of how much
luggage we should take, but of how little; even maps were voted off as
encumbrances, and in place of these we resolved to rely upon our own
judgment, and the result of local inquiries, as we travelled from one
great object of interest to another, but as these were often widely apart,
as might be supposed, our route developed into one of a somewhat
haphazard and zigzag character, and very far from the straight line.
We each purchased a strong, black leather handbag, which could either
be carried by hand or suspended over the shoulder at the end of a stick,
and in these we packed our personal and general luggage; in addition
we carried a set of overalls, including leggings, and armed ourselves
with stout oaken sticks, or cudgels, specially selected by our local
fencing master. They were heavily ferruled by the village blacksmith,
for, although we were men of peace, we thought it advisable to provide
against what were known as single-stick encounters, which were then
by no means uncommon, and as curved handles would have been
unsuitable in the event of our having to use them either for defensive or
offensive purposes, ours were selected with naturally formed knobs at
the upper end.
Then there were our boots, which of course were a matter of the first
importance, as they had to stand the strain and wear and tear of a long
journey, and must be easy fitting and comfortable, with thick soles to
protect our feet from the loose stones which were so plentiful on the
roads, and made so that they could be laced tightly to keep out the

water either when raining or when lying in pools on the roads, for there
were no steam-rollers on the roads in those days.
In buying our boots we did not both adopt the same plan. I made a
special journey to Manchester, and bought the strongest and most
expensive I could find there; while my brother gave his order to an old
cobbler, a particular friend of his, and a man of great experience, who
knew when he had hold of a good piece of leather, and to whom he had
explained his requirements. These boots were not nearly so smart
looking as mine and did not cost as much money, but when I went with
him for the boots, and heard the old gentleman say that he had fastened
a piece of leather on his last so as to provide a corresponding hole
inside the boot to receive the ball of the foot, I knew that my brother
would have more room for his feet to expand in his boots than I had in
mine. We were often asked afterwards, by people who did not walk
much, how many pairs of boots we had worn out during our long
journey, and when we replied only one each, they seemed rather
incredulous until we explained that it