From John OGroats to Lands End | Page 5

Forest--Abbots Bromley--Handsacre ¶
Lichfield--Tamworth--Atherstone--Watling Street--Nuneaton ¶ Watling
Street--High Cross--Lutterworth--River Swift--Fosse
Way--Brinklow--Coventry ¶ Kenilworth--Leamington--Stoneleigh
Abbey--Warwick--Stratford-on-Avon--Charlecote Park--Kineton--Edge
Hill ¶ Banbury--Woodstock--Oxford ¶¶ pp. 340-450
EIGHTH WEEK'S JOURNEY--Nov. 6 to Nov. 12.
Oxford--Sunningwell--Abingdon--Vale of White
Horse--Wantage--Icknield Way--Segsbury Camp--West
Shefford--Hungerford ¶ Marlborough Downs--Miston--Salisbury
Plain--Stonehenge--Amesbury--Old Sarum--Salisbury ¶
Wilton--Compton Chamberlain--Shaftesbury--Blackmoor
Vale--Sturminster ¶ Blackmoor Vale--Cerne
Abbas--Charminster--Dorchester--Bridport ¶ The Chesil
Bank--Chideoak--Charmouth--Lyme
Regis--Axminster--Honiton--Exeter ¶ Exminster--Star
Cross--Dawlish--Teignmouth--Torquay ¶¶ pp. 451-545
NINTH WEEK'S JOURNEY--Nov. 13 to Nov. 18.
Torbay--Cockington--Compton Castle--Marldon--Berry
Pomeroy--River
Dart--Totnes--Sharpham--Dittisham--Dartmouth--Totnes ¶
Dartmoor--River Erme--Ivybridge--Plymouth ¶ Devonport--St.
Budeaux--Tamerton Foliot--Buckland

Abbey--Walkhampton--Merridale--River Tavy--Tavistock--Hingston
Downs--Callington--St. Ive--Liskeard ¶ St. Neot--Restormel
Castle--Lostwithiel--River Fowey--St. Blazey--St. Austell--Truro ¶
Perranarworthal--Penryn--Helston--The Lizard--St. Breage--Perran
Downs--Marazion--St. Michael's Mount--Penzance ¶ Newlyn--St.
Paul--Mousehole--St. Buryan--Treryn--Logan Rock--St.
Levan--Tol-Peden-Penwith--Sennen--Land's End--Penzance ¶¶ pp.
546-652
HOMEWARD BOUND--Nov. 20 and 21 pp. 653-658

FROM JOHN O' GROAT'S TO LAND'S END
HOW WE GOT TO JOHN O' GROAT'S
Thursday, September 7th.
It was one o'clock in the morning when we started on the three-mile
walk to Warrington, where we were to join the 2.18 a.m. train for
Glasgow, and it was nearly ten o'clock when we reached that town, the
train being one hour and twenty minutes late. This delay caused us to
be too late for the steamboat by which we intended to continue our
journey further north, and we were greatly disappointed in having thus
early in our journey to abandon the pleasant and interesting sail down
the River Clyde and on through the Caledonian Canal. We were,
therefore, compelled to alter our route, so we adjourned to the Victoria
Temperance Hotel for breakfast, where we were advised to travel to
Aberdeen by train, and thence by steamboat to Wick, the nearest
available point to John o' Groat's.
We had just time to inspect Sir Walter Scott's monument that adorned
the Square at Glasgow, and then we left by the 12.35 train for Aberdeen.
It was a long journey, and it was half-past eight o'clock at night before
we reached our destination, but the weariness of travelling had been
whiled away by pleasant company and delightful scenery.
We had travelled continuously for about 360 miles, and we were both

sleepy and tired as we entered Forsyth's Hotel to stay the night.
Friday, September 8th.
After a good night's rest, followed by a good breakfast, we went out to
inquire the time our boat would leave, and, finding it was not due away
until evening, we returned to the hotel and refreshed ourselves with a
bath, and then went for a walk to see the town of Aberdeen, which is
mostly built of the famous Aberdeen granite. The citizens were quite
proud of their Union Street, the main thoroughfare, as well they might
be, for though at first sight we thought it had rather a sombre
appearance, yet when the sky cleared and the sun shone out on the
golden letters that adorned the buildings we altered our opinion, for
then we saw the "Granite City" at its best.
We spent the time rambling along the beach, and, as pleasure seekers
generally do, passed the day comfortably, looking at anything and
everything that came in our way. By no means sea-faring men, having
mainly been accustomed to village life, we had some misgivings when
we boarded the s.s. St. Magnus at eight o'clock in the evening, and our
sensations during the night were such as are common to what the
sailors call "land-lubbers." We were fortunate, however, in forming the
acquaintance of a lively young Scot, who was also bound for Wick, and
who cheered us during the night by giving us copious selections from
Scotland's favourite bard, of whom he was greatly enamoured. We
heard more of "Rabbie Burns" that night than we had ever heard before,
for our friend seemed able to recite his poetry by the yard and to sing
some of it also, and he kept us awake by occasionally asking us to join
in the choruses. Some of the sentiments of Burns expressed ideals that
seem a long time in being realised, and one of his favourite quotations,
repeated several times by our friend, dwells in our memory after many
years:
For a' that an' a' that It's coming, yet, for a' that, That man to man the
war-ld o'er Shall brithers be for a' that.
During the night, as the St. Magnus ploughed her way through the
foaming billows, we noticed long, shining streaks on the surface of the

water, varying in colour from a fiery red to a silvery white, the effect of
which, was quite beautiful. Our friend informed us these were caused
by the stampede of the shoals of herrings through which we were then
passing.
The herring fishery season was now on, and, though we could not
distinguish either the fishermen or their boats when we passed near one
of their fishing-grounds, we could see the lights they carried dotted all
over the