Awesome

Those of you who have been reading my Blip entry details over the last 8.5 months will know that I have been doing a 1000 mile Lands End to John O Groats virtual walk challenge. Today, after 258 days, I finished with a short virtual stroll from Duncansby Stacks to John O'Groats

I started on February 8th and although the aim was to walk the 1000 miles in 365 days I wanted to at least finish before December 31st. In the end I comfortably completed it in the time scale even though I missed around 3 weeks with shin problems which forced me to rest. 

I have mixed feelings about finishing as I have enjoyed watching my progress and it has encouraged to go walking on days where I would probably not have bothered otherwise. I have also enjoyed using the OS Maps application to record my distance and it will be hard to get out of the habit.

On the other hand it has also been a bit of a struggle at times and my back, knees and feet are ready for a break and they are glad I have finished.

The Walk1000miles website has been very good for tracking progress but I have to say that the last 50 miles have been incredibly disappointing. Originally the route followed roads and paths so it was possible to follow progress using Streetview which was brilliant. However the last stretch suddenly reverted to as-the-crow-flies routing in a straight line. I really have no idea why they did this as, for me, it took away a lot from the experience.

In the early days I would write detailed accounts in my Blip journal of where I stopped for a virtual meal and virtual drinks as well as commenting on other things I passed. However, after a while I realised it was becoming incredibly time consuming so although I enjoyed the research it got too difficult to maintain. Nevertheless, as it is the last day, I paid a virtual visit to the Puffin Croft Petting Farm before adjourning to the John O Groats Brewery to sample some beer. I tried virtual pints of Golden Groat, Duncansby and  First Footing and then went to the award winning Stacks deli for a virtual sandwich platter and a sticky toffee and whisky cake to celebrate.

Now that I've finished I'm ready for a break and I certainly won't be starting a new one for the time being but who knows how I will feel next year.