Arriving at John O’Groats reminded me of the Alfred Wainwright quote in his beautifully illustrated ‘Pennine Way Companion’ (a guide that I used 39 years ago for that long distance trail). Referring to arriving at the end of the walk he says, “There is no brass band to greet you. There is no body waiting to pin a medal on your chest. There may be people about but they will not take any notice of you. Nobody cares that you have walked, and just this minute, completed the Pennine Way. You will not get your name in the papers, not be interviewed by television. No, the satisfaction you feel is intensely personal and cannot be shared. The sense of achievement is yours alone simply because you have earned it alone….. You did not do it to earn memories, but memories you have and in abundance for the rest of your life.” Well I have to say that these words did strike a cord as a stood at the edge looking out to sea 1178.49 miles from the start 34 days earlier.
Source: 34 days, 1,200 miles cycled and £6000 raised so far as Nic reaches the finish
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