"The Long Way Up" 
Land's End to John o' Groats run via... London Marathon Snowdon Summit Sca Fell Summit Ben Nevis Lochaber Marathon 1300 miles - 14 marathons on foot - 900 miles by cycle* - Britain's Three Highest Peaks - 27 Days - 1 April to 27 April 2008    
In 1983, I cycled from John O' Groats to Land's End via the 3 peaks. I completed the journey in just 14 days raising £2500 for a local charity. I always said I would like to return to run the same distance on foot. 25 years on, I plan to set off from Land’s End on 1 April and run to London where I will complete the Flora London Marathon on 13 April. I will then continue through the Thames Valley to Birmingham and into Wales where I will run to the summit of Snowdon. I will continue north through Lancashire where I will run Sca Fell Pike then on to the Scottish Highlands. In Fort William I will run Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis before competing in the Lochaber Marathon on 27 April. I will then continue north finishing at John O' Groats by the 30th April. I would like to raise funds for Cancer Care and invite my friends, colleagues or anyone else to sponsor me. This will give me all the encouragement I need to complete this massive challenge that I have set myself. I propose to run the distance unsupported and carry my own tent and sleeping bag most of the way, simply camping on the roadside as I go. The event will involve running 50 x 26.2 mile marathons in 30 days. I will warm up doing one marathon a day, for 12 days until I reach London. After running London I should hopefully be fit enough to run two marathons a day for the remaining 17 days. Added together, this will total around 1300 miles distance and the equivalent of 50 marathons within the given 30 days. As far as I know this 'End to End' route has never been attempted before. To sponsor me go to: www.justgiving.com/slateman Here you can make a tax free on-line donation. Thank you to all those who have kindly sponsored me so far. Daily Report and Route I am travelling extremely light and taking my laptop along is out of the question. However, a brief diary of my journey will be updated every two to three days. A full report with pictures will follow on completion of the journey. Let's hope I make it!! Updates - Summary 2/4/08 - The original plan to camp most nights has changed and I have now opted for the easier option of a warm bed each night without having to carry a tent and sleeping bag! *14/4/08 - Due to injury to feet after reaching London the plan has changed and I will now cycle the remaining 900 miles to John O' Groats. I will still run each of the peaks as well as run the Lochaber Marathon on the 27th April. I haven't ridden a bike for some years so the cycling option may well prove to be just as big a challenge! Picture Gallery Date | Destination | Day | Sleep | Daily Stage Report | Daily Miles | Total Miles | Feet of AscentRun | Feet of Ascent Cycle | Monday 31/03/08 | Penzance 
| | Tent | Flew from Manchester to Newquay this afternoon. Journey to airport was not without drama. Train to airport delayed and helped passenger travelling to Milan to catch his plane by running from rail terminal to check-in desk to ask them to keep his desk open for him - which they did and he caught his plane. Supplied him with sponsor form in return for mega-run through terminal. Bright yellow kit and shoes helped visibility!! Hope he sponsors me. Caught bus to Truro and train onwards to Penzance. Camped overlooking Land's End. Still a few miles to do in the morning prior to start of epic journey. Wild and windy night. | | | | | Tuesday 01/04/08 | Land's End - Cambourne
| Day 1 | B&B | Radio Lancashire and Radio Cumbria called first thing (7am) to do live interviews. Walked the three miles to Land's End and then set off at midday with clear blue skies and sunshine. Very hard 26.3 mile run to Cambourne. Shoulders aching from rucksack. Checked into pub B and B where mine hosts were extremely kind and dried out all my kit and sleeping bag ready for tomorrow. Looking forward to good night's kip ready to face the next marathon challenge. Total ascent today was 1650ft. | 26.3 | 26.3 | 1,650 | | Wednesday 02/04/08 | Cambourne - St Austell 
| Day 2 | Hotel | Set off at 10am. Decided to jettison the tent and sleeping bag to save weight. The luxury of staying in a b and b is sooo much more inviting with the long journey ahead. Another long journey through Redruth and Truro and onwards to St Austell. Some long mind-blowing stretches of road. Two marathons now taking their toll on my feet but hopefully will overcome this. Legs fine. Shoulders still sore but backpack much lighter now. Total ascent today was 2,400 ft. | 26.6 | 52.9 | 4,064 | | Thursday 03/04/08 | St Austell - Callington 
| Day 3 | Guest House | Set off at 10am. Had to take a couple of detours due to roadworks and road closures which added extra mileage and, consequently, didn't reach Tavistock as planned. High mileage today with 5,706ft of ascent in 65 degrees. Very hilly round here!! Tough day. Staying in lovely guest house. | 36.2 | 89.1 | 9,770 | | Friday 04/04/08 | Callington - Moreton Hampstead 
| Day 4 | Hotel | Went via Tavistock and over Dartmoor to Moreton Hampstead. Misty on the tops. Dramatic scenery. Another long day. Feet are very sore but legs holding up. Arrived at Moreton Hampstead about 7pm. Staying at the White Hart. 4,747 ft of ascent. | 31.63 | 120.7 | 14,517 | | Saturday 05/04/08 | Moreton Hampstead - Honiton 
| Day 5 | B&B | Fine, pleasant day - part cloudy. It's been a very hard day today and this kind of mileage is more than enough. I have now caught up with my schedule. Again the legs are totally ok but my feet are terribly sore and blistered. Staying at Ellis Hayer Farmhouse B and B just two miles outside Honiton. 3,368ft of ascent. | 33.5 | 154.23 | 17,886 | | Sunday 06/04/08 | Honiton - Yeovil 
| Day 6 | B&B | Woke up to snow which cleared quickly and set off. Snow flurries all day and a cold wind. Found small hotel just outside Yeovil called Yeovil Court Hotel. Kindly allowed me to wash and tumble dry clothing too! Getting a bit smelly. Gave me complimentary dinner and looked after me very well. 4,397ft of ascent. | 29.5 | 183.7 | 22,283 | | Monday 07/04/08 | Yeovil - Shaftesbury 
| Day 7 | B&B | Radio Lancashire and Radio Cumbria both phoned to carry out live interviews before breakfast. Changed running shoes in Yeovil and got new pair to replace others which were worn out! Hopefully these will last a bit longer! Ran via Sherborne to Shaftesbury (home of the Hovis advert hill) and found nice B&B on outskirts of village. 2,952ft of ascent. | 26.4 | 210.1 | 25,234 | | Tuesday 08/04/08 | Shaftesbury - Stonehenge (Amesbury)  
| Day 8 | B&B | Set off at 11am from Shaftesbury to Amesbury via country lanes and villages to Tisbury and then along the very narrow and extremely busy A303 to Stonehenge. This was the only route to get me to Stonehenge and the nightmare traffic conditions prompted me to pick up the pace and run hard to the Stone Circle. Ran round the perimeter and down to Amesbury. Found very nice small hotel called the Antrobus and enjoyed lovely hot bath. Feeling very much in my stride now. Feet still sore but blisters seem to be disappearing. 2476ft of ascent today. | 29.03 | 239.2 | 27,710 | | Wednesday 09/04/08 | Amesbury - Winchester 
| Day 9 | Hotel | Ran the 26.2 miles from Amesbury to Winchester today. Helped a stranded motorist to get his broken down car going. In return for the repairs was offered a lift to Winchester! Declined the offer. Strong run then into Winchester. My legs feel fine but my feet are very sore and have developed more blisters which made it very hard going. Really struggling. Made it to the Royal Winchester Hotel. 2075ft of ascent today. | 26.2 | 265.2 | 29,784 | | Thursday 10/04/08 | Winchester - Farnham 
| Day 10 | Hotel | Ran the 28.9 miles from Winchester to Farnham via the Mid Hants Railway. Tackled the A31 with a vengeance and can reveal, after much research, that 1 in 30 motorists definitely feel I should be running on the grass verge. The other 29 respectfully indicate and pull out. My feet are still terribly sore but London is in sight. Must say because of the painful feet I am considering a Plan B to cycle the remaining 1,000 from London, via the three peaks, to John O'Groats. Will make that decision on Sunday. 2248ft of ascent today. Staying at The Mulberry Hotel. | 28.9 | 294.1 | 32,032 | | Friday 11/04/08 | Farnham - Leatherhead 
| Day 11 | B&B | Completed the 26.2 miles from Farnham to Leatherhead. Brief spells of hail, sleet and rain - the first since I started this journey. Interviewed by Radio Cumbria at 4.20pm. Good pace throughout but terrible blister on left foot is really hampering progress. Arrived Leatherhead at 4.30pm (3,246ft of ascent) and, after quick change, travelled into London to register for the marathon. Anne was waiting at the hotel when I got back. | 26.2 | 320.3 | 35,278 | | Saturday 12/04/08 | Leatherhead - Blackheath 
| Day 12 | B&B | Navigated my way through South London via Epsom, Cheam, Mitcham, Streatham and Detford (and a few other places I had never heard of) and on to the blue start line of the London Marathon . Encountered the first heavy rainfall for 12 days just after finishing. 3,535ft of ascent. | 26.4 | 346.5 | 38,823 | | Sunday 13/04/08 | Flora London Marathon Blackheath - The Mall
| Day 13 | B&B | London Marathon Day- completed the marathon in 4hrs and 28mins. Feet totally shot at! Have made the very difficult decision not to give up but to continue the remaining 1,000 mile journey by bike. Thanks to everyone for all good wishes, texts and phone calls throughout the day. Much appreciated. Will still run each of the three peaks as planned and finish with the Lochaber marathon. | 26.2 | 372.7 | 39,423 | | Monday 14/04/08 | The Mall - Aylesbury 
| Day 14 | Hotel | Caught train into London and cycled to The Mall (where I finished the marathon yesterday) to re-start my journey by bike. London gridlocked - interesting journey navigating out but eventually made it to the A5 and A41 towards Watford. Fairly tough going because I haven't ridden a bike any great distance for some years so the cycling is going to be just as challenging but at least the feet won't be suffering any more! Due to late start decide to finish at Aylesbury after 36 miles allowing me to break myself in gently. Legs feel fairly good after the marathon. Staying at Holiday Inn in Aylesbury. 2,900ft of ascent. Radio Cumbria did another interview. | 36 | 408.7 | | 2,900 | Tuesday 15/04/08 | Aylesbury - Berkswell 
| Day 15 | Family | Cycled the 65.6 miles to Berkswell (just south of Birmingham) with 3115ft of ascent. Bit of a downpour passing Coventry. Really enjoying the cycling and not too saddle sore. Arrived at Mary and John's to warm welcome and a lovely meal. This was followed by a much needed and most welcome massage from Martin Slevin, of West Midlands Police, who came to Mary and John's home. Feel very looked after as Mary (an ex nurse) has been giving me treatment for my toes. Feel a lot better today. Planning a long day tomorrow. | 65.6 | 474.3 | | 6,015 | Wednesday 16/04/08 | Berkswell - Oswestry 
| Day 16 | Hotel | Cycled from Berkswell to Oswestry via the centre of Birmingham and out via Staffordshire, Bridgnorth, Seven Valley Railway, Shrewsbury and onto Oswestry in Shropshire. Problems with knee but stopped at chemist and strapped it up. As the journey progressed the pain eased although still apparent and swollen. Could be the saddle and pedal position. Puncture five miles from Oswestry so forced to stop and change the inner tube. Half a mile from Oswestry got another puncture but managed to pump enough air into the tyre to allow me to coast down to the Oswestry Travel Lodge. Total ascent 6118ft!! | 82.0 | 556.3 | | 12,133 | Thursday 17/04/08 | Oswestry - Betws-y-CoedSnowdon Summit (3,560') 
| Day 17 | Hotel | Bit of a late start today due to fixing punctures properly. Went via Chirk and Betws-y-Coed to Pen-y-pass at base of Snowdon. Swapped cycling shoes for fast ascent. Felt very strong and it only took 1.5 hours to climb up through the snow to the summit arriving at 7pm. Glorious sunshine, very cold but amazing views. Tricky descent over ice but made it to the bottom in 40 minutes. Snowdon 3560ft. Cycled back to Betws-y-Coed to B & B. Total ascent on bike was 5800ft and running 3200ft. Cycled 70 miles and ran 8 miles. Great day. One peak down and two to go! Staying at The Waterloo Hotel which has pool and steam room. Sheer bliss! | 70.08.0 | 634.3 | 42,623 | 11,918 | Friday 18/04/08 | Betws-y-Coed - Preston Brook 
| Day 18 | Friends | What a hard day. Cycled 30 miles along the Expressway into strong 25mph easterly head wind and, consequently, did not get as far as planned. Decided at 66 miles to abort for the day having got a slow puncture which needed repairing. Contacted good friends Sue and John and arranged to stay with them at their Cheshire home. Five star luxury, wonderful meal and great bubble bath. Bliss! Right knee fine now but a little bit of pain in le3ft knee but nothing to worry about. 3882ft of ascent. | 66.2 | 700.3 | | 15,800 | Saturday 19/04/08 | Preston Brook - Caton 
| Day 19 | Home | Another tough day into 25 mph cold north-easterly head winds. I was met at the start of this leg of the journey by Adrian Royles who I joined the force with as a cadet in 1976. Adrian was a welcome companion and made the journey through Warrington, Wigan into Lancashire much easier. Met at Broughton by running pals Bill Murray and Derek Snalam. Stopped at my mother-in-law's in Garstang for a quick cuppa then over Quermore to Caton to finish. Total 64 miles today, 3,860 feet ascent. | 64.1 | 764.6 | | 19,660 | Sunday 20/04/08 | Caton - Leck - LangdaleScafell Pike (3210') Langdale |
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