Land's End To John O' Groats
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Land's End to John o' Groats is the traversal of the whole length of the island of
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
between two extremities, in the southwest and northeast. The traditional distance by road is and takes most cyclists 10 to 14 days; the record for running the route is nine days. Off-road walkers typically walk about and take two or three months for the expedition. Signposts indicate the traditional distance at each end. *
Land's End Land's End ( kw, Penn an Wlas or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, on the Penwith peninsula about west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is ...
is the traditionally acknowledged extreme western point of mainland England. It is in western Cornwall at the end of the Penwith peninsula. The O.S. Grid Reference of the road end is SW342250, Postcode TR19 7AA. In fact it, or strictly speaking Dr Syntax's Head, SW341253, a few hundred yards NW of the road end, is mainland England's most ''westerly'' point. The most southerly point is Lizard Point, about further south. Land's End is sometimes reckoned incorrectly as mainland Great Britain's most southwesterly point. This accolade belongs to Gwennap Head, SW365215, which is at least further south than Dr Syntax's Head but only about less west. * John o' Groats is the traditionally acknowledged extreme northern point of mainland Scotland, in northeastern
Caithness Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded by ...
, O.S. Grid Reference ND380735, Postcode KW1 4YR. The actual northernmost point is
Dunnet Head Dunnet Head ( gd, Ceann Dùnaid) is a peninsula in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland. Dunnet Head includes the most northerly point of both mainland Scotland and the island of Great Britain. Geography The point, also known as Easter ...
about further north. The point that is farthest by road from Land's End is
Duncansby Head Duncansby Head ( gd, Ceann Dhunngain or Dùn Gasbaith) is the most northeasterly part of both the Scottish and British mainlands, slightly northeast of John o' Groats. It lies approximately 20 km (12 mi) east-southeast of Dunnet Hea ...
, about east of John o' Groats. Duncansby Head is also the most northeasterly point of the British mainland. The straight-line distance from Land's End to John o' Groats is as determined from O.S. Grid References, but such a route passes over a series of stretches of water in the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
. Google Earth reports a distance of 602.70 miles between the two iconic marker points. According to a 1964 road atlas, the shortest route using classified roads was but in a 2008 road atlas, the shortest route using classified roads was . An online route planner in 2021 also calculated the quickest route by road as , estimating a time of 14 hours 50 minutes for the journey (this uses the A30, M5, M6, A74(M), M74, M73, M80, M9, A9 & A99) but the overall shortest route by road, using minor roads in numerous places and utilising modern bridges, is only about . This route is roughly as follows: Land's End,
Bodmin Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordere ...
,
Okehampton Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and had a population of 5,922 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards are based i ...
, Tiverton,
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, the M5 Avon Bridge, the M48
Severn Bridge The Severn Bridge ( cy, Pont Hafren) is a motorway suspension bridge that spans the River Severn between South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in South East Wales. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and Wale ...
,
Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...
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,
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,
Tarporley Tarporley is a large village and civil parish in Cheshire, England. The civil parish also contains the village of Rhuddall Heath. Tarporley is bypassed by the A49 and A51 roads. At the 2011 census, the population was 2,614. History Tarporle ...
, St Helens, Preston,
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, Beattock,
Carstairs Carstairs (, Scottish Gaelic: ''Caisteal Tarrais'') is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Carstairs is located east of the county town of Lanark and the West Coast Main Line runs through the village. The village is served by Carstairs ra ...
, Whitburn,
Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...
,
Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
,
Crieff Crieff (; gd, Craoibh, meaning "tree") is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins the A823 to Dunfermline. Crieff has become ...
, Kenmore, Dalchalloch, A9,
Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
,
Kessock Bridge The Kessock Bridge ( gd, Drochaid Cheasaig) carries the A9 road (Great Britain), A9 trunk road across the Beauly Firth at Inverness, Scotland. Description The Kessock Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Beauly Firth, an inlet of the Mor ...
,
Cromarty Bridge The Cromarty Bridge is a road bridge over the Cromarty Firth in Scotland. History Design The bridge joins a junction with the B9163 to the south in Ross and Cromarty with a junction with the A862 to the north at Ardullie Point. It can clearly ...
,
Dornoch Firth Bridge The Dornoch Firth Bridge is a road bridge over the Dornoch Firth, carrying traffic between Tain and Dornoch. History It was built for the Scottish Office. There had been recent substantial improvements of the A9 between Inverness and Tain, inc ...
,
Latheron Latheron () is a small village and civil parish in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, centred on the junction of the A9 with the A99. The Clan Gunn Heritage Centre and Museum is housed in the old Parish Church (built in 1734). The c ...
,
Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placename ...
, John o' Groats.
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, on 2 August 2017, calculated the fastest route by car, from the Land's End Visitor Centre to John o' Groats as being and taking 14 hours 40 minutes. It also showed a walking route of , which it suggested would take 268 hours, and involve an elevation gain of and an elevation fall of .


Methods

There are many ways to go from Land's End to John o' Groats. Traditionally considered to be a walk, the route is now traversed in a number of ways, with cycling and multi-modal expeditions being particularly popular in recent years. Most trips are done by individuals or small groups for personal fulfilment. Some expeditions are organised as charity fundraisers, sometimes involving celebrities: examples include cricketer
Ian Botham Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser. Hailed as one ...
's 1985 walk and athlete
Jane Tomlinson Jane Emily Tomlinson, (née Goward; 21 February 1964 – 3 September 2007) was an amateur English athlete who raised £1.85 million for charity by completing a series of athletic challenges, despite suffering from terminal cancer. Having ...
in 2003. In recent history the route has been used as a rite of passage by cyclists taking on the most iconic cycling challenge in Britain.


Walking

The first recorded end-to-end walk (actually from John o' Groats to Land's End) was undertaken by the brothers John and Robert Naylor in 1871. Since then the walk has been undertaken many times, more particularly since 1960, after a well-publicised road walk by Dr Barbara Moore. In 1960 the entrepreneur
Billy Butlin Sir William Heygate Edmund Colborne Butlin (29 September 189912 June 1980) was a South African-born British entrepreneur whose name is synonymous with the British holiday camp.''#refRiverside, American Heritage Dictionary 2004'', p. 135.#refSc ...
organised a road walking race, which gave further impetus to the idea. Since the 1960s, walkers have mostly chosen off-road routes, using the growing network of
long-distance footpaths A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exc ...
. A classic account is from 1966 by the travel writer John Hillaby. Off-road walkers usually complete the journey in two to three months. There is a considerable choice of off-road routes, but all are much longer than the shortest road distance, usually or more. The walk is still undertaken by road walkers, often doing the walk, like
Sir Ian Botham Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser. Hailed as one ...
, for charity, or as a "challenge walk". They typically take a month or even less. Some walkers aim to complete the route piecemeal, perhaps over several years, to achieve the walk within the time constraints of a working life and before the possible health problems of old age.


Routes

There is no continuous long-distance path from Land's End to John o' Groats. There are long-distance paths for substantial sections of the route, and where they do not exist walkers connect them by
rights of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by Easement#Easement by prescription, prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' ...
and minor roads. Most walkers broadly follow these routes: *from Land's End to
Exmoor Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath ...
by the
South West Coast Path The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Because it rises a ...
; or by a shorter inland route through
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
and
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
by minor roads and paths, the Two Castles Trail and the towpath of the
Grand Western Canal The Grand Western Canal ran between Taunton in Somerset and Tiverton in Devon in the United Kingdom. The canal had its origins in various plans, going back to 1796, to link the Bristol Channel and the English Channel by a canal, bypassing Lands ...
*across
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
by parts of the Macmillan Way West, the
Samaritans Way South West Samaritans Way South West is a Long-distance footpath in South West England. It was officially opened on 21 April 2004 by the Ramblers Vice Chairman, the Samaritans (charity) Chief Executive and a farmer from Gloucestershire who headed the Farm ...
or the
Limestone Link The Limestone Link is a long-distance footpath in England, from the Mendip Hills in Somerset to Cold Ashton in Gloucestershire. It is marked by an ammonite waymarker. The Mendip section starts between Churchill and Rowberrow, near Dolebury ...
*to the
Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...
either by **an eastern route using the
Cotswold Way The Cotswold Way is a long-distance footpath, running along the Cotswold Edge escarpment of the Cotswold Hills in England. It was officially inaugurated as a National Trail on 24 May 2007 and several new rights of way have been created. His ...
, the
Heart of England Way The Heart of England Way is a long-distance walk of around through the Midlands of England. The walk starts from Milford Common on Cannock Chase and ends at Bourton on the Water in the Cotswolds linking south Staffordshire through Warwick ...
(or the
Severn Way The Severn Way is a waymarked long-distance footpath in the United Kingdom, which follows the course of the River Severn through Mid Wales and western England. According to the Long Distance Walkers Association the Severn Way is . The route ...
), the Staffordshire Way and the
Limestone Way The Limestone Way is a waymarked long-distance footpath in Derbyshire, England. It runs for through the White Peak of the Peak District National Park, from Castleton south to Rocester over the county boundary into Staffordshire. The trail ...
; or **a western route across the
Severn Bridge The Severn Bridge ( cy, Pont Hafren) is a motorway suspension bridge that spans the River Severn between South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in South East Wales. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and Wale ...
then by the
Offa's Dyke Path Offa's Dyke Path ( cy, Llwybr Clawdd Offa) is a long-distance footpath loosely following the Wales–England border. Officially opened on 10 July 1971, by Lord Hunt, it is one of Britain's National Trails and draws walkers from throughout th ...
, the
Maelor Way Maelor Way is a key long distance footpath, running 38 kilometres / 24 miles from the Offa's Dyke Path National Trail at Bronygarth to the Shropshire Way, Sandstone Trail, Llangollen Canal, South Cheshire Way, and the Marches Way all at Grind ...
and the
South Cheshire Way The South Cheshire Way is a long-distance footpath running east–west mainly through Cheshire, England, though parts lie in Shropshire and Staffordshire. The western section from Grindley Brook, near Whitchurch, runs through farmland; the e ...
*to the
Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...
by the
Pennine Way The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England, with a small section in Scotland. The trail stretches for from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Park and ends at Kir ...
*by St. Cuthbert's Way and a section of the
Southern Upland Way The Southern Upland Way is a coast-to-coast long-distance footpath in southern Scotland. The route links Portpatrick in the west and Cockburnspath in the east via the hills of the Southern Uplands. The Way is designated as one of Scotland's ...
to the
Pentland Hills The Pentland Hills are a range of hills southwest of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around in length, and runs southwest from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale. Etymology The name is first recorded for the farm of Pentlan ...
, then by ** a western route using the towpaths of the
Union Canal Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
and the
Forth and Clyde Canal The Forth and Clyde Canal is a canal opened in 1790, crossing central Scotland; it provided a route for the seagoing vessels of the day between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. This allo ...
, then by the
West Highland Way The West Highland Way ( gd, Slighe na Gàidhealtachd an Iar) is a linear long-distance route in Scotland. It is long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the r ...
and the
Great Glen Way The Great Glen Way ( gd, Slighe a' Ghlinne Mhòir) is a long distance path in Scotland. It follows the Great Glen, running from Fort William in the southwest to Inverness in the northeast, covering . It was opened in 2002, and is designated a ...
to
Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
; or ** an eastern route across the
Forth Road Bridge The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. The bridge opened in 1964 and at the time was the longest suspension bridge in the world outside the United States. The bridge spans the Firth of Forth, connecting Edinbur ...
to
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
and
Pitlochry Pitlochry (; gd, Baile Chloichridh or ) is a town in the Perth and Kinross council area of Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. It is historically in the county of Perthshire, and has a population of 2,776, according to the 2011 census.Scotla ...
, then by
Glen Tilt Glen Tilt (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Teilt) is a glen in the extreme north of Perthshire, Scotland. Beginning at the confines of Aberdeenshire, it follows a South-westerly direction excepting for the last 4 miles, when it runs due south to Blair ...
and the
Lairig Ghru The Lairig Ghru ( gd, Làirig Dhrù) is one of the mountain passes through the Cairngorms of Scotland. The route and mountain pass partially lies on the Mar Lodge Estate. Like many traditional routes, the ends of the route through the Lairig G ...
to
Speyside Speyside can refer to: * Speyside, Ontario, a settlement in Ontario * Strathspey, Scotland, the famous whisky producing region by the River Spey ** Speyside single malts, the type of whisky produced in Strathspey * Speyside, Trinidad and Tobago ...
and the old Wade road to Inverness. *from Inverness to John o' Groats, either by **the
John o' Groats Trail {{Use British English, date=December 2017 The John o' Groats Trail is a Scottish long-distance walking route from Inverness to John o' Groats, traversing back lanes, footpaths, shorelines and cliff tops of the Scottish Highlands. The trail gives ac ...
, a mostly coastal long-distance route that is rough but walkable; **a route that is mostly on roads with a few stretches of coast walking; or **some walkers head north west from the end of the West Highland Way at Fort William using parts of the
Cape Wrath Trail Cape Wrath Trail is a hiking route that runs through the Scottish Highlands and along the west coast of Scotland. It is approximately 200 miles (321 km) in length and is considered to be one of the most challenging long distance walks in the ...
, then head northeast through the
Flow Country The Flow Country is a large, rolling expanse of peatland and wetland area of Caithness and Sutherland in the North of Scotland. It is the largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe, and covers about . It is an area of deep peat, dotted with bog ...
of
Caithness Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded by ...
. However, this route is through remote country and requires wild camping.


Cycling

Official
Road Records Association The Road Records Association (RRA) is a British cycle racing organisation which supervises records on the road but not in conventional races. It is one of the oldest cycle sport organisations in the world, formed in 1888. Remit Records are es ...
records: *Rider on a conventional bicycle: 43 hours, 25 minutes and 13 seconds, set by 40 year old Michael Broadwith on 17 June 2018 *Women's: Christina Mackenzie 51 hours, 5 minutes and 27 seconds, 30 July 2021 *Mixed tandem: A Wilkinson & L E A Taylor (Lynne Biddulph), 2000, 51h 19m 23s *Men's tandem: 5–7 May 2015 Riders: Dominic Irvine and Charlie Mitchell. Time: 45 hours, 11 minutes The previous record held for 49 years. The record for cycling from Land's End to John o' Groats is held by Andy Wilkinson, who completed the journey in 41 hours, 4 minutes and 22 seconds on a Windcheetah recumbent
tricycle A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) three-wheeled vehicle. Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight trikes, ...
. A typical cycling time when not attempting shortest time is 10 to 14 days. James MacDonald set a record in September 2017 for cycling from John o' Groats to Land's End and back again in five days, 18 hours and 3 minutes. From 1 to 4 March 2010,
David Walliams David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series '' Little B ...
,
Jimmy Carr James Anthony Patrick Carr (born 15 September 1972) is a British-Irish comedian, presenter, writer, and actor. He is known for his deadpan delivery of controversial one-liners and distinctive laugh, for which he has been both praised and criti ...
,
Fearne Cotton Fearne Wood ( Cotton; born 3 September 1981) is an English broadcaster and author''.'' She began her career in the late 1990s presenting various children's television shows for GMTV, CITV and CBBC. In 2007, she presented '' The Xtra Factor'', ...
,
Miranda Hart Miranda Katherine Hart Dyke (born 14 December 1972) is an English actress and writer. Following drama training at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, Hart began writing material for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and making appearances in va ...
,
Patrick Kielty Patrick Kielty (born 31 January 1971) is a Northern Irish comedian and television personality. Background Kielty was born in County Down, Northern Ireland, and grew up in the village of Dundrum. He is one of three sons born to the businessm ...
,
Davina McCall Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show ''Big Brother (UK), Big Brother'' during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She also hosted Channel 4's '' ...
and
Russell Howard Russell Joseph Howard (born 23 March 1980) is an English comedian, television presenter, radio presenter, and actor. He was known for his television show ''Russell Howard's Good News'' and is currently doing ''The Russell Howard Hour'', and his ...
cycled in a team relay from John o' Groats to Land's End to raise money for
Sport Relief ''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002. It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educat ...
. The first tricyclist to complete the route was Alfred Nixon, champion of the London Tricycle Club, who in 1882 made "the first, and at present only, tricycle journey from John o' Groats to Land's End, a distance of 1007 miles, in a fortnight". The current
Road Records Association The Road Records Association (RRA) is a British cycle racing organisation which supervises records on the road but not in conventional races. It is one of the oldest cycle sport organisations in the world, formed in 1888. Remit Records are es ...
record on a non-recumbent tricycle is two days, 5 hours and 29 minutes ridden by Ralph Dadswell in 1992. Men's quadricycle. In the summer of 2012. Riders: Hugo Catchpole, George Unwin, Tom Bethell and Richard Nicholls. Time 10 days 15 hours. On a four-man recumbent bike weighing 114 kg. Several cyclists have completed the route on folding bicycles. The fastest completion of LEJOG on a 16-inch wheel
Brompton bicycle Brompton Bicycle is a British manufacturer of folding bicycles based in Greenford, London. The Brompton folding bicycle and accessories are the company's core product, noted for its self-supporting compact size when stored. All available mod ...
is currently that of James Stannard who completed the route in a time of 83 hours (3 days 11 hours) in July 2022. There have been several
unicycle A unicycle is a vehicle that touches the ground with only one wheel. The most common variation has a bicycle frame, frame with a bicycle saddle, saddle, and has a human-powered vehicle, pedal-driven direct-drive mechanism, direct-drive. A two spee ...
completions of the journey. The
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
for the fastest completion by unicycle is held by Roger Davies and Sam Wakeling, who rode (Land's End to John o' Groats) from 12 to 18 September 2009 in 6 days, 8 hours and 43 minutes. They rode large unicycles equipped with two-speed Schlumpf geared hubs. The record for riding from Land's End to John o' Groats on a
penny-farthing The penny-farthing, also known as a high wheel, high wheeler or ordinary, is an early type of bicycle. It was popular in the 1870s and 1880s, with its large front wheel providing high speeds (owing to its travelling a large distance for every r ...
had not been broken since 1886, when Victorian cyclist
George Pilkington Mills George Pilkington Mills (8 January 1867 – 8 November 1945) was the dominant English racing cyclist of his generation, and winner of the inaugural Bordeaux–Paris cycle race. He frequently rode from Land's End to John o' Groats, holding ...
set it with a time of five days and one hour. Richard Thoday broke the then 133-year-old record by completing his ride in four days, eleven hours and fifty-two minutes. He averaged around 200 miles a day. He had undertaken the challenge to help raise £10,000 for the charity BBC Children in Need. The oldest person to cycle from Land's End to John o' Groats is Tony Rathbone (UK, b. 10 December 1932) who was aged 81 years and 162 days when he completed the journey on 21 May 2014. Roger Anthony "Tony" Rathbone started his journey from Land's End to John o' Groats on 7 May 2014 with his friend, William "Billy" Skipper. They cycled a total of 1,526.46 km (948.5 miles) and were riding for a total of 79 hours 34 minutes.
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
In 2017 Amelia Sampson aged 22 months completed John o' Groats to Land's End in 14 days in her trailer towed by her parents riding a tandem. At the age of 4 years and 4 months, Rhoda Jones is believed to have become the youngest to cycle Land's End – John o' Groats on 2 September 2018. Cycling on a trailerbike with her parents Katie and Tom Jones she completed the ride in 22 days, 3 hours, 26 minutes. Her sister Ruth Jones, aged 5, completed the journey before her and became the fastest on a trailerbike. On 3 August 2018, Joshua Moisey, aged 7 years and 2 months, became the youngest Land's End – John o' Groats cyclist on a standard bicycle, riding his own bike alongside brother Reuben (10) and parents Alvin and Hiroko, and raising money for
Alzheimer's Society Alzheimer's Society is a United Kingdom care and research Charitable organization, charity for people with dementia and their carers. It operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while its sister charitieAlzheimer Scotlandand Alzheimer's ...
. On 14 August 2020, at the age of 10 years 5 months, Evangeline Towers became the youngest girl to complete the journey on her own bicycle, covering in 110 hours 5 minutes over 22 days with her father and uncle, raising money for
Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...
charity. There are several annual mass participation cycle rides that go from Land's End to John o' Groats, the biggest of which is the Deloitte Ride Across Britain, run by Threshold Sports. The Ride Across Britain takes over 800 riders the full length of Britain, taking nine days and covering , with each rider covering an average of per day. Previous celebrity participants include GB rower and Olympic gold medallist
James Cracknell James Edward Cracknell, (born 5 May 1972) is a British athlete, rowing champion and double Olympic gold medalist. Cracknell was appointed OBE for "services to sport" in the 2005 New Year Honours List. Biography Cracknell began rowing whilst ...
and former England Rugby captain
Lewis Moody Lewis Walton Moody MBE (born 12 June 1978 in Ascot) is an English retired rugby union player. He played for Leicester Tigers and Bath Rugby and was part of the 2003 World Cup winning side. Moody is known for the enthusiasm with which he pla ...
. In April 2018, George and Beatrice Neville became the first people to cycle from John o'Groats to Lands End on Santander Hire cycles, better known as Boris bikes. It took the couple 18 days to complete.


Running

The record time for a runner to complete the route as certified by Guinness World Records is nine days and 2 hours by Andi Rivett in 2002, although there is significant doubt about the authenticity of this record, as Andi Rivett took a whole day (equivalent to almost 10%) off the previous record, which was set by established ultra runner Richard Brown in 1988. The fastest known time with supporting evidence is by
Dan Lawson Dan Lawson (born 13 February 1973) is a British ultra runner and charity worker from Brighton. Lawson also does charity work in India for OSCAR India and Skillshare International. He holds the course record for the Grand Union Canal Race and in ...
who in August 2020 completed the distance in 9 days, 21 hours, 14 minutes and 2 seconds. Lawson's record is widely regarded as the fastest known time by the ultra running community; there is a petition to have Rivett's record rescinded. In July 2008, Dan Driver became the first to run the route solo, meaning he carried all his equipment with him whilst he ran it. He completed the run in just over 17 days. The current women's record of 12 days, 15 hours and 46 minutes was set by Marina (Mimi) Anderson from 16 to 28 July 2008. In August 2019 the BBC reported that Sharon Gayter had completed the run four hours faster, in 12 days 11 hours 6 minutes, still to be verified by Guinness. In July 2020 GB ultra runner Carla Molinaro set a new fastest known time of 12 days, 30 minutes and 14 seconds. Fred Hicks was an early record holder. He ran the journey between 20 and 30 May 1977 in 10 days 3 hours and 30 minutes. He ran this for charity, not aiming to set any records, and it was only later, when he was approached by the Road Running association asking if they could pursue the record with Guinness, that he became aware he had set a new record. On 12 July 2009 British
ultramarathon An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of . Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of to over . 50k and 100k are bot ...
runner Kevin Carr successfully completed the first ever attempt to run the route off-road, becoming the first athlete to run the length of the UK as a fell/trail run. Like Driver, Carr ran unsupported and solo—a format commonly known amongst fell runners as a mountain marathon. Carr ran the challenge as part of an event organised by Benumber1, an event that saw several top-level British athletes (mainly Olympians) completing the challenge. The event was designed to encourage school students to participate in sport and to realise the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, whilst raising funds for the
British Heart Foundation The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is a cardiovascular research charity in the United Kingdom. It funds medical research related to heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors, and runs influencing work aimed at shaping public policy ...
. The run covered over footpaths, bridleways, canal paths, river banks, national trails, fields, moorland and mountains. Over 80% of the route was off-road, the route resorting to tarmac only when necessary to link two trails, or where a trail passed through a village/town. The run took 6 weeks 3 days and 17 hours (including three rest days). Factoring in the rest days, this run called for an average effort of just under a day, every day, for more than six weeks. In July 2011, a team of runners from
Calday Grange Grammar School Calday Grange Grammar School (abbreviated to CGGS; also known as Calday Grange, Calday Grammar or simply Calday due to the difference in spelling to the nearby village of Caldy) is a non-denominational, academically selective grammar school, fo ...
, Wirral completed a relay from Land's End to John o' Groats, becoming the first school to do so. They raised £200,000 for
Alder Hey Children's Hospital Alder Hey Children's Hospital is a children's hospital and NHS foundation trust in West Derby, Liverpool, England. It is one of the largest children's hospitals in the United Kingdom, and one of several specialist hospitals within the Liverpool ...
, Liverpool. In mid summer of 2011 Anthony Band from Surrey ran 1000 miles barefoot, all in aid for
Help For Heroes Help for Heroes (H4H) is a British charity which provides lifelong recovery support to British Armed Forces service personnel who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty, and to their families, originally only since 11 September 2001, th ...
. Band took 29 days, running on average 36 miles per day. On 3 August 2014, Marie-Claire Oziem became the first female runner to complete the distance unsupported and solo. She pushed all her provisions in a pram and camped along the way. Her route consisted of both on and off-road sections. Oziem ran for the charity
Mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...
, based in Taunton for its project Go Wild, Stay Well, which aims to support those with mental illness through the use of various green therapy schemes. She started her run on 23 June and finished on 3 August 2014, regularly running distances of over 32 miles daily.


By horse

The journey with a horse is generally completed north to south, starting in April to avoid the midges in the Highlands but also to benefit from warmer weather. Evelyn Burnaby was the younger brother of the famous English Long Rider Colonel
Frederick Burnaby Colonel Frederick Gustavus Burnaby (3 March 1842 – 17 January 1885) was a British Army intelligence officer. Burnaby's adventurous spirit, pioneering achievements, and swashbuckling courage earned an affection in the minds of Victorian imper ...
. Whereas the elder brother was famous for having ridden across Central Asia and the Ottoman Empire, Evelyn decided to keep his equestrian adventures closer to home. He set off in 1892 to ride from Land's End, Cornwall to John o' Groats, Scotland. Evelyn's journey was soon serialised in a popular publication, ''
The Country Gentleman ''The Country Gentleman'' (1852–1955) was an American agricultural magazine founded in 1852 in Albany, New York, by Luther Tucker.Frank Luther Mott (1938A History of American Magazines 1850–1865"The Country Gentleman", page 432, Harvard Unive ...
'', and was published in book form the following year as ''A Ride from Land's End to John O' Groats''. Communist John Richard Penistan rode his horse, Billy-a-Journey from Land's End to John o' Groats in 1948 taking him 56 days. He was the first person to do the journey with just one horse. Arthur Elliott, a veteran of the Great War, rode his horse, Goldflake, from Land's End to John o' Groats in 1955. In 2006 the mother-and-daughter team of Vyv and Elsie Wood-Gee rode from John o' Groats to Land's End. Elsie was 13 at the time. Former army officer Grant Nicolle continued the tradition by travelling from John o' Groats to Land's End in 2007 with Marv (solo and unsupported), taking 11 and a half weeks. Grant has published a book called 'Long Trot' through Amazon, documenting the trip.


Swimming

Sean Conway Sean Conway, (born July 24, 1951) is a former provincial politician in Ontario, Canada and a university professor. He served for 28 years as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 2003, and was a high-profile cabin ...
swam the complete route from 30 June 2013 to 11 November 2013 (135 days). On 31 August 2018 this time was bested by British endurance athlete Ross Edgley, who swam the complete route from Land's End to John o' Groats in just 62 days as part of his effort to swim around the entirety of mainland Britain.


Stand-up paddleboarding

The first person to stand-up paddleboard (SUP) Land's End to John o'Groats was Cal Major, between 4 May 2018 and 2 July 2018, a total of 59 days. Major completed the journey solo and without any boat support. Her route took her along the Cornish and Devon coast into the
Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...
, up the
River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...
and by canals to
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
, by sea around
Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...
and the
Mull of Galloway The Mull of Galloway ( gd, Maol nan Gall, ; ) is the southernmost point of Scotland. It is situated in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, at the end of the Rhins of Galloway peninsula. The Mull has one of the last remaining sections of natur ...
, across the
Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...
to Arran, along the whole of the
Caledonian Canal The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in Scotland. The canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford. Route The canal r ...
, and up the coast of north east Scotland. Fiona Quinn became the first person to
stand up paddleboard Standup paddleboarding (SUP) is a water sport born from surfing with modern roots in Hawaii. Stand up paddleboarders stand on boards that are floating on the water, and use a paddle to propel themselves through the water. The sport was doc ...
(SUP) Land's End to John o'Groats on an inflatable board, between 21 April and 10 July 2018. Over the 81 day expedition, she spent just 35 of those paddling, waiting out bad weather in between. Her mainly sea-based route took her up the Cornish coast, crossing the
Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...
to
Lundy Island Lundy is an English island in the Bristol Channel. It was a micronation from 1925–1969. It forms part of the district of Torridge in the county of Devon. About long and wide, Lundy has had a long and turbulent history, frequently chang ...
and on to Pembrokeshire before she paddled over to Ireland. Continuing up the east coast of Ireland she cross back over the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
to the
Mull of Kintyre The Mull of Kintyre is the southwesternmost tip of the Kintyre Peninsula (formerly ''Cantyre'') in southwest Scotland. From here, the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland is visible on a calm and clear day, and a historic lighthouse, the second ...
, through the full length of the
Caledonian Canal The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in Scotland. The canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford. Route The canal r ...
and up the north east coast of Scotland. She also became the first woman to SUP across the Irish Sea and the first woman to complete a LEJOG triathlon, having walked and cycled the route in 2017. The first pair to stand up paddleboard (SUP) Land's End to John o'Groats were Dave Chant and Sophie Witter, between 16 July 2021 and 12 October 2021. Over the 89 day expedition entitled "SUP It & Sea", the pair paddled for 64 days with 25 days for bad weather and logistics, including losing one of their hard boards on the trip and one of their support crew testing positive for Covid amongst other logistical challenges. They took a longer 1703km than anyone else covering a mixture of sea, river and canals.


Wheelchair

The fastest time in a wheelchair was achieved in August 2009 by US Navy Pilot Rick Ryan: eight days, 10 hours and 9 minutes.


Skateboard

The record time to complete the journey on a skateboard is 21 days, achieved by Matt Elver, Charlie Mason and Lee Renshaw, who traveled around per day to raise money for charity.


Triathlon

Sean Conway (swimmer) Sean Conway (born 1981) is a Zimbabwean ultra endurance athlete, author of 6 books and motivational speaker. He broke the world record for completing 105 Ironman Triathlon, Ironmans in 105 days. He was the first person to swim the length of B ...
became the first person to complete a length of Britain triathlon in 2013. He traveled between Lands End and John o'Groats three times, cycling, running and swimming the route. Fiona Quinn became the first woman to complete a length of Britain triathlon in 2018. She traveled between Lands End and John o'Groats three times, cycling, walking and stand up paddleboarding the route.


Motoring

Motoring events between the two extremities have been held since the first decade of the 20th century, when the
Auto-Cycle Union The Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) is the governing body of motorcycle sport in Great Britain, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, but excluding Northern Ireland.
(ACU) organised a series of runs for motorcycles. In 1911, Ivan B. Hart-Davies became the holder of the final Land's End to John o' Groats record for solo motorcycles. Riding his 3.5 hp single-speed Triumph, he covered the in 29 hours, 12 minutes. As his average speed exceeded the then-maximum of 20 mph, further official record attempts were banned by the ACU. The
Motor Cycling Club The Motor Cycling Club (MCC) is a British motorsports and Motorcycle sport club formed in 1901. It is the second oldest motorcycle club in Great Britain. It is a member of both the Motor Sports Association (cars) and Auto-Cycle Union (bikes). ...
(which had been running the London to Land's End Trial since 1908, still held today, at least in name) put on an annual Land's End to John o' Groats Run from 1923 to 1928 which included cars as well as motorcycles. These events were also known as the End to End. In 2006,
BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...
ran a series of three programmes called ''
The Lost World of Friese-Greene ''The Lost World of Friese-Greene'' is a BBC documentary series produced in conjunction with the British Film Institute. Three one-hour episodes were broadcast on BBC Two in spring 2006. The series, presented by Dan Cruickshank, retraces a ro ...
'' covering
Claude Friese-Greene Claude Friese-Greene (3 May 1898 – 6 January 1943) was a British-born cinema technician, filmmaker and cinematographer, most famous for his 1926 collection of films entitled ''The Open Road''. Biography Claude, born Claude Harrison Green ...
's 1920s-era road trip from Land's End to John o' Groats. The trip had originally been filmed using the Biocolour process, developed by Claude's father
William Friese-Greene William Friese-Greene (born William Edward Green, 7 September 1855 – 5 May 1921) was a prolific English inventor and professional photographer. He was known as a pioneer in the field of motion pictures, having devised a series of cameras in 1 ...
and the film had degraded. The original print of Claude's film was subjected to computer enhancement by the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
to remove the flickering problem inherent in the Biocolour process. In September 1983 rally and trials driver Dennis Greenslade from Cornwall created a new sole driver non-stop record drive from Land's End to John o'Groats and return using the newly released Audi 80 Quattro. The time taken was 24hours 32 minutes. Following this record achievement which also raised £10,000 for three charities he established The Land's End - John o'Groats Association formed to authenticate all journeys between these two iconic landmarks. In 1984, Neal Champion covered from John o' Groats to Land's End in 11 hours, 14 minutes, on a Kawasaki GPZ750 Turbo. In 1984, Christian Conzendorf-Mattner accompanied by Dennis Greenslade covered the route from Land's End to John o'Groats—there and back non-stop other than for fuel—in 31 hours 22 mins in a 1941 BMW 327/80. The record run was monitored by a team of journalists from a motoring magazine and is the current record for prewar classic cars end to end, non-stop, two drivers. The Land's End - John o'Groats Association awards this trophy to new record holders. On 17 September 1988, Andrew Frankel and Mark Connaughton drove from Land's End to John o' Groats in a standard production Alfa Romeo 164 in 12 hours 30 minutes, including stops for refuelling. In 1993, John Brown initiated the Land's End to John o' Groats Historic Reliability Trial, a race for vintage road vehicles. The race is held each December and is a tough, three-day rally for old and classic cars, built between the 1920s and 1970s. The route takes a long route, using remote upland roads of the west of England, Wales (during the night), the Pennines and Scotland. Medals are awarded in gold, silver and bronze categories. On 15–16 April 1997, Hugh Edeleanu drove the route in a JCB excavator in a time of 22 hours, 10 minutes and 30 seconds. In June 2001, Wayne Booth became the first person to do the journey by motorcycle without stopping; the 37-year-old completed the historic trip in 14 hours and 52 minutes, averaging 57 mph, on a modified 1,000cc Honda Varedero, complete with additional 74-litre petrol tank. The meticulously researched route of passed through just two sets of traffic lights and was completed within all highway regulations, law and speed limits. Booth and the dozen strong support team raised over £1,000 for The National Childbirth Trust and Macmillan Cancer Relief. On 22 May 2011, Kevin Sharpe and David Peilow completed the first end-to-end run from John o' Groats to Land's End in an electric car over two days, using only
charging station A charging station, also known as a charge point or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a piece of equipment that supplies electrical power for charging plug-in electric vehicles (including electric cars, electric trucks, electric ...
s available to the general public, in a Tesla Roadster sports car. On 7 August 2011, Darren Whitehead & Tony Dwight travelled from John o' Groats to Land's End (including crossing the Welsh border) in 5 days using two ride-on
Wheel Horse Wheel Horse was a manufacturer of outdoor and garden power equipment, including lawn and garden tractors. The company's headquarters were in South Bend, Indiana, USA. History The business was started in the two-car garage of Elmer Pond in 19 ...
lawn mowers. They also raised money for charity during the trip which was named The Lawn Way Down. On 30 November 2013, Lucy Grogan, travelling on a BMW GS R1200 motorbike, and her father Martin Grogan, travelling in a Mini Cooper Works, travelled from Land's End to John o' Groats in 19 hours, leaving Land's End at 4:30am and arriving at John o' Groats at 11:30pm same day. This was in aid of Safe Haven Children's Trust and raised £3,000 for the non-governmental organisation. In September 2015, Jonathan Porterfield and Chris Ramsey beat the record in a
Nissan Leaf The , stylized as LEAF, is a Compact car, compact five-door hatchback battery electric vehicle, battery electric vehicle (BEV) manufactured by Nissan. It was introduced in Japan and the United States in December 2010, and its second generation w ...
electric car, using the existing public rapid charger infrastructure to travel there and back. The route south took 28 hours and 38 minutes, and the return trip 27 hours and 46 minutes. They submitted an application to Guinness World Records to have the quicker time recognised as a record. On 7 October 2015, Jeff Allan and his son, Ben Cottam-Allan, beat the electric car record in a Tesla Model S completing the northbound route in 19 hours 45 minutes and the southbound route in 18 hours 53 minutes. Jeff prepared the route by cycling in May 2015. They hold the Guinness World Record for shortest charging time from John o' Groats to Land's End of 3 hours 44 minutes 33 seconds. On 21 August 2017, John Chivers completed the first journey by electric motorcycle (a Zero Motorcycles, Zero DSR) from Land's End to John o' Groats, then continued his journey to Orkney and finally to Skaw, Unst, Skaw, on the island of Unst, Shetland. The journey from Land's End to John o' Groats took him four days to complete, breaking the journey up into ten parts, each stop requiring a charge of at least three hours. On 30 July 2017 Andy Maxfield from Inskip, Lancashire, Inskip near Preston completed the journey from John o'Groats to Land's End on an unmodified List of John Deere tractors, John Deere X750 ride on lawn tractor. The 874 mile journey was completed in a Guinness World Record time of 5 days 8 hours 36 mins with an average speed of around 9 mph. This journey was inspired by his father James Maxfield who suffered from Alzheimer's for 13 years with the challenge raising around £10,000 for The
Alzheimer's Society Alzheimer's Society is a United Kingdom care and research Charitable organization, charity for people with dementia and their carers. It operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while its sister charitieAlzheimer Scotlandand Alzheimer's ...
. The journey was completed with a support team from John Deere and his two daughters Kathryn and Kaitlyn Maxfield. In September 2017, Tommy Davies and Tom Harvey allegedly completed the 841-mile journey in 9 hours and 36 minutes, the fastest time ever recorded between the two points on land, with an overall average of 86.7 mph. In December 2020, over three years on from the alleged journey, Davies appeared at Truro Crown Court charged with two counts of perverting the course of justice and two counts of dangerous driving. Opening the case, prosecutor Ryan Murray explained to the jury that a tracker Davies purchased a month before the journey, showed that at 8pm on 5 September 2017 the tracker was recorded in John O’Groats, but by 5:36am the same tracker recorded that it was in Land's End, some 841 miles away. In addition, his phone was also found to have made the same journey. Davies implicated himself during media coverage in which he discussed the alleged recordbreaking journey – including appearances in national newspapers, an interview on BBC Radio 2’s The Jeremey Vine Show and footage on YouTube. In defence at court, Davies stated that he had exaggerated details of the journey to the media. Murray went on to say that on 30 August 2018, police executed a search warrant at Davies’ home. Police seized an Audi S5 owned by Davies, in which he claimed to have completed the journey – equipped with an additional fuel tank, and various electronic equipment capable of warning of speed cameras and indicating nearby emergency vehicles. Despite the journey time of 9 hours 36 minutes, the court heard that none of the 105 speed cameras along the route had been triggered. Furthermore, an expert witness for the defence, William Campbell, stated that none of the equipment found in Davies' car could have prevented the speed cameras from activating. Davies, who represented himself throughout the 5-day trial, gained plaudits from Judge Robert Linford for his conduct. After four hours of deliberation, the jury acquitted Davies of all charges. In April 2018 the first hydrogen powered fuel cell electric vehicle, a Toyota Mirai completed the journey. Driven by Richard Bremner and Luc Lacey from Autocar magazine and Jon Hunt from Toyota they started the journey from Kirkwall in the Orkneys. To reach the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure at the time they travelled via Aberdeen, Sunderland, Rotherham and Beaconsfield covering 1,109 miles (1785 km) at an average speed of 56 miles an hour. The journey took 19 hours 40 minutes with hydrogen consumption of 0.9 kg per 100 km (16.1 kg of hydrogen consumed).


Bus and coach

The fastest journey by bus and coach was set by John and Kirsty Boyd from Runcorn, Cheshire, who travelled from Land's End to John O' Groats in August 2017 using 20 buses/coaches, in 3 days, 2 hours and 47 minutes. In June 2022, Harvey Logan reported on Twitter that he had travelled from Land's End to John O' Groats using seven buses/coaches in 32 hours and 17 minutes. The current fastest journey by local bus (defined as in section 3 of the Transport Act 1980 to be a stage carriage service with stops within 30 miles) was set by Clive Burgess in September 2016. He travelled from Lands End to John o'Groats using 31 buses, in 3 days, 8 hours and 55 minutes. In June 2014, to celebrate completing his GCSE exams, 16-year-old Adam Mugliston travelled from Land's End to John o' Groats on 36 buses in four days, 10 hours and 44 minutes. In August 2011, James Aukett travelled from Land's End to John o' Groats on 31 buses in five days, 7 hours and 25 minutes. James undertook the trip to raise money for children's charity, The Children's Society. In 2008, Richard Elloway of Somerset claimed to be the first person to complete the journey from Land's End to John o' Groats and back free of charge by local buses, using the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme, English National Concessionary Pass (a free travel pass, free bus pass for eligible people) introduced on 1 April 2008, and the pre-existing equivalent concession for pensioners in Scotland. English passes cannot normally be used in Scotland, but the BBC reported that "it is understood Mr Elloway got special permission to carry out his round Britain trip." He completed the first leg of the trip in one week and six hours. The entire journey was completed in two weeks, 8 hours and 30 minutes. In 1954, Gertrude Leather travelled by 17 local buses from Land's End to London, at a cost of £1 19s 6d (£1.97½), and the following year travelled from London to John o' Groats by 25 local buses at a cost of £4 5s 9½d (£4.29).


Train

The closest railway station to Land's End is Penzance railway station, Penzance, while the closest to John o' Groats is Wick railway station, Wick, so any rail journey will also include other means of transport. The record time for a single journey from Lands End to John o'Groats using "public ground transport" is 24 hours 4 minutes and was set in July 2016 by 65-year-old Roy Plomet, raising funds for the Down's Syndrome Association. He made a similar return journey, and his time of 49 hours 54 minutes is the Guinness record for the return journey.


Hitchhiking

M. Clark and G. Beynon are the last hitchhikers recorded in the ''Guinness Book of Records'' for the Land's End to John o' Groats trip (17 hours 8 minutes).


Paramotor (motorised paraglider)

The first recorded journey by paramotor was by Andy Phillips, supported by a team of British Royal Marines in September 2000. The trip took a little over six days and was completed from south to north. The first recorded trip from north to south was by John Caston, Brian Pushman, Alex Heron and Henry Glasse in September 2009 and took five days. In July 2016 a group of four pilots completed the trip from north to south in 6.5 days. This included double amputee Cayle Royce, who became the first person to fly the route in a ParaTrike.


Golf

In 2005 Surrey-based golfer and member of the Kent Golf Society David Sullivan walked from John o' Groats to Land's End hitting golf balls all the way. He travelled the in seven weeks to be eligible for the Guinness Book of Records as the longest golf hole. He raised money for the Variety Club, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami Appeal, and the Orpheus Centre, a residential arts and learning facility for the young and disabled in Surrey.


Aeroplane

The fastest passage between the two points was made in 1988 by a McDonnell Douglas Phantom in UK service, McDonnell Douglas F-4K Phantom in a time of 46 minutes 44 seconds


In a straight line

On 17 May 2014 a team of four set off to complete Beeline Britain – a journey from Land's End to John o' Groats in a straight line. This never before attempted route was completed in 28 days and required the two biggest sea kayak crossings ever completed in UK waters. *The first crossing went direct from Land's End to Pembrokeshire – a distance of over 200 km which took 34.5 hours to complete. *The second crossing went direct from Pembrokeshire to Anglesey – around 170 km and taking 24.5 hours to complete. The team then kayaked, biked and hiked the remainder of the route which went via: Isle of Man – Dalmellington – Glasgow – Crieff – traversing Ben Macdui the second highest mountain in the UK – Lossiemouth – across the Moray Firth – Lybster – John o' Groats. The project was devised and managed by Ian O'Grady. He recruited the Team GB Paralympian Nick Beighton, Adam Harmer, a professional kayak coach and University Lecturer, Tori James who was the first Welsh woman to stand on the summit of Mount Everest. Beeline Britain's aim was to raise funds and awareness for Blesma, The Limbless Veterans, Blesma, the limbless veterans charity. The project gained full royal endorsement from the Royal Foundation of the Duke of Cambridge, Duke and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, and has to date raised over £20,000 for Blesma. The whole journey was captured by filmmaker Ian Burton for the feature documentary ''As The Crow Flies''


Youngest and oldest

The Land's End–John o' Groats Association presents the Jack Adams/Richard Elloway Trophy annually to the youngest person to have completed the journey other than as a passenger in a motor vehicle. Henry Cole completed the journey in June 2006, at the age of four; he cycled over 31 days. He started school in the following September, and was presented with the Jack Adams/Richard Elloway Trophy in January 2007. Sophie George is currently the youngest recipient of the Jack Adams/Richard Elloway Trophy. She completed the journey by bus and train in August 2016 at the age of two years and 10 months and was awarded the trophy in January 2017. In 2017 Amelia Sampson aged 22 months completed John o' Groats to Land's End in 14 days in her trailer towed by her parents riding a tandem. Allan Knight is the oldest person to complete the journey on foot; he walked from John o' Groats to Land's End and completed his journey on 2 November 2021 at the age of 76 years 144 days.


Organisations

There are three organisations supporting people undertaking the journey. * The Land's End–John o' Groats Association is a non-commercial organisation established in 1983 for "those who have completed the epic journey from Land’s End to John o' Groats, or vice versa, by any means in a single trip". * The Land's End John o' Groats Club, which is sponsored by the company that operates facilities at Land's End and John o' Groats, the end points. It holds an annual awards ceremony to select the most notable 'end-to-enders' each year. * Bike the UK for MS is a charity raising awareness for multiple sclerosis research and patients by running supported cycling trips including from Land's End to John o' Groats. They combine "an important cause with an incredible experience to help fund treatment and research for a cure whilst addressing the challenges for those affected by MS".


Scottish equivalent

Until Acts of Union 1707, Union with England in 1707, Scotland's equivalent of the phrase was often "John o' Groats to Maidenkirk", as Maidenkirk (Kirkmaiden) was traditionally considered Scotland's southernmost point, a trip. This can be found in Robert Burns' poem ''On Francis Grose, Captain Grose's Peregrinations thro' Scotland'' and the song, ''The Lady of Kenmure'': :From John o' Groats to Maidenkirk :You'll never find a truer :For loyal faith and dauntless deeds, :Than the Lady of Kenmure. The southernmost village in Scotland is actually nearby Drummore.''Drummore – most southerly village'', Visit South West Scotland, https://www.visitsouthwestscotland.com/towns/drummore/


English equivalent

The length of the England, English mainland is delineated by the distance between
Land's End Land's End ( kw, Penn an Wlas or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, on the Penwith peninsula about west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is ...
and Marshall Meadows Bay in Northumberland. The distance is by road or as the crow flies. The traversal of the length of England is sometimes used to define charity events such as walks and cycle-rides.


See also

*Malin to Mizen *Du battant des lames au sommet des montagnes *Israel National Trail


References


Further reading

Road walking * Smailes, B. (2004) ''John o' Groats to Land's End: the Official Challenge Guide'' Challenge Publications Offroad walking * Robinson, A. (2007) ''The End to End Trail: Land's End to John o' Groats on Foot'' Cicerone * McCloy, A. (2001) ''The Land's End to John o' Groats Walk'' Cordee * Salter, M. (2006) ''Land's End to John o' Groats – a Thousand Mile Walking Route'' Folly Publications Cycling * Mitchell, N (2012) End to End Cycle Route: Land's End to John o' Groats (Cicerone Press) * Smailes Brian (2009) ''Land's End to John o' Groats Cycle Guide – The Official Challenge Guide'' Challenge Publications * Brown, Simon (1995) ''Land's End to John o' Groats Cycle Guide'', Cicerone * Salter, P. (2002) ''Bike Britain: Cycling from Land's End to John o' Groats'' Epic New Zealand * Lewis, D. (2005)
Land's End to John o' Groats", On a beer mat
Publish and Print * MyLejog 2022
Cycling Lands End to John O'Groats over 21 Days via Northumberland


External links


Comprehensive Free Journal "Walking the length of Britain" Includes detailed preparation tools.
*[https://ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?menu_type=S&path_name=Land%27s+End+to+John+o%27+Groats Land's End to John o' Groats on the Long Distance Walkers' Association website] {{DEFAULTSORT:Land's End To John O' Groats Geography of the United Kingdom Long-distance footpaths in the United Kingdom Scenic routes in the United Kingdom