www.longwalks.org.uk
Bibliography
- Road Walking Books
Road-Walking Journey
Accounts
The Big Walk by A Walker,
Prentice-Hall, 1961
This is an account of the race from
John O’Groats to Land’s End
organised and sponsored by Billy Butlin, the holiday camp
entrepreneur. It is
a hilarious read and
is full of mind-boggling examples of what not to do.
Billy Butlin had the idea to sponsor a race
after the publicity given to Dr Barbara Moore’s 22 day walk,
presumably as a
publicity stunt for his holiday business.
The race was on roads all the way and started from the
John O’Groats Hotel
at 5pm
on 26
February 1960: not the ideal time of year for
the racers, but nicely timed before the start of the Butlin’s
holiday
season. Of the 715
starters only 138
finished: many of the competitors had no idea of what they were
embarking on,
and were only competing to win the £1000 prizes for the first
man and woman to
finish. The winning
time was 15 days 14
hours and 31 minutes, and from that day on there has been no end of new
ways
invented to generate publicity by getting from End to End. The (presumably) anonymous
author of the book
didn’t quite finish the race, so isn’t included in
the list of finishers in the
book. He did
however write a very good
account. Highly
recommended.
Shin Kicking Champion by Norman Croucher, Barrie and Jenkins, 1971
Norman Croucher had
his legs amputated below the knees at 19 after drunkenly wandering into
the path of a train. He subsequently became a mountaineer of some
repute, and before that he walked from John O'Groats to Land's End,
mainly to challenge himself. Part of this competent and interesting
book covers that walk.
A Million and More Strides by E H Kyme, Robert Hale, 1975
An account of a road walk from
Durness (near Cape Wrath) to Dover
that
the author undertook after he retired.
The roads in the southeast of England
were as bad to walk on as you would imagine.
End to End by James T Remphrey, published privately, 1980
A bit of a sad tale this.
The author set off from John O’Groats in 1974,
walking on busy main
roads, and had to be hospitalised with a bleeding stomach ulcer in
Gloucestershire. He
completed the walk
the following year.
The Wild Ass by Bob Morrison, Bireline Publishing (US), undated (c.1980)
A brief account by an American walking on roads. Not worth seeking out.
I've Seen Granny Vera by Vera Andrews, Patrick Lawrence Publishing, 1985
Vera Andrews' 1984
coastal walk won her a place in the Guinness Book of Records, but it
was for the "longest continuous walk by a woman" (3524 miles), and not
in the "literature" section.
Ian Botham's Leukaemia Celebrity Walk, edited by Jack Bannister, Willow Books, 1986
Ian Botham's End to
End walks are legendary,: he did a number of them to raise money for
charity, all on main roads, and on all of them he specialised in
burning off anyone who tried to keep up with him. This is an
entertaining illustrated account of the first of these walks in 1985.
One Man and his Dog Go Walkies, John O’Groats to Land’s
End
by Noel Blackham, World Musicals, 1991
This was walkies on roads from John
O’Groats to Land’s End. Monique was a collie
cross. Funny no-one
ever seems to take a
poodle or a St Bernard.
A Walk Through Britain
by Roy H Eardley, Dorrance Publishing (US),
1994
Roy and Ruth Eardley walked the
main roads from Land’s End
to John O’Groats. The
dust jacket claims it is “the most touching, romantic, and
powerful adventure
story of the year”. Let’s
just say this
is perhaps not a completely objective statement.
Return Journey by Fred Noonan, Book Guild, 1994
In 1991 Fred and Joan Noonan walked
on roads from Dunnet
Head to Lizard Point via John
O’Groats and Land’s End:
this is an account of their walk.
The trip was complicated by Fred’s suffering
from a brain disease that caused him to collapse in agony periodically:
I’m not
surprised they stuck to the roads.
The
book’s called “Return Journey” because
they had walked from Land’s End
to John O’Groats the previous year.
Through the Tunnel by George W Jones, Brewin Books, 1994
This is the scariest account
I’ve read so far. George
Jones is registered blind, having very
limited tunnel vision. He
walked unaccompanied
on busy roads, mainly navigating by following the kerbstones, as
that’s all he
could see. He lived
to tell the tale,
but there’s no way I’d have had the nerve to do
this!
A Walker’s
Diary by Robin
Moore, published privately, 1995
Almost half this book covers a
charity road walk by the
author from John O’Groats to Land’s
End in the autumn of
1995. It is mostly
a tale of traffic,
third degree blisters and lost toenails.
One for masochists: if this man suggests going for a walk
with him make
sure you get a sick note from your mum.
One Of These Days by Mike Aris, Austin Fisher Publications,
1998
Mike Aris set off walking from Land’s
End
intending to follow roads to John O’Groats and arrive four
weeks later. He
actually arrived just about exactly a year
behind schedule, having learned a lot in the meantime.
Worth reading if you’re thinking of walking
it yourself: you may avoid learning some of the lessons the hard way.
Walking the World by Alan Cook, 1stbooks (US), 2003
This
one's a bit odd. It purports to be a book about walking but mostly it
reads just like an account of someone's holidays, walking round town
centres and tourist sites. It does however include 30 pages covering an
End to End walk on roads.
Tip to Toe by Swazie Turner, Jeremy Mills Publishing, 2006
Not
walking, but in a standard non-sports wheelchair, hand-propelled. An
account of a charity expedition by an ex-policeman who had his leg
amputated after being attacked while working in Manchester.
Road-Walking Guidebooks
I Walked From Land’s End
to John O’Groats by Krister
Ardrén, Pentland Press, 1998
This is really a guidebook for
road-walking Land’s End
to John O’Groats, although it does include some narrative
about the author’s own walk in 1996.
The
maps are clear and there is plenty of background material and advice. This is the book for
anyone who wants to pull
a shopping trolley from End to End.
John O’Groats to Lands End, the Ultimate Challenge
by Brian G Smailes,
Challenge Publications, 1999
This is the guidebook you need if
you are planning a road
walk for charity, or pushing a potato with your nose from End to End. It gives the shortest
practical road route,
and contains a lot of useful information if you are planning this sort
of
walk. I’m
not sure John Merrill would
agree with the description “the Ultimate Challenge”
though! A second
edition published in 2004 is
subtitled “the Official Challenge Guide”. I've no idea what's "official" about it: the book doesn't say.
Road-Walking Drama
First and Last by Michael Frayn, Methuen, 1989
This
is the screenplay for a television drama originally made for the
BBC, starring Joss Ackland as a man in his sixties attempting to
achieve his lifelong ambition against all the odds. Very good indeed,
even when you're just reading the script. Recommended.
Page last updated 26 August 2008