Fancy walking an End to End? The great news is there is no single established trail. You can even pick your own Ends. Land’s End, Cape Cornwall, Lizard Point, Dover, John O’Groats, Dunnet Head, Muckle Flugga, Cape Wrath, our island has a million Ends and a million ways between them. Make it your own adventure. What follows, in the hope that it can be of help, is the details of mine. So far as I know it has only been walked once and certainly if I was to do it again I would do a little refining, but not a lot so I clearly got something right. The overview Google Map was made before I set out and shows the approximate intended route and overnight stops. In each section you can also download detailed GPX files which record the exact line I walked (sometimes slightly different to what was intended), though note I made these after I got home so there could be the occasional memory lapse. Wild camp spots I have described rather than providing grid references in order to be deliberately slightly vague. They were a varied bunch, usually dictated by wind speeds and vegetation levels and frequently devoid of fresh water. Make of them what you will. End to End Home Page
Read the Narative | Download the GPX 1.1: Land's End to Falmouth 50miles/5days Route: Good clear paths and minor roads. Follows SW Coast Path to the Loe (all well signposted) then my own route inland to cut out the Lizard. Would happily recommend the South coast. Beautiful and much more sheltered than the North side at this time of year, but suggest the extension round the Lizard is worth the miles if the Helford ferry is running. Accommodation: 2 nights camping at Penzance youth hostel £10 per night; wild camp Trevean Cove (just before Cudden Point); wild camp in the woods at the North end of the Loe; wild camp in a small patch of woodland near Mawnan (short of Rosemullion Head); B&B Poltair guest house £38 (Falmouth) 1.2: Falmouth to St Austell 30miles/3days Route: 1 ferry (or 2 bus equivalent) to St Mawes. In summer the St Anthony ferry then gives access to beautiful walking on the Roseland but wasn’t running for me. Inland route to Portscatho is my own, roads fairly quiet. After that follows SW coast path Accommodation: wild camp in a little ruin just before Nare Head (nice and flat but very tricky to get pegs in! On a calm night the headland itself would be better); wild camp after Gorran Haven above great perhaver beach (note there is better camping around Dodman point); B&B Langdale House (St Austell) £58 1.3: St Austell to Plymouth 46miles/4days Route: Follows the SW coast path all the way and is waymarked and easy to follow. 2 passenger ferries across the rivers Fowey and Tamar run all year round. The section East of Fowey was possibly my SW coast path highlight. Accommodation: wild camp Lantic Bay (loads of nice spots on this section, there is grass at the back of the beech but you’d get a better view of the sunrise/set from the headland above); wild camp on common land just before Looe; wild camp right next to the sea at Queener Point on Rame Head (again lots of spots but needs a calm night!); B (just bed, no breakfast) George Guest House, Plymouth £40 1.4: Plymouth to Cranbrook Castle Hill Fort 49miles/4days Route: follows national cycle route 27 then 2 from Plymouth to Ivybridge. The route 27 bit was great, the 2 part not so much. There is a separate path by the busy roads but there is no physical barrier and you’re just slogging along a strip of tarmac separated by only 1ft of grass verge from the A38. As a suggestion for improvement take a look at Slow Ways . After this the remaining route follows the Two Moors Way. There is signposting in towns/villages but not much over the moors and in poor visibility these sections could be quite challenging. Accommodation: Actually legal wild camps!! Dartmoor has a wonderful set of access rights with permitted wild camping areas - I physically drew these onto my map before setting off. Wild camp near Western Beacon just above Ivybridge; wild camp at the Chalk Ford just before descent into Scorriton (great flat spot by the bridge, sheltered and with fresh water); wild camp by the Grimspound (hut circles) on Hameldown; wild camp Cranbrook Castle hill fort (up a steep hill away from the main route but great views) 1.5: Cranbrook Castle to Dunkery Beacon 50miles/4days Route: 2 Moors Way to Withypool (fairly well signposted), then very briefly the Exe Valley Way to Exford, then straight onto the moor Accommodation: wild camp in woods just North of Morchard Bishop (difficult to find any non-bramble covered ground); wild camp Knowstone outer moor (quite a few potential spots on access land here); B&B Tarr Farm Inn £73 (pricey but excellent food); wild camp Dunkery Beacon summit 1.6: Dunkery Beacon to Cheddar 65miles/4days Route: Macmillan Way West to Northmoor Green/Burrowbridge in the Somerset Levels. MWW is only signposted going East so you have to do all the navigation yourself - ideally you need a 1:25 map showing field boundaries. I only had 1:50s so did a lot of the nav for this section on my phone. After this I headed North on my own made up route with the aim of cutting off a corner and seeing Cheddar Gorge. I DO NOT recommend the route I took as I found this area of Somerset very unfriendly to walkers and had to spend a lot of time on busy roads. Instead I would suggest sticking with the MWW to Castle Carry where it connects with the Monarch’s Way. Accommodation: B&B White House, Williton £73 (dinner here was amazing); wild camp woods just after Cothelstone Hill at the end of the Quantocks; B&B the Potting Shed, Shapwick £67 (a lovely place but no-where to get dinner on a Sunday); campsite Petruth Paddocks, Cheddar £14 1.7: Cheddar to Bristol 24miles/2days Route: Briefly on the West Mendip Way, straight over Black Down, then the Limestone Link to Compton Martin where I joined the Monarch’s way into Bristol. All signposted. Again 1:25 maps useful for the fields. I did a small diversion at the end on the Monarch’s way to walk through Ashton court rather than along a road which looks small and quiet on the map but is actually very busy with quarry traffic. Accommodation: wild camp in disused quarry works in Compton Wood (rest of it is too steep); in Bristol I stayed with a friend.
Read the Narative | Download the GPX 2.1: Bristol to Abergavenny 51miles/3days Route: Out of Bristol on the Community Forest Path, then NCR 4 to the Severn. From here I intended to follow the Severn Way to the bridge but there were major roadworks/developments and everything (footpaths, cycle paths, roads etc) was shut, so I had to backtrack onto NCR 41. Over the bridge I followed the Wales Coast Path through Chepstow to join Offa’s Dyke. I was then on this for a few days before turning off at White Castle and taking a pretty straight line into Abergavenny. On this line there were a few footpaths closed for “dangerous bridges” which I found could easily be climbed over. Accommodation: wild camp near Tidenham Chase (just before the Devil’s pulpit); campsite Hendre Farm £12; B&B the Guest House (Abergavenny) £60 2.2: Abergavenny to Crickhowel 30miles/2days Route: officially this was all on the Cambrian Way but poor weather caused a few diversions. If you find yourself in similar need NCR42 goes all the way to the North end of the Black Mountains. I actually turned off it and re-joined the Cambrian Way at Forest Coal Pit (just missing out the Sugar Loaf). Heading back South I managed to stay on the tops until just after Waun Fach where there are small roads to both sides - I opted for the East as it was more sheltered but they are similar distance. Of note the Cambrian Way is not signposted like the other trails I walked. It is a much more mountainous exposed route where you need to do all of your own navigation. But if you can see the views it is beautiful for it. Accommodation: campsite the Grange (Capel-y-Ffin) £8; campsite Riverside (Crickhowel) £10 2.3: Crickhowel to Llandovery 48miles/3days Route: again I was supposed to be on the Cambrian way here but after the Black Mountains experience I opted to shorten the start of this section by taking the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal then the Usk Valley Walk over to Talybont Reservoir. From here my guidebook (Cicerone Cambrian Way) had an alternative route for those who stayed at Danywenallt youth hostel. Accommodation: wild camp near Neuadd Reservoir under Fan y Big (note, the reservoir is marked on maps but has been drained - you can clearly see the outline of it preserved in trees though); campsite at the show caves Glyntawe £10; campsite Erwlon (Llandovery) £10. I wanted to wild camp more on this section as the mountains are great for it, but in the end it was so cold at night that I went for campsites to get me down into the valleys. 2.4: Llandovery to Nant Syddion 40miles/3days Route: still mostly on the Cambrian Way. Ty’n y Cornel and Claerddu are on the official route but I took a detour to add Nant Syddion instead of going through Devil’s Bridge. Due to horrible weather I also detoured through forestry between Nantymaen and Strata Florida to avoid a section of moorland. Accommodation: two nights at Ty’n y Cornel hostel £15 per night; Claerddu bothy; Nant Syddion bothy 2.5 Nant Syddion to Dinas Mawddwy 37miles/3 days Route: actually on the Cambrian Way without detours! I had planned to do this a little differently and from Cemmaes cut directly North West through forestry tracks to Cadair Idris, then follow the Cambrian Way in reverse to Dinas Mawddwy but we ran out of time, so I can’t comment on what this is actually like. Accommodation: wild camp Pumlumon, near the source of the severn; wild camp in forestry above Bwlch Glynmynydd; campsite Dinas Mawddwy £11 2.6 Dinas Mawddwy to Llangollan 43miles/4 days Route: entirely my own, I followed the tops of the Aranau straight over to Llanuwchllyn then walked along the road to Bala. From here I followed minor roads and forest tracks to the top of Foel Cwm-Sian Llwyd then joined the Berwynion all the way to Moel Fferna and Vivod Mountain before dropping down to Llangollen. With good weather I found this a very enjoyable line, with Bala giving chance for a re-supply so you don’t have to carry a heavy bag over the Aranau (on a food note, I had extra in the car at Dinas Mawddwy but without this your last shops would have been Llandovery, then a small petrol station at Ponterwyd which is quite limited on choice. There is nothing else so make sure you carry enough!) Accommodation: wild camp on Moel Ddu (end of the Aranau); hostel Bala Backpackers £21; wild camp near Moel Fferna; campsite Wern Isaf (Llangollen) £10 2.7 Llangollen to Malkin's Bank Golf Course 56miles/4 days Route: follows the Llangollen canal until Church Minshull where I came across on the Crewe and Nantwich Circular Walk to the Trent and Mersey Canal Accommodation: 2 nights campsite Colemere Caravan Park £15 per night (official best campsite of the whole walk); campsite Marbury £20 (very overpriced but nothing else for many miles); pod Malkin’s Bank golf club £59. I decided not to try wild camping on the canals. In hindsight it may have been OK and I did pass a few nice looking spots but they were few and far between and difficult to predict from the map 2.8 Malkin's Bank to Edale 44miles/3 days Route: Trent and Mersey, then Macclesfield Canals as far as Congleton. Here I climbed over the Cloud and joined the Dane Valley Way to Buxton, then a fairly straight line past the quarry workings to pick up the Limestone Way and a final cut across to Edale. This and the previous canal section all worked fine with no access problems, and the Dane Valley Way was a surprising highlight Accommodation: wild camp by the Dane river, South of Danebridge (quite a few good options around here); campsite Lime Tree (Buxton) £18; 3 nights campsite Newfold Farm (Edale) £15 per night - because it was a bank holiday weekend they had a minimum 3 night stay
Read the Narative | Download the GPX 3.1 Edale to Ikornshaw 58 miles 4 days Route: Pennine Way following the Cicerone guidebook. This section is mostly moorland Accommodation: campsite Crowden £11 (fully booked but they found us a space regardless - there appears to be an unwritten agreement that campsites on the Pennine Way will not turn away backpackers); wild camp Standedge (difficult to find space between rocks/tussocks); hostel Hebden Bridge £30; campsite Winter house barn £10 3.2 Ikornshaw to Keld 56 miles 4 days Route: Pennine Way, a very different feel to this section with more lowland walking, and lots of limestone water features Accommodation: campsite Holme Farm (Horton in Ribblesdale) £6; camping at Hawes Youth Hostel £15; fancy yurt at Keld £50 3.3 Keld to Alston 61 miles 4 days Route: Pennine Way, this section is more similar to the first with a return to mostly upland walking Accommodation: bothy Deepdale shelter (a basic hut with a couple of plastic chairs and space to sleep on the floor); hostel Langden Beck; hostel Dufton; hostel Alston (Dad paid for all our Pennine Way bookings and I do not know what these cost) 3.4 Alston to Bellingham 37 miles 3 days Route: Still on the Pennine Way. Lovely section along Hadrian’s wall was one of my highlights. After that it’s less scenic with lots of plantation forestry. The wind blow section is short (100m) and can be crawled through or bypassed on a forest track with a detour of around 1 mile. There is no need to take the official 8 mile diversion! Accommodation: hostel Greenhead YHA (again, no record of cost sorry); wild camp Broomlee Lough; campsite Demesne Farm £10 3.5 Bellingham to Kirk Yetholm 42 miles 3 days Route: Pennine way, this last section crosses the Cheviot and of note there are no shops between the two Accommodation: campsite Borders Forest (Byrness) £10; wild camp on the Cheviot by a little stream at the forest edge just down from King’s Seat (note, we were planning to camp further in by Davidson’s Linn but the paths are completely inaccessible due to wind blow, you could use the shelters or camp on the ridge but you would need to detour to find water) 3.6 Kirk Yetholm to Melrose 30 miles 2 days Route: St Cuthbert’s Way. This was a very pleasant section and I would highly recommend it. The way is well signposted though most people walk West to East so you are going against the flow. Accommodation: wild camp in the extended grounds of Monteviot house; wild camp by Melrose, just across the Tweed there is a lovely flat area of woodland next to the river on the North/East bound Southern Upland Way 3.7 Melrose to Belstane 49 miles 3 days Route: Along the river Tweed for a more direct walk into Galashiels, then picked up the Southern Upland way, then the Cross Borders Drove Road. Both signposted but not to the same extent as other more popular trails so you do need a decent map. Accommodation: wild camp on the descent from Minch Moor towards Innerleithen (very limited flat ground); wild camp in the edge of the forestry by Flemington Burn under Crailzie Hill; wild camp in Edgehead Wood just beyond Belstane Farm. 3.8 Belstane to Killearn 55 miles 4 days Route: The Drove road emerges from the Pentlands and then just ends rather abruptly on the A70. To join to the Union Canal I used cycle route 75 (which was diverted by the building of a large new housing development) and the rather lovely Almondell and Calderwood country park, ultimately joining the canal just south of Broxburn. From here I followed the canal all the way to Kirkintilloch (though with a couple of short detours on the John Muir way to see the old Roman forts). From Kirkintilloch the JMW links directly to the West Highland Way. Accommodation: Star and Garter Hotel, Linlithgow £78; wild camp in Seabegs Wood just past Bonnybridge, the tiny bridge under the canal/road is at 816795; wild camp right next to the 755 cycle path on the way out of Kirkintilloch; wild camp Station Wood, Kilearn
Read the Narative | Download the GPX 4.1 Killearn to Tyndrum 45 miles 4 days Route: follows the West Highland Way except for a detour over the summits of Ben Lomond and Cruinn a Bheinn Accommodation: wild camp just out the top of the woods on the Ben Lomond path; two nights camping outside Inversnaid Bunk House £10 per night (highly recommended); wild camp by the River Falloch under Ben Glas; wild camp in the woods by Dalrigh 4.2 Tyndrum to Fort William 42 miles 4 days Route: the West Highland Way Accommodation: wild camp in a “campsite” by the river after Inveroran Hotel, note there are toilets in the car park 500m further down the road; wild camp just over the top of the Devil’s Staircase; wild camp on a little grassy hillock just before the route enters the forestry plantations leading into Glen Nevis; Fort William Backpackers hostel £25 4.3 Fort William to Shiel Bridge 64 miles 4 days Route: follows the Cape Wrath Trail. This is quite a different undertaking to any of the trails I had followed so far in that there are no signposts and often no paths. For navigation I had the cicerone guidebook and two Harvey strip maps which I would happily recommend. The other key difference is food. There are no shops between Fort William and Shiel Bridge. (The guidebook mentions something in Strathcarron there has been nothing there for many years). Food in Shiel Bridge is available at Kintail Crafts which was open something like 12-10pm (please don’t rely on these numbers - they are from memory). The food section is a very small part of a larger shop and is not particularly backpacker-orientated. I was very glad I was not trying to do a major re-stock there. I would recommend leaving Fort William with enough food to get you to Kinlochewe, and treat anything extra as a luxury. Alternatively, several other people I met were using food parcels posted ahead to places they planned to stay. The Shiel Bridge campsite was one of many such places happy to hold these and I would strongly consider this strategy if I was to do the CWT again. Accommodation: Corryhully bothy; Sourlies Bothy; wild camp on the loch shore before Kinloch Hourn, between Runival and Skiary; campsite Shiel Bridge £10 4.4 Shiel Bridge to Kinlochewe 52 miles 3 days Route: follows the Cape Wrath Trail. Kinlochewe has a decent food shop (your first since Fort William) Accommodation: 2 nights at Bendronaig Lodge bothy; 2 nights at Coire Fionarrich bothy; campsite Kinlochewe £13 4.5 Kinlochewe to Inverlael 28 miles 2 days Route: follows the Cape Wrath Trail Accommodation: 2 nights at Shevavall bothy, Forest Lodge bunkhouse Inverlael £25 - this was another place I know people sent food parcels so as to avoid having to detour into Ullapool. 4.6 Inverlael to Loch Stack 72 miles 5 days Route: follows the Cape Wrath Trail. If you do decide to walk into Ullapool I would highly recommend the early morning strategy, aiming to be in town before the first ferry docks at 9:30 as at this point traffic increases considerably and there is not much in the way of verge. You may also spot pine martens. Stock up on lots of food in Ullapool as again this is your last shop for a long time (next is Kinlochbervie). I’d also recommend making time for a detour to the caves on the way into Inchnadamph, they are signposted from the trail. Accommodation: Knockdamph bothy (has some dubious looking beds which proved surprisingly comfy); wild camp by Loch Ailsh (further up Glen Oykel there are better spots); wild camp by Loch Fleodach Coire just up from Inchnadamph, tricky up here to find a flat spot; Glendhu bothy; wild camp by Lock Stack (there is an abandoned building by the road near Lochstack lodge that provides some shelter and lovely flat ground) 4.7 Loch Stack to Cape Wrath 26 miles 3 days Route: follows the Cape Wrath Trail. Note the cape itself is a military firing range, you can check the access times online in advance but they can change at quite short notice. Food is available in Kinlochbervie. Accommodation: wild camp Mol a’Bhuailt, a lovely little private bay that can be accessed by following the Rhuvoult road (just before Insheigra) to its end then a few hundred metres over rough ground; wild camp Sandwood Bay; Kervaig bothy (highly recommended for a final night before the return to civilisation)
A walk of this length will vary dramatically in costs depending on where you stay, where you eat, whether you need to buy lots of new equipment before you start etc. etc. But just for the record in the nearly 4 months that this route took I spend a grand total of £2078. That includes all my accommodation (except for the 3 weeks of the Pennine Way which my Dad covered) and food, and one new pair of boots.