So, if you haven’t turned already to your atlas to see where those endpoints are, let me fill you in. Lands’ End is the southwesternmost point of mainland England. John o’Groats is the northeasternmost point of mainland Scotland. They’re roughly 800 miles apart, but you can’t walk there by that ‘as the crow flies’ straight line route. There’s too much water in between, for one thing.

Sticking to land routes and following roads, trails, bike paths, canal towpaths, the distance is 1,000 miles or more. While shorter than the famous Appalachian Trail in the eastern US, for example, it’s still a big deal.

A lot of people make the trip on bicycles. Others (like me) attempt it on foot. It could take 2½ months to walk it. And the time it takes depends on two things: your average miles per day; and how long your particular route is.

(More on my route selection next time.)