John o\' Groats to Land\'s End Sponsored Walk

2. ‘THE LONGEST TRY 2010’ JOHN O’ GROATS TO LAND’S END

3. Army/Navy Rugby Match May 1st 2010 As a prelude to the walk, VIA and the team will be attending the annual Army/Navy Rugby Match at Twickenham Stadium, London. The team will be raising funds around Twickenham, prior to the Match. VIA will then attend the match and will receive the ‘Match Ball’ which will be taken and carried throughout ‘The Longest Try’. The end of the sponsored walk will be by a symbolic ‘TRY’ at Land’s End.

6. John o’ Groats

7. Day 1 John o’ Groats to Helmsdale, 51 miles John o’ Groats Helmsdale Days Total 51.5 miles - Longest Try Total 51.5 miles

8. Day 2 Helmsdale to Alness, 48.5 miles Helmsdale Alness Days Total 48.5 miles Longest Try Total 100 miles

9. The Longest TryDays 1- 2 - 3 Entering Inverness The first 2 and a half days will be spent walking on the A99 and the A9 until reaching Inverness. The team will then fund raise in the City, while the walkers carry on through finishing Day 3 at Drumnadrochit. The walkers will join the National Walking Trail, ‘The Great Glen Way’ in Inverness.

10. Day 3 Alness to Drumnadrochit via Inverness, 40 miles Alness Inverness Drumnadrochit The Great Glen Way Days Total 40 miles Longest Try Total 140 miles Days Total 40 miles Longest Try Total 140 miles

11. The Great Glen Way The Great Glen Way is Scotland's fourth National Long Distance Walking Route. It runs from Fort William at the northern end of the West Highland Way to the City of Inverness along the Great Glen Fault. The route is 73 miles (118 Km) in length following closely the line of the Caledonian Canal. It follows the line of the Caledonian Canal for almost all the way, this canal opening out into Loch Lochy, then Loch Oich prior to the much longer Loch Ness.

12. The Great Glen Way

13. Day 4 Drumnadrochit to Fort William, 55 miles Drumnadrochit Loch Ness The Great Glen Way Caledonian Canal Loch Oich Loch Lochy Fort William Days Total 55 miles Longest Try Total 195 miles

14. End of The Great Glen Way Fort William Start of The West Highland Way

15. Day 5 Fort William to Inverarnan, 54 miles Fort William West Highland Way Inverarnan Days Total 54 miles Longest Try Total 249 miles

16. Day 6 REST DAY Drover’s Inn - Inverarnan

17. Day 7 Inverarnan to Carbeth, 36 miles Inverarnan West Highland Way Loch Lomond Carbeth Days Total 36 miles Longest Try Total 285 miles

18. The West Highland Way Scotland’s first official long distance route links Milngavie to Fort William – a distance of 154km (96 miles) - from the northern outskirts of Glasgow, to the foot of Ben Nevis at Fort William.The Route passes through Mugdock Country Park, follows the shores of Loch Lomond, passing Ben Lomond, through Glen Falloch and Strathfillan, crossing Rannoch Moor, past Buachaille Etive Mor to the head of Glencoe, climbing the Devil’s Staircase, descending to sea level to cross the River Leven at the head of Loch Leven before entering Lairigmor and Glen Nevis. VIA will be doing this route in reverse, from Fort William to Milngavie.

19. The West Highland Way

20. Day 8 Carbeth to Srathclyde Park near Glasgow, 32 miles Carbeth Strathclyde Park Days Total 32 miles Longest Try Total 317 miles

21. Strathclyde Park to Dinwoodie Campsite, 54 miles Glasgow Strathclyde Park Dinwoodie Days Total 54 miles Longest Try Total 371

22. Day 10 Dinwoodie Campsite to Skelton, 51 miles Dinwoodie Gretna Carlisle Skelton Days Total 51 miles Longest Try Total 422 miles

23. Carlisle and The Cumbria Way A well-loved 70 mile route through the heart of the Lake District National Park, linking the two historic Cumbrian towns of Ulverston and Carlisle. The route cuts through classic Lakeland Country via Langdale, Borrowdale, Coniston, Derwent Water and Caldbeck with plenty of scope for high-level detours. VIA will only be doing a small portion of this walk and will leave it just before Penrith.

24. The Cumbria Way

25. Day 11 Skelton to Preston 50 miles Skelton Penrith Kendal Lancaster Preston Days Total 50 miles Longest Try Total 472 miles

26. Day 12. REST DAY Lake District

27. The Lancaster Canal

28. Day 13 Preston to Lymm, 51 miles Preston Leeds & Liverpool Canal Wigan Leigh Sale Lymm Days Total 50 miles Longest Try Total 523 miles

29. Leeds & Liverpool Canal

30. Day 14 Lymm to Stoke on Trent 50 miles Lymm Northwich Sandbach Stoke on Trent Days Total 50 miles Longest Try Total 573 miles

31. Trent & Mersey Canal

32. Day 15 Stoke on Trent to Ashwood (Dudley) 50 miles Stone Stafford Wolverhampton Dudley Days Total 50 miles Longest Try Total 623 miles

33. Staffordshire & Worcester Canal

34. Day 16 Ashwood Dudley to Tewkesbury 48 miles Ashwood Kidderminster Worcester Tewkesbury Days Total 48 miles Longest Try Total 671 miles

35. Day 17 Tewkesbury to Bristol 50 miles Tewkesbury Gloucester Bristol Days Total 50 miles Longest Try Total 721 miles

36. Day 18. REST DAY Weston -super- Mare

37. The Severn Way Now one of the longest waymarked walking trails in Britain, the Severn Way traces a route along the entire Severn Valley from source to sea, a walking distance of around 210 miles (338kms). Linking two countries with diverse cultures, the path is an ideal way to explore the towns and villages, history and heritage of Wales and England, whilst at the same time passing through some superb countryside. VIA will be walking a small part of the walk, between Tewkesbury and Bristol.

38. Day 19 Bristol to Combwich 50 miles Bristol Bridgewater Days Total 50 miles Longest Try Total 771 miles

39. Day 20 Combwich to Lynton 45 miles Lynton South West Coast Path Minehead Combwich Days Total 45 miles Longest Try Total 816 miles

40. Day 21 Lynton to Bideford 50 miles Lynton Ilfracombe Barnstaple Bideford Days Total 50 miles Longest Try Total 866 miles

41. South West Coast Path The South West Coast Path starts at Minehead in Somerset and runs along the part of the Somerset Bristol Channel coast, across North Devon, right round Cornwall, then along the South Devon and Dorset coasts to Poole Harbour. This is a distance of 630 miles (1014 km) which is over twice the distance of the Pennine Way and makes it by far the longest National Trail in Britain. VIA will be walking from Minehead to Land’s End on this pathway.

42. Day 22 Bideford to Bude 40 miles Bideford Bude Days Total 40 miles Longest Try Total 906 miles

43. Day 23 Bude to Newquay 53 miles Bude Padstow Wadebridge Newquay Days Total 53 miles Longest Try Total 959 miles

44. Day 24. REST DAY Newquay

45. Newquay

46. Day 25 Newquay to St. Ives 42 miles Newquay St. Agnes St. Ives Days Total 42 miles Longest Try Total 1001 miles

47. St. Ives

48. Day 26 St. Ives to Land’s End 25 miles Days Total 25 miles Longest Try Total 1026 miles

49. Land’s End

50. ‘The Longest Try’ Total Planned Miles = 1026