Hi, I'm Ed Beale, a 27 year old transport planner. On Sunday 12th September 2004 I will be setting out from Land's End, the south-westernmost point of Britain, to walk 1,200 miles to John O'Groats, the north-easternmost point. On the way, my route will take in the whole of the Cotswold Way, the whole of the Pennine Way, and a traverse of the Cairngorm mountains in winter! The whole walk will take about two and a half months.

I will be raising money and awareness about climate change, through sponsorship of the community climate change campaign, Operation Noah, and through a series of talks I plan to give along the way. I hope to raise awareness of the impact of our transport choices on the environment, by travelling the length of Britain without using any motorised transport.

Climate change is a serious problem now and in every country of the world. Even in the UK, we have seen serious flooding in Boscastle and elsewhere this year. In developing countries the problems are much more severe: terrible droughts in some countries, floods in others, and tens of millions of refugees forced to leave their homes by environmental disasters. A million animal and plant species may become extinct as they are unable to migrate fast enough to keep up with the rapidly changing climate.

Thank you for your visit and your sponsorship support. All of the money you donate will go directly to the charity Christian Ecology Link, plus an additional 28% in Gift Aid at no cost to you if you are a UK taxpayer.

Please also visit my walk itinerary website http://edswalk.netfirms.com to see whether my route passes near you!

Many thanks for your support, Ed ****** Day 12 Update - Thursday 23rd September ****** I'm well into my walk now, with 170 miles covered. It's already by far the longest walk I have ever done, and with 1000 miles still to go! My shoulders, legs and feet are a bit sore but I've met some great people along the way and I'm feeling very positive. Tomorrow I will cross the border out of Cornwall and then I have just two days to cross Dartmoor to Exeter. Thanks for all your messages of support! ****** Day 23 Update - Monday 4th October ****** Since my last update I have had a difficult time of it, both mentally and physically, crossing Devon and Somerset. Luckily, I was able to stay with some friends in Bath, who cheered me up a lot, and then I was joined by some other friends for part of my walk on Saturday. The walking has become easier now that I am on the well-waymarked Cotswold Way, and I reached Stroud on time for my speaking engagements yesterday. I feel like I am getting somewhere, with over a quarter of the total distance covered. Less than 900 miles still to walk! ****** Day 31 Update - Tuesday 12th October ****** At the weekend I was in Coventry for Christian Ecology Link's conference and it was great to be a part of that! I have now reached Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, and I'll be on the Pennine Way three days from now, so I feel like I'm making very good progress northwards! I have been blessed with good weather recently, and have found interesting routes to walk through the midlands along canal towpaths and old railway trackbeds. The high hills lie ahead now, and the serious challenge of the Pennine Way! ****** Day 40 Update - Thursday 21st October ****** Half way! It's a great feeling to have walked 40 of my 80 days, and 600 miles! I am now on the Pennine Way, and the hills are living up to their reputation - there has been rain every day so far! Today there were strong winds, hail and very cold temperatures as well! I have had some adventures getting safely off the hills in the dark, getting lost and slipping around in the peat bogs, and I am very grateful for all your good wishes and prayers which have kept me safe so far! ****** Day 57 Update - Sunday 7th November ****** After the 270 mile continuous bog that is the Pennine Way, I was very relieved to have a few dry days in the beautiful Scottish borders. Yesterday, I reached Edinburgh with about 900 miles walked since Land's End and only 300 to go! I was very tired over the last few days, having not had a rest day for two weeks, so today is a very welcome rest. ****** Day 72 Update - Monday 22nd November ****** Since my last update, the weather has turned to winter and I've had some adventures getting over the mountains, including a four day traverse of the Cairngorms, camping and staying in bothies. There has been fog, snow and ice, but there have also been some beautiful sunny clear days. I am now in Inverness, preparing for the last lap, the 150 miles through largely uninhabited north-east Scotland. God willing, I should get to John O'Groats less than ten days from now! ****** Day 80 Update - Tuesday 30th November ****** John O'Groats at last!! The last week has been tough, including the longest day of the entire trip, 30 miles starting at 7:45am and finishing at 9:45pm, six hours after dark! On the last day I walked out to Dunnet Head, the most northerly point in mainland Britain, then walked along the north coast to John O'Groats. I was joined by my parents for the last 4 miles, which was really special, and we reached John O'Groats at 3:30pm, just after sunset. Then we walked out to Duncansby Head, the furthest east point and then I finally stopped walking, after 80 days and 1,200 miles! I have really enjoyed the walk, although there have been some really hard times too. I have given 14 talks about climate change and Operation Noah to various different groups along the way, and in many ways the walk has been more of a success than I could have imagined. Many thanks to everyone who has supported me in all sorts of different ways, especially to Gwen, to Mum and Dad, to Andrew Hinds, to everyone in home group, and to everyone who gave me a bed for the night along the way. Also, thank you to everyone who has sponsored me! If you haven't sponsored me yet, it's not too late as this page will still accept sponsorship for another month or so!