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Update 19 September 2014. We made it to John O'Groats as planned and in good order. Well done to all those who took part at any stage of the walk. Thank you to the many sponsors. The original target has been met and passed.

On 31 August 2007, the last day of his contract as headteacher, Alan walked out of the gates of Liskeard School and Community College and began a complete circuit of his home county of Cornwall. This included not just the Cornwall coast path but also the blunt end, the paths, lanes and roads close to the Devon border. Along the way, Alan walked into each of Cornwall's 31 comprehensive schools. He did about half of the walk on his own but, along the way, friends, relatives, school governors and former colleagues joined in. They got on well with each other. In total, Alan covered 380 miles in 35 walking days spanning eight weeks. He was several pounds lighter and fitter by the end.

Following the pattern set bt the student council at Liskeard, he raised money for three charities, one international (Shelterbox based in Helston), one supporting children (NSPCC) and one national and personal (the Motor Neurone Disease Association). 

After circling Cornwall there was debate about what to do next. With John McGreal, Alan's former head of geography, it was decided to walk across Devon. We started at the river Tamar in Plymouth at a spot we had passed the year before. After a coastal section, we set off inland using much of the Two Moors Way to take us across Dartmoor and Exmoor. Again friends and family joined in and it was not unusual for six or eight of us to be walking on any particular day. A pattern was building up.

When John and Alan reached Minehead on the north Somerset coast they had an immediate discussion about what to do next. They realised that every yard of the way from Land's End had been covered in the right order so why not carry on to John O'Groats? The idea grew on us. No progress was made in 2009 - instead about 30 people joined Alan to cross Cornwall along the Saints' Way in celebration of a big birthday. However, in 2010, plans were set in motion and The Big Walk resumed.

Over the past four years a typical pattern has emerged. We hire a cottage as our base for a week and complete six days of walking, typically covering about 12 miles a day. Cars are dropped at either end of each days trek though sometimes we are lucky to have someone drop us off at the start and/or pick us up at the end. Where they are available, we'll stop at a pub for lunch and then share the cooking in the evening. We eat and drink well.

We follow the most scenic route possible, often using guidance from John Butler's End to End site. This means that we have completed the Cotswold Way, the Pennine Way and the West Highland Way, three of our superb national trails. In the south west, we used sections of the Monarch's Way and crossed the Somerset levels. We found a surprisingly attractive route to the east of Birmingham and thoroughly enjoyed the Peak District. By the end of September 2013, we had reached Fort William in Scotland. This means that we have 22 days of walking to complete in 2014 in two fortnight long sections in June and September. We aim to complete the Great Glen Way and then head cross country through the empty spaces of the Scottish Highlands. We plan to finish on Friday 19 September.

Most of the walking has been very pleasant, largely because of the varied company, and we have seen some wonderful scenery. John's DVDs, where he pokes gentle fun at us all, provide an excellent reminder of each section. There have been challenges to overcome including Alan's significant fear of heights, John's dodgy knees and a spectacular fall on a rocky down slope, and a great deal of bog in the Pennines. Additional friends have joined us as we have moved north, but some with plans to do so have not made it. Nigel Burgess, a fellow maths teacher in the 1970s, no sooner announced his retirement and desire to join us than was struck down by a devastating cancer. Alan's best friend from college days and fellow sports fanatic Richard Falla died of mesothemioma, an asbestos related lung cancer, in 2010. These and other less serious concerns have prompted a strong desire to do things while we can and to try to raise some funds to help others along the way.

Alan wishes to say a big thank you to those who have contributed to and supported the Big Walk at any stage so far. He also welcomes further participants in the 2014 trek, for as little or as much as you can manage. Contact via email can be made through alansedgley@fsmail.net 

If you are not sure of the focus for your donations to charity this year, Alan asks that you support the Motor Neurone Disease Association through this just-giving page or through any other appropriate route. Many thanks. Alan's dad, Garfield, died as a result of the disease in 1997. He and Alan's mum Ruth had found the Association very supportive and The Big Walk 2014 represents an opportunity to say thank you and to contribute to ongoing research and support.

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