Garry Buchan Land's End to John O'Groats

This is Garry’s third walking challenge, having twice completed the West Highlands Way and Great Glen Way, completing the 190 miles in just 8 days on the second occasion.

For 2018 Garry has set his sights on something much bigger. He will be walking from Land’s End to John O’Groats, an epic trek with a target time of 80 days. Garry's route will be far from the easiest or most direct and the total distance will add up to a massive 1650 miles. He'll be starting off on Tuesday 31st July and aiming to arrive around October 20th...or as soon as he can!

Garry's route will take him along the South Cornish coast, up from Looe to Barnstaple and along the North side for a while. Then via Glastonbury to Bristol, Bath and along the Kennet and Avon canal to Reading and London. At this point he turns North in earnest, passing Cambridge, Peterborough and Nottingham, up into the Peak District before joining the Pennine Way. After completing this long-distance path - a challenging route on its own - he'll make his way through the Scottish borders and onto the West Highland Way, a familiar section from previous years, taking him from near Glasgow to Fort William. Then up the Great Glen Way to Inverness, North West to Ullapool and finally hitting the farthest North coast at Cape Wrath and heading Eastwards from there to John O'Groats and a well-deserved rest!

Through The Big Issue Foundation Garry has engaged with the
Rough Sleeper Team, got identification and re-accessed his bank account. With the help of our Service Brokers, he has also got a certificate in First Aid and worked in part time employment with the Bristol Post. He recently put his First Aid skills into practice by helping after a traffic accident in central Bristol, gaining the praise of emergency services for his assistance.

You can read more about Garry's story here:

https://www.bigissue.com/latest/a-vendor-who-saved-a-moped-riders-life-is-trekking-1150-miles-for-charity/

and hear from Garry in his own words and see pictures from last year's trek at:

https://www.bigissue.org.uk/our-vendors/garry-buchan-s-story

Garry says 'It is clear to me homelessness is on the rise, the support The Big Issue Foundation has given me and many others is so important and I want to do something that helps people'.

Please dig deep and support Garry with his challenge!

Our vision is to end poverty and exclusion. The Big Issue Foundation is not funded by magazine sales and 98% of our work is funded through voluntary donations. It is only because of the generosity, commitment and belief from our supporters that we are able to do our work, which is to connect vendors with the specialist services and personal solutions that enable them to rebuild their lives.