Scotland's Four Corners - 2025

 At midday, 2nd August 2025, I arrived at the lighthouse at Dunnet Head, the most northerly point of mainland Scotland. This was the culmination of a wonderful walking journey where I’d set off from the Mull of Galloway, the southernmost point of mainland Scotland on 1st May. I walked to Peterhead, the easternmost point, then to Dùn Coillich near Tummel Bridge, the centre of mainland Scotland, then to Corrachadh Mòr, Ardnamurchan, the westernmost point, and finally to Dunnet Head. It was an adventure which was 999.68 miles in length and took just over three months to complete.

I was self-sufficient all the way, though my partner Kerry, visited me just about every weekend in our van to bring me resupplies and freshly laundered socks. I camped wild and carried all I required in my rucksack. From time to time I was generously offered a bed for the night by friends and new aquaintances.

I’m not certain this particular challenge had been undertaken before my attempt. Nevertheless, I planned the route I followed on the Ordnance Survey mapping system, with the idea I would walk through areas and visit places which held specific interests for me. As the journey unfolded, it was necessary to alter the route from time to time. However, I was pleased to discover, my overall mileage estimation was only amiss by seven miles!

Although I’d concentrated on sea kayaking in the previous fifteen years, it was rewarding to find I quickly regained my walking fitness. This was especially so because now I’m over sixty years old, I feared I would struggle with the weight of my rucksack and the rigorous demands of the rough terrain. Throughout the walk I averaged 15.5 miles a day and I’m pretty pleased with this. The adventure was never about covering long distances every day, but it is pleasing to know I have the tenacity and the ability to undertake a demanding walking schedule. I did not shy away from difficult terrain, indeed choosing to walk through rough country wherever possible.

I took plenty of time off from walking throughout the three months, which was lovely. This meant I was able to manage my energy levels and allow myself to take care of any stresses and strains on my body. It was also lovely to spend time with Kerry and explore the locality whenever she visited. We managed to see some beautiful corners of Scotland I would not normally have visited, for example the lovely Glen Lyon and the enigmatic Fortingall Yew, the oldest tree in Britain at over 5000 years old.

I met many wonderful people during the walk, many who made an effort to find me and chat with me. As with previous adventures, it was lovely to realise my story resonated with people and they wanted to reach out to me because of this. I enjoyed many intimate chats with folks about matters pertaining mental health, suicide and well being. It was good for to hear too how my adventuring inspired people to seek their own adventures for their personal growth.

Generally though throughout my walk, I enjoyed long periods of solitude. There were times when there were days in a row when I didn’t see another human within the landscapes I were traversing. I did not experience loneliness, instead revelling in my aloneness. It seemed to me Scotland is a vast country - the biggest small country in the world. The mountain-scapes appeared endless, where I was dwarfed within their immensity. Even walking through the relatively developed rural landscapes of the country, I rarely bumped into other walkers. Certainly, the further north I journeyed, the fewer people I communed with.

I experienced few serious challenges throughout the expedition. The weather was benign throughout with a handful of days where the wind blew hard and the rain was relentless. In fact, the month of May was almost clear of rain. I think the most irritating challenge I faced was coping with the interminable horse flies, know as Clegs up here in Scotland. They were particularly awful when the sun was shining and showed no mercy at all. I soon developed what I called the ‘Cleg dance’, a kind of thigh and calf slapping gait to deter the flies from land on my legs. (I wore shorts every day of the walk). Many people asked me if I was bothered by ticks. Thankfully, these pests do not irritate me and while I did find ticks on my legs and in other more intimate corners of my body, I did not find them a problem. I’m fully aware the danger the tick borne Lyme’s Disease presents but my philosophy is to remain vigilant for the signs of this and not allow the fear of it to curtail the enjoyment of my immersion in the wild landscapes.

Route finding was on the whole simple and straight forward. We are blessed in Scotland with our legal right to roam freely through the Scottish countryside. Of course, it’s imperative this right is exercised with consideration for other land users and owners. It was the agricultural land which presented me with route finding issues. While we have the freedom to roam in the country, farmland is not crisscrossed with designated public rights of way. This meant I was reluctant to enter heavily cropped field systems because I had no way of knowing if I could exit the field once walking through it (and trampling the crops as I did so). This issue caused me to walk on lanes and sometimes, busier roads. In the uplands and the wilder areas, it was deer fencing which became my bane. I soon worked a system where I could climb over these obstacles without damaging myself, them, or my kit. I experienced no problems with access being denied to me or being asked to move on from wherever I pitched my tent for the night.

Kerry resupplied me every weekend she visited, so I generally did not worry about food sources. Most towns have a shop where I could buy food and it was always a treat when I came across a large supermarket where I could splash out on a large number of treats. I cooked on a small gas cooker and mainly lived off mug-shots (dehydrated pasta meals), snack bars and large quantities of wine gums. I think this adventure was fuelled by Grape Tree wine gums!

I did not want for anything during this journey. It certainly helped to have regular visits from Kerry where my needs could be addressed if they needed to be. I had to relearn how to pack a rucksack for an extended self-sufficient walking journey. Back packing is nothing like sea kayaking. With kayaking, I have the cavernous carrying capacity of the kayak where it seemed, I could travel with just about anything I desired. It took me a week to hone my rucksack packing to a manner which satisfied me but did not ask me to carry more weight than my body could afford. I think I may have discarded half the weight of what I set off with.

This adventure exceeded any expectations I held for it. I thoroughly enjoyed just about every moment of it. There is a huge amount I will use from powerful lessons I took away from the experience. As with all my adventures, I enjoyed reflecting on all the experiences I encountered each day. Even with the simplest of campsite routines or high drama in the mountains, I learned more about myself, what drives me and what fuels my passions. The greater lesson I learned, was my innate ability to hunker down to the tasks in hand and leave the rest to fate. I did not seek a difficult path through the three months of the expedition, but neither did I shay away from challenges or difficulties. In fact I revelled in the overall challenge of the adventure and the requirement for me to often extend myself, enabling me to enjoy everything presented to me.

The Four Corners expedition was a perfect undertaking to celebrate the ten years of solo adventures since the first major one, kayaking to all 47 RNLI lifeboat stations. I’m a reflective person and I thoroughly enjoyed thinking about each day, what I gained from the experiences through it and what will be useful for me in the future. In particular I gained powerful insights into my ongoing recovery from severe and enduring clinical depression. Gleefully, I rediscovered my capacity for experiencing joy in my life and it was wonderful to hear myself laughing and see myself smiling broadly in all the selfies I took of myself. I think this adventure is the one where I reconnected with my eternal youthfulness which will serve me for the rest of my days. The power of these adventures for inspiring lasting personal change can never be underestimated.

I am now much fitter, leaner, healthier and happier than I have been in over ten years. The Four Corners of Scotland expedition was an incredible success for me.

If you enjoyed following my adventure and feel inspired by my efforts, please consider making a donation to my chosen charity - Odyssey. You can do so by clicking the button below. Thank you.