1 week to go

This time next week I will be on the long train journey from Paddington to Penzance. I will stay the night in a hotel and then the next morning my friends Brad and Adele, who are coming to see me off, will drive me to Land's End for the initial photos and the start of the journey.

All the accommodation is booked, all the maps are marked up with the route - and in some cases a choice between scenic and shorter - and maps etc are posted ahead to various stages on the route. It remains to reduce my luggage to a weight I can actually carry! I have been training with 7.5 kg, and my first attempt at a full pack weighed in at 11kg, though I hope to get it down to 9.

I am delighted to say that it looks certain that I should be starting out with more than £10,000 sponsorship. My eventual target is now £15,000 though it may possibly be revised upwards again in due course. Remember I am covering all the expenses of the trip, so all money goes to the charities.

It is going to be strange living a normal life in the next six days, though it should be an exciting time for the Cathedral Choir - a concert, four services, a wedding and the end of term BBQ, not to mention the farewell to my colleague Jeremy Pemberton, the other bass in the choir - a partnership of 14 years.

I will be posting blogs each evening, starting from the end of next Wednesday.

The photo shows me in full kit, starting a training walk from the back of Maythorne Mill, where I live.

Daily Data

Days left until John O’Groats	83
Route miles walked	0
Estimated miles until John O’Groats	1050
Miles walked including evenings and rest days	0
Counties walked through	0
Number of walking companions so far	0
Number of stiles crossed	0
Current sponsorship total	£9938.82

Support the Charities

To donate to any of the four charities, click here.