Russell George - Footsteps in Summer: Diary of an Epic Walk of Discovery Across Britain

7.00am. Terminal 5, Heathrow Airport. In the vicinity of the departure gate for the Edinburgh shuttle, a throng of impatient business passengers is congregated. Suited citizens of the corporate world, tapping away frenetically on laptops, purposely scanning slick PowerPoint presentations and barking into mobile phones, they effortlessly assumed a mantle of self-importance as they awaited the boarding announcement for their flight. I speculated on their collective motives for the journey north a crucial board meeting at the Edinburgh office; the final sales pitch to a major client; a quarterly visit from the London head office to the Scottish subsidiary; the delicate meeting with a key supplier; a critical job interview; or perhaps just a day out at an industry conference.

I had taken this early morning flight on numerous occasions over the years, but today was very different. I kept my distance, watching instead from the relative safety of the coffee bar. I no longer fitted in with the corporate crowd, I was conspicuous. My laptop shoulder bag had been replaced by a large plastic carrier bag. I had discarded my suit and tie for today, and was dressed instead in lightweight chinos, a striped polo shirt and, most visibly, stout walking boots. My motives differed from those of my travelling companions, but I too had a mission and my journey a purpose. Most of my fellow passengers would be returning from the Scottish capital later that evening, but my day would end in the northernmost reaches of Caledonia. My mission would begin on the following day and, for me, there would be no return flight. Today would be my last contact for several months with the concrete and clamour of the fast paced, commercialised world which the sterile Terminal 5 building symbolised.

Three months earlier, I had taken early retirement after over thirty years working for the same company in the energy industry. I was looking forward with optimism to the new opportunities ahead of me, but I really wanted to mark this key event and the unprecedented period of freedom it offered by undertaking a life-changing project. I wanted to embark on a tough personal challenge, which would also provide the opportunity to raise a significant sum of money for charity.

In a moment of extreme madness, probably fuelled by the intoxicating lure of the great outdoors, I had committed to undertake a solo trek from John O Groats in northern Scotland to Lands End in Cornwall (conveniently abbreviated as JOGLE, or LEJOG for the reverse journey). I was planning to complete this gruelling physical and mental 950 mile walking challenge in around eight weeks, staying in a wide variety of accommodation en route.

I should perhaps explain that I was not a long distance walker. In fact, I wasnt even a middle distance walker. At best, I could have been described as a casual rambler, who enjoyed the occasional mountain walk in Snowdonia or the Lake District, so this walk would be far more daunting than anything Id done before in my life. However, finishing work provided the perfect opportunity to undertake a few months of rigorous training, so there was a reasonable chance of getting myself into slightly better shape. With a steely determination and a dash of recklessness, I convinced myself that I would somehow complete the walk within the allotted time.

As soon as I had started to inform colleagues and friends about my planned walk, the reaction of most people had been to ask why I was doing it. While they were always polite and sincere in their questioning, their body language usually portrayed unspoken words, which I interpreted as a challenge of my sanity. I took on the role of a fly on the wall.

Mad fool, does he realise whats hes committing to?

Shouldnt he leave a journey like that to the professionals?

Hell never be able to walk that far!

Why doesnt he just drive from John O Groats to Lands End instead?

Hed be safer retiring and taking up golf or gardening

Hes risking life and limb! Why doesnt he get another job instead?

They might well have been absolutely right, but I was never going to admit it to them. At the very least, I had to give the impression that I knew what I was subjecting myself to and to exude some degree of confidence that I could and would complete the journey.

To those prepared to listen, I tried to explain that there were three main reasons why I was undertaking the walk.

Firstly, although I was technically taking early retirement, I was far too young to don my carpet slippers and sink into my armchair. Proper retirement wasnt for me just yet, so I resolved to embark on a project that would help me transition from my previous office-bound working life towards new and stimulating ventures in the future. This project had to be a challenge, an adventure that would be both physically and mentally demanding, and potentially life-changing. Im sure that some immediately interpreted this as a male mid-life crisis project (perhaps they were right again), although it was almost certainly not as dangerous, costly or frivolous as purchasing a Harley Davidson or a fast sports car and definitely didnt involve wearing day-glow Lycra! Id always enjoyed hiking and hill walking, albeit only carrying a light daysack, so it seemed like a natural choice for me. The inescapable fact that Id never walked for more than two consecutive days merely added to the challenge!