From the New Forest to the Cairngorms: John Scott becomes the first person to complete the Slow Ways National Park Challenge

Back in April we met adventurer John Scott at Brockenhurst Station, as he passed through the New Forest on the early stages of his remarkable Slow Ways National Parks Challenge.

John set himself the epic journey of walking around 2,300 miles through all 15 of the UK’s National Parks, as well as London – the world’s first National Park City. The route forms part of the wider Slow Ways initiative, a citizen-led project creating a national walking network linking towns, cities and some of the UK’s most treasured landscapes.

Four months, thousands of miles and 15 National Parks later, John has reached the finish line in Nairn, Scotland, completing the challenge.

The final National Park on his journey was the Cairngorms, where members of the National Park team were able to meet John and his wife Daksha for a cuppa, a chat and some final photos, despite ongoing wildfires affecting parts of the Park.

He told us about the highlights, challenges and more memorable moments:

What has been the highlight?

As a native Scotsman that’s lived in the south for many years, crossing the England Scotland border brought me great joy. I’ve crossed it by train or car many times, so experiencing it on foot was a definite highlight.

How were the paths and trails?

I found them to be relatively good, well signposted, clear – mostly having been reviewed by other Slow Ways volunteers and selected because of that.

How do the National Parks compare?

It is hard to compare them as they each have their own character and are fascinating in different ways. Even those close to each other can be experienced differently. Dartmoor is bleakly beautiful and I came through it in thrashing rain and got completely soaked. Then a day later I was on Exmoor, strolling through rolling green hills on a lovely walk down onto the Bristol Channel and the coast.

How was the weather?

I only got soaked twice so was exceptionally fortunate. It was very hot earlier in the challenge. During the first major heatwave I was on the Welsh coast. So, there was a cool breeze there. The second one I remember coming from the Yorkshire Dales into the Lake District, and I was getting that sort of slightly wobbly, dehydrated feel. So that was probably the most difficult day. I took the next day off and then marched on thereafter. And as I’ve made my way north, it’s cooled down.

Did you meet any interesting people along the way?

I walked some part of the Glasgow walkway with a woman who was doing the Land’s End to John O Groats. It was a pleasure to walk with her, partly because she was struggling with it all, and I think she just wanted a bit of human contact. I met a very nice man on the Welsh coast, who gave me some very good advice about how to get from here to there on quite a challenging route, and we then subsequently had a conversation about the meaning of life, which was good. And at the end of it he said, I’ll remember this. And I said, well, you know, as indeed will I.

John’s journey has been much more than an incredible personal achievement. It has been a celebration of Britain’s National Parks and the connections between people and place.

The Slow Ways National Parks Challenge also offers a glimpse of what could be possible in the future: a walking network connecting our National Parks with the villages, towns and cities around them, making it easier for people to experience these special landscapes on foot.

The National Parks Trail is still a developing route rather than a fixed trail, with different walkers able to find their own way. Slow Ways helps make that possible by providing routes that have been walked, reviewed and improved by other people.

John’s epic journey is a huge step in demonstrating what can be achieved – and hopefully an inspiration for many more people to follow in his footsteps.

If you’d like to know more about Slow Ways and the National Park Trail please take a look at www.slowways.org

With thanks to John Scott, the Cairngorms National Park, Alison Barnes and Dan Raven-Ellison.