A walk on the wild side: Pioneer from across the pond creates a trailblazing route... and maps out a new life
Hiker planning famous challenge stops in his tracks to chart new route from Inverness to John o’ Groats
Jay Wilson’s dream to walk from Land’s End to John o’ Groats completely changed the direction of his life – even though he has never actually completed the route.
In fact, the aerospace engineer from Virginia in the US did not even start the iconic end-to-end trail. Instead, he became the passionate pioneer of a final “missing link” of the LEJoG walking route.
A decade on, the 233km (145-mile) John o’ Groats Trail is an established and waymarked walk that extends north from Inverness to the most northeasterly point in mainland Britain. This year, the first guidebook to the trail, co-authored by Jay, was published by Cicerone.
Jay reveals his path to a new Highlands life. He says: “Back in 2013, when I was making a plan to walk from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, I assumed there would be a hiking trail to follow all the way.
“I’m from east-coast America, where I was very familiar with the Appalachian Trail, which is a 3,540km (2,200-mile) hiking-only route through 14 states.
“While the LEJoG route does have walking trails for much of the way in the south, I realised that once walkers reached Inverness, there were only roads north. I decided that I didn’t want to start an end-to-end walk that I couldn’t properly finish on hiking trails. This got me thinking about what could be done to create a new trail in the Highlands.”
Jay, who now lives close to the trail in the tiny coastal village of Berriedale in Caithness, quickly threw his heart and soul into his plan.
He says: “I was living in Hertfordshire at the time and, in 2014, I travelled to Inverness to see what options there were on the ground for a new trail. I did a recce of much of the route that is now the John o’ Groats Trail and that started a long process of developing a new route.
“I spent a lot of time talking to local people, including landowners and estate managers, as well as walking groups, to see what would be possible.
“I was fortunate enough to be able to retire at this point and, when a house became available in Caithness, I made the move. It was better to be close to the trail as the project demanded more of my time.
“This was the beginning of the creation of what is now the John o’ Groats Trail.”
The trail starts in the grounds of Inverness Castle then crosses three bridges over three different firths and two peninsulas in Ross and Cromarty.
Hugging the north-eastern shoreline of Sutherland and Caithness, the route continues north, with walkers enjoying a variety of terrain through woodland, across dunes and vast sandy beaches and along wild and spectacular cliffs. Attractions include ruined
castles, sea arches and stacks and there are plentiful opportunities to spot wildlife, including grey seals, commons seals, ospreys and many sea birds.
The terrain is varied but generally fairly level overall and there is accommodation available every night, on the route or nearby. The end point is John o’ Groats itself.
The new guide was co-authored by Andy Robinson, who has also written another Cicerone book, The End To End: Land’s End To John o’ Groats On Foot.
Jay says: “When I was planning and walking the John o’ Groats Trail, I made lots of notes and I also created a basic website. I had always thought I would write a guidebook eventually.
“Then Andy, who was working on a second edition of his End To End book, got in touch to ask if I would like to work with him on a book of the John o’ Groats Trail. I welcomed the suggestion.”
Over the course of creating the trail, Jay believes he has walked the route some 10 times in total.
He says: “When you are developing a new route and writing about it, you walk sections many times over. I’ve spent a lot of time chatting with land and estate owners, most of whom were on board with the trail.
“Then you identify places that need work, such as stiles over fences or new bridges, and then there is signposting. When you are writing a guidebook, you have to check the route is in place and then check it again.
“I have walked well over a thousand miles in the process of the development.”
Jay gives praise to Andy for his work on the book and especially the maps. He says: “The End To End and Walking The John o’ Groats Trail books are unique for Cicerone because of the hand-drawn maps.
“Andy has drawn his own maps, which are also overlayed with text to guide walkers on the route. They work really well and it means walkers can have confidence in route finding.”
The project has required finance and, in 2019, Jay set up a charity, the Association of Northern Trails Scotland, also known as Friends Of John o’ Groats Trail, to manage and develop the work. He has welcomed funding support from Caithness & North Sutherland Fund, the Beatrice Fund, the Coastal Communities Fund and Ramblers’ Scotland, among others.
The charity is also grateful for the help of many volunteers, who have supported fundraising, trail work and upkeep of the path.
Jay says: “It has taken 10 years from my initial thoughts of the trail to the guidebook being launched.
“One day soon, I hope to finally walk the full end-to-end route from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, which was my dream all those years ago. I just need to find a few months to do this as I will want to take my time to complete the route and to immerse myself in it.
“You could say the John o’ Groats Trail has changed my life. It has given me a new home in Scotland and many new friends and acquaintances. I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved and I hope that more people will discover the beauty of this part of Scotland’s coastline.”