We finally made it!!

Well after 7.5 weeks and 834 miles, we finally made it to Lands End at 12.30 on Saturday pm, 4th July.  We only covered 6 miles on the last day as we wanted to make sure that we arrived in good shape and on time.  We were all absolutely gobsmacked by the huge reception that was waiting for us.  As the finish came into view, we could see around 30 family and friends waiting for us and cheering with banners, balloons and champagne.  After lots of hugs and kisses (and a few tears) we walked the last 200 yards down to the very end of the rocks and then had our photographs taken at the famous signpost.

Describing how we all felt when we finally made the end is quite difficult; a mixture of elation, relief, pride and a little sadness were all present.  We are very thankful that so many people made it to watch us cross the line.  After the celebrations, Mike and his family and friends headed for Bude for a celebration dinner whilst Nick and his family headed back for a family BBQ in Devon.

The support we have received throughout the walk has been simply remarkable and we would never have anticipated that our blog would be read by so many people or that we would get so many messages of encouragement on a daily basis.  Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read the blog and encourage us on our way.  There are too many people to thank individually so please accept our sincere thanks via the blog.  We have also been amazed by the generosity of so many people along the way.  We are not sure yet how much we have raised and in fact we will not know until after The Sanders Walk Ball in September - the final tally.  However, what we do know is that the amount we have raised is very substantial and we are sure will be put to good use by the four charities we are supporting.

Several people have asked us what we have learnt from the walk and I think we all agreed that :

1. Britain is a big place ... especially when you are walking

2. Never underestimate the kindness of strangers ... we have been bowled over by some of the gesturers and support we have received

3. Never believe weather forecasts ...

As mentioned earlier, the last part of our fundraising will be The Sanders Walk Ball to be held on Saturday 12th September at the Old School House in Weeford near Sutton Coldfield.  A lot of the tickets have already been sold but there is still room for more.  So if you would like to come along and celebrate our adventure then please let us know, you will be very welcome.

So that's it, there is no more.  The End