THE END. 1076 MILES WALKED

After safely negotiating the last 10 miles to Land's End there was a warm reception waiting for me there from my Grandparents, who bought me lunch and drove me the full 310 miles back home.

Cliffs at Land's End for the unwary - stop, Russell, stop

Yes, I had made the decision that it was probably best to carry on existing after all.

For one thing I'd quite like to watch the forthcoming Ashes series and then perhaps one day in the future l'll get to see a tornado.

These two things outweighed the net present value of all the pain and suffering that was due to me. But it was a close run thing.

The End

So how do I feel now that its over?

Physically the body is somewehere just beneath peak physical condition. The feet are a bit sore, the legs are fine and would be a fine pair were they not so hairy.

But the rest of me has withered away somewhat and my eyesight is now quite bad having walked into the sun for the last 60 days without a pair of sunglasses (but people who wear sunglasses are just posers really or use them to get strategic ogles of women in without getting caught - I don't want to be like them).

But more importantly, how is the mental state?

I believe it's too early to draw any firm conclusions but despite the odd visit of despair, there does appear to be a certain peace within and a comfort, before unpresent, with most of the fellow existents here on planet Earth.

How long these feelings will last I don't know. Only time will tell whether the Existential Crusade was succesful in rebuilding a decent person from the wreckage of a broken man, or was just a two month jolly for an attention-seeker who refuses to play the game.

What I do know is that the experience was a very enjoyable one, and I would like to thank the following for helping me enjoy it more;

Mum - valuable info provider in absence of internet access (otherwise uneeded) Grandparents - lift home

Joe Druce, Jonathan Cox and mum, Daniel Kubler, William Dennis, Caroline Drew, Elwyn Jenkins - for accommodating me superbly

Geoff Inglis - superb web-mastering

There are also some randoms I would like to thank;

Bloke who showed me the short cut to Hebden Bridge;

Boy from farm who helped me over giant puddle in his quad bike;

Rhona Gwillen who dried my boots for me on second day after it had rained all day and I was pretty downbeat man;

Guys in hostel in Kinlochleven who gave me loads of cider;

Corinna and Vyves Chartier who had me to stay for a night even though they didn't know me;

Michael Jackson whose track "Man in the Mirror" provided the necessary uplift in difficult moments;

Anyone else who helped cure my tendency to be the difficult misanthropist (there are very many of these).

And finally I would like to thank all those who sponsored me at the club so that we can now buy something useful and impress our opposition.

Pubs visited by Russell afterwards