1,400-mile trek makes Barney a star

His 700 Facebook friends have spent the past four months cheering the dogged doggie on his way as he trotted – or should that be ‘bounded’, such is his energy – the 1400 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

When he finished last week, over 21,000 people viewed the final image of him standing under the famous four-fingered signpost on the edge of the Pentland Firth.

Along the way, his owners Bob and Jos Mahon, of Catton, have raised over £7,000 for Guide Dogs for the Blind on their own Justgiving page, while the Dogs Unite arm of the charity is raising tens of thousands more through its Match a Mile for Barney campaign.

That has encouraged dog owners nationwide to get out there and support the cause with their own sponsored walks and more than 1,000 people have signed up so far.

Key to it all has been Barney and the way he has caught the public’s imagination, not least because he carried his own supplies in little red panniers on his back.

“That always attracts people,” said Jos. “They laugh or they smile as they go by and more often than not, they come across and talk. They ask if he’s carrying our whisky.”

The Mahons got eight-year-old Barney from a rescue centre six years ago and he’s been the avid trekkers’ constant companion ever since.

During that time he has clocked up more than 200 of Scotland’s Monros (mountains over 3000ft) and innumerable nights under canvas.

“He was already well used to the tent and the routine of wild camping before we set off this time round,” said Bob.

The trio left Land’s End on Friday, March 27 – Barney with his panniers, Bob with his 14 kilo backpack and Jos with 12 kilos in hers. ‘Lightweight’ was the mantra and boy was their kit pared to the bone.

Their stove was actually a three inch high adapter that screwed onto the top of a small gas canister.

Their implements were two small camping pans and a knife, fork, spoon, bowl and mug each.

And as for their clothes, well .... they basically had the clothes they were stood in. When they washed them, they wore their over trousers and jackets instead while their wet garments hung off the back of their rucksacks to dry.

Jos, an artist, also had a couple of sketch pads and a set of paints and brushes with her, which she said were definitely not luxuries. “That’s what I do – they were necessities!”

The result is a pictorial record of their journey that captures the flavour of the landscape and the weather they met along the way.

The blacks, browns and misty blues of the first few pictures – coloured by the Cornish mizzle – gradually give way to lovely views of cliff-top moors and chimneys still standing sentinel on mouldering tin mines.

Their route took them along the north coast of Cornwall and Devon to the Bristol Channel, where they turned left and started heading in a northerly direction, up through Shropshire, Staffordshire and the Peak District, along the spine of the Pennines and over the Cheviots into Scotland. From there on, they performed something of a sweeping curve up to John O’Groats.

Jos said: “When we started in Cornwall at the end of March, all those lovely flowers that say ‘it’s spring’ were out – the daffodils and violets and primroses.

“But when we arrived in Galligill, near Nenthead, in June the daffodils were still out. It felt like we were following spring up the country.”

She wishes now that they’d done an audio-diary, too, by recording the birdsong they heard along the way.

The flora, fauna and wildlife accounted for much of the magic of their journey.

“Each year, I’m always waiting to hear the willow warblers and chiff chaffs and other migrant birds due back from Africa,” she said, “so it was lovely to hear them, because then you know spring is coming.

“We got the skylarks when we crossed the moors, but we felt we’d lost the curlews, because they’d only just come back (to Northumberland) when we left for Cornwall - we didn’t hear them again until we began walking into the Peak District.

“When we did, though, it made us feel like we were nearing home again.”

What turned out to be an otherwise rain-lashed, boggy Scotland didn’t let them down either, thanks to three spectacular sightings of a red-throated diver, a golden eagle and an osprey.

“I always had a pair of binoculars round my neck,” said Jos. “Lightweight ones, of course.”

Which brings us neatly back to their kit and the bijou tent for three they slept in for 95 nights in total (they spent the other 20 nights in inns, bothies and staying with friends).

One of their abiding memories will be of the generosity and friendship they found along the way as people not only donated to Guide Dogs for the Blind, but supported them in other ways too, mostly by letting them pitch their tent in gardens and fields and providing the occasional meal.

One Cornish couple, Kaye Kitto (who has a guide dog) and her husband Nigel went to see the Mahons off at Land’s End after hearing about their plans through the charity’s website.

They then drove all the way to John O’Groats last week to be there as Jos, Bob and Barney arrived.

“That was a complete surprise,” said Jos. “We were absolutely amazed!”

A spokesman for the charity said this week: “We would just like to say a massive thank you from Guide Dogs for the Blind to Bob, Jos and Barney for their incredible effort – they are true heroes! They have inspired over 1,000 Match A Milers to raise many thousands of pounds.

“The charity receives no government funding for its service, so every penny raised is greatly appreciated.”

Donations can still be made and the daily posts Bob logged can be read on the website at: barneyslongwalk.blogspot.co.uk.

Would-be Match a Milers still have time to sign up on the Guide Dogs for the Blind website.