John Merrill
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the British sportsman. For other uses, see John MerrillJohn MerrillJohn Merrill, from London, England, is a marathon walker, a profession which he can be said to have created, and of which he remains a leading, if not the only, member...
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John Merrill, from London, England, is a marathon walker, a profession which he can be said to have created, and of which he remains a leading, if not the only, member. He attended Wennington School
Wennington School
Wennington School, founded by the Quaker educationalist Kenneth C. Barnes, was a co-educational and ultimately progressive boarding school.It was originally founded in 1940 in Lunesdale, Lancashire. Early governors included Alfred Schweitzer and John Macmurray...
in Wetherby Yorkshire between 1955-61.
He is active in two areas: firstly undertaking extremely long walks, and secondly publishing book about walking, dealing with both his experiences and describing routes for readers to follow. In January 2003, he was made an Honorary Master of Derby University, for his walking and writing. He also lectures extensively about walking.
On July 17. 2010, John was Oredained as an Interfaith Minister.
See www.pilgrimways.co.uk
UK
- Hebridean Journey - 1003 miles (1,614.2 km).
- Northern Isles Journey - 913 miles (1,469.3 km).
- Irish Island Journey - 1578 miles (2,539.5 km).
- Parkland Journey - 2043 miles (3,287.9 km).
- Land's EndLand's EndLand's End is a headland and small settlement in west Cornwall, England, within the United Kingdom. It is located on the Penwith peninsula approximately eight miles west-southwest of Penzance....
to John o' GroatsJohn o' GroatsJohn o' Groats is a village in the Highland council area of Scotland. Part of the county of Caithness, John o' Groats is popular with tourists because it is usually regarded as the most northerly settlement of mainland Great Britain, although this is not a claim made by the inhabitants...
- 1608 miles (2,587.8 km). - East of England Heritage Route - 450 miles (724.2 km)
- Entire coastline of Great Britain - 6824 miles (10,982.1 km) - first ever undertaking.
Continental Europe
- Across Austria – 712 miles (1,145.9 km).
- Loire Valley – 450 miles (724.2 km).
- Europe crossing – 2806 miles (4,515.8 km).
- Camino de Santiago – French routeThe French WayThe French Way is the most popular of the routes of the Way of St. James, the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. It runs from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles on the Spanish side and then another 780km on to Santiago de...
– 1100 miles (1,770.3 km). - Camino de Santiago – Seville route – 700 miles (1,126.5 km).
- Camino de Santiago – Portuguese route – 650 miles (1,046.1 km).
- St. Olav’s Way – 440 miles (708.1 km).
America
- Appalachian TrailAppalachian TrailThe Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
- 2200 miles (3,540.5 km). - Mexico to Canada via the Pacific Crest TrailPacific Crest TrailThe Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance mountain hiking and equestrian trail on the Western Seaboard of the United States. The southern terminus is at the California border with Mexico...
– 2700 miles (4,345.2 km). - Buckeye TrailBuckeye TrailThe Buckeye Trail is a 1,444 miles long-distance trail that loops around the state of Ohio. Part of it is on roads and part is on wooded trail...
in Ohio – 1310 miles (2,108.2 km) - first ever undertaking - Virginia Beach on the Atlantic coast, to San Francisco on the Pacific coast – 4226 miles (6,801.1 km) – taking a record 178 days.
Overall
In all Merrill has calculated that he walked over 200,000 miles between 1969 and 2010, raising over £756,000 in charity sponsorship.Books published
Merrill is author of more than 340 walking guides which he prints and publishes himself, and his book sales are in excess of 4 million. His best known work is possibly ‘Turn Right at Land’s End’ about his walk around Britain’s coastline. He has created many long distance walks including The Limey WayLimey Way
The Limey Way is a 65-kilometre Challenge walk through Derbyshire, England. It starts at Castleton and progesses through 15 major and 5 minor limestone dales to reach the River Dove and Dovedale, the walk's end....
, The Peakland Way, and Jennifer's Challenge Walk. He has also written about non-walking matters such as Sir Joseph Paxton and other famous Derbyshire figures.