Inverness local Jo Page is preparing for the challenge of a lifetime: walking solo and unaided from Land’s End to John O’Groats in memory of her late mum, while raising vital funds for two charities close to her heart – PSC Support UK and Scottish Mountain Rescue.
Setting off on May 1st, Jo will walk for three months, covering over 1,300 miles and taking roughly 2 million steps.
She will be camping most nights, carrying everything she needs in her backpack, and taking the occasional break in a hostel or B&B.
Jo isn’t a seasoned long-distance hiker or outdoor survivalist – in fact, she describes herself as a novice walker and camper.
She is funding the trip entirely herself and will be taking three months off work to complete the walk.
The idea to do the walk was sparked years ago when a woman running LEJOG stayed at Jo’s guesthouse and lit the flame of inspiration.
“I’ve done a few wild things before – a skydive, marathons, even Strictly Inverness – but nothing as physically or logistically tough as this,” explains Jo.
The challenge is a huge undertaking, but one that is deeply personal.
She continues:
“Just before my mum passed away in 2024, I told her this was my next challenge.
“She died a week later, so I knew I had to make it happen – it was the last thing she knew I was going to try and achieve.”
Jo’s mum lived with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) for 50 years – a rare, incurable liver disease that affects the bile ducts.
Despite living with the condition for most of her life, Jo remembers her mum as one of the strongest people she’s ever known.
“My mum taught me resilience.
“She just got on with it and never once complained.
“She was my biggest cheerleader in life, along with my dad.
“This walk is for her.
“I really hope I do her proud.
“I’ll be walking with her in my heart the whole way.
“On the tough days, that’s what will keep me going.”
As a passionate hillwalker, Jo is also raising funds for Scottish Mountain Rescue, whose volunteers provide essential, life-saving support in some of the most remote and challenging terrain and weather conditions in the country.
What many people don’t realise is that the entire service is made up of volunteers – ordinary people who willingly give up their time, and often put themselves at risk, to rescue others in need.
It’s a level of dedication Jo believes deserves far more recognition and support:
“Scottish Mountain Rescue teams are the unsung heroes of our hills.
“What these volunteers do is beyond heroic.
“They drop everything in their own lives to go and help total strangers in sometimes dangerous conditions.
“That kind of selflessness deserves so much more recognition and support.
“We’re incredibly lucky to have them, and we should never take that for granted.”
To prepare for her challenge, Jo has been walking with her full backpack, and training with a personal trainer to build strength and stamina.
She’ll be sharing the journey in all its realness – blisters, breakdowns and breakthroughs – on Instagram and YouTube under the name @nessielass.
Her final destination isn’t just John O’Groats, she is also setting her sights on a very specific finish line – Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.
Jo is aiming to arrive back in Inverness just in time to celebrate her achievement at the festival – a goal she will be keeping in mind through every mile:
“Belladrum will be keeping me on track for my timing as I need to get back to attend, as I do every year!
“I will be listening to the artists daily and posting my Belladrum playlist along the way to keep me going!
“In fact, Tom Walker, who is playing at the festival this year, tunes are on my ‘Dig deep playlist’ for when I have a tough day so it will be amazing to watch him live when I finally make it home!”
Cairan Macleod, Marketing at Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, said:
“We were absolutely blown away when we caught up with Jo and she told us about her walk.
“The determination and heart behind this challenge is incredibly inspiring.
“To know that she’s chosen Belladrum as her finish line is an honour – between the Belladrum team and our 24,000 festivalgoers, we look forward to helping make it a truly special moment for her.
“We’re all looking forward to following her journey and sharing her progress with our own community across our marketing channels, helping to raise awareness and funds, and we wish Jo all the very best, you have our full support every step of the way!”
To support Jo’s journey:
- Donate: https://givestar.io/profile/7c90ced8-f355-4775-8a6b-267f9eea67a4
- Follow on Instagram @nessielass and YouTube @Nessielass
