A father of two has completed a record rail round trip of Great Britain raising cash for children with hearing difficulties. It’s thought that Peter Mugridge, whose hearing began to deteriorate at the age of five, is the first person to travel from Land’s End to John o’ Groats and back again solely by public transport.
Peter teamed up with Britain’s biggest transport operator, FirstGroup, to embark on the non-stop challenge. First Great Western and ScotRail, both of which are operated by FirstGroup, provide services stretching almost the entire length of the country.
Peter’s journey started on Monday (June 14) at 1315 with a taxi ride from Land’s End to Penzance. He then caught First Great Western’s service to London Paddington and a quick tube ride to Euston. ScotRail’s Caledonian Sleeper service to Inverness followed and then a local ScotRail service to Thurso. A taxi transported Peter from Thurso to John o’ Groats and he marked the halfway point of his mammoth trip at 1455 on Tuesday (June 15). The taxi dropped him off at Wick station and he embarked upon exactly the same route back to Land’s End but with an added stop in Plymouth. He completed the trip on Wednesday (June 16) at 1457.
Covering 2175 miles in 49 hours and 49 minutes, it is believed that Peter is the first person in the UK to make the return journey entirely by public transport.
The 43-year-old from Epsom, Surrey, is raising cash for the Mary Hare School for deaf children in Newbury, which he once attended, and aims to raise awareness of how accessible rail travel is to people regardless of disability.
A self-confessed rail enthusiast, Peter said: “Now that I have completed the challenge, I hope that lots of people will consider donating – I hope to raise £10,000. The Mary Hare School is such a worthwhile cause and really helps deaf children develop the skills they need to succeed in later life.“
He added: “When I realised that two of FirstGroup’s rail franchises, First Great Western and ScotRail cover the entire length of Great Britain, I hoped that the company would support me and I’m very grateful to First for doing so.
“I am extremely proud to become the first person to complete the return journey between Land’s End and John o’ Groats by public transport.”
Sir Moir Lockhead, Chief Executive of FirstGroup, said: “We were very pleased to be able to support such a worthy cause and I’m delighted our First Great Western and ScotRail services helped Peter achieve his goal.”
Tony Shaw, Principle of Mary Hare School said: “We’ve been tracking Peter’s progress with great interest and I am thrilled that he has been successful. The whole school has been right behind him. We are extremely grateful to Peter for his efforts and to FirstGroup for supporting him.”
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