The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: May seventeenth, step by step, from Land's End to John O'Groats.

The English didn't exactly invent walking, they just perfected it. According to the London Times, more than ten million Britons take at least one long hike every month. That makes walking the nation's second most popular pastime, after watching television. Hundreds of footpaths and lanes crisscross the countryside, over moor and mountain, along beaches and down sheer cliffs.

The premier walk in Britain is the "Long Road", which stretches for 875 miles, from Land's End at the southwest tip of Cornwall to John O'Groats on the northeast edge of Scotland. Along the Atlantic coast and up the Bristol Channel, the path follows the border of England and Wales, across the Pennine Mountains and Lake District, over Hadrian's Wall and into Scotland. It continues up the Great Glen, past Loch Lomond and Loch Ness, ending with a run along the Moray Firth and the North Sea. The foot path is rough in many places, and vast stretches are devoid of commercial intrusion.

Numerous organized hikes follow Britain's Long Road, but most walkers simply stroll independently, covering various stretches as holiday time permits. Inns, hostels, B&Bs and pubs are plentiful along the way, as are points where public transit provides easy access to and from the trail.

For adventurous, energetic travelers who have the time, there's no better way to explore Great Britain from end to end, or to meet many of its citizens, than taking a walk on the "Long Road."

FMI Contact the British National Tourist Office at 800-462- 2748 or www.travelbritain.com

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