500 miles to the  south coast of England

If the Proclaimers' promise is worth a Scottish Pound, Craig or Charlie might consider a trip south of the border on this path. At almost exactly 500 miles this path wends its way from the border near Berwick on Tweed all the way to the south coast of England at Kimmeridge on the cliffs of Dorset. In order not to cross the sea anywhere on the journey, the bearing south is  adjusted to 181 degrees and is the second longest straight line (360 miles) that can be drawn across England without crossing a coastline. On its way south this line is remarkable in that from Berwick on Tweed it crosses no settlements larger than a farm hamlet until Oldham in Lancashire. For England this is an improbable 220 miles of open country. The path as plotted weaves around this line, always seeking to maintain a minimal distance from it using public rights of way, minor roads, forestry tracks, backstreets and avoiding where possible, classified roads (A, B).  The only major diversion is where the line crosses the Salisbury Plain military range where it diverts for 2.37 miles westward around the perimeter track. The path passes through Berwick on Tweed, Wooler and Corbridge and no other settlements that could be called a town until Oldham on its way south. Thereafter, it passes through the outskirts of Greater Manchester and the next conurbations are Stafford, Wolverhampton, Bilston and Dudley on the edge of Birmingham. Cheltenham, Pershore, Malmesbury,  Chippenham and Melksham are the only towns until Wareham  which is 10 miles from the cliffs at Kimmeridge.  

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Rules of the plot: Always take the legal path, crossing motorways and railways at recognised crossing points. Use bridges to cross rivers lakes and ponds unless a ford is marked on the OS map. Where open Access Land is indicated, take paths, tracks or roads visible on Google Earth and not to route across open heathland. If a footpath is available, take it in preference to the road and specifically avoid A roads for any distance.