Reaching the bottom

I know the photo below is not particularly interesting, but for me the location shown here marks a personal milestone.

Taken at Sydney Cove on Ulva Island, it's both as far south, and as far away from London, as I'm going to get on this whole journey. Ulva is a small rocky clump lying within Paterson Inlet, and part of Stewart Island – a much larger land mass situated below New Zealand's South Island. It is a very very long way from home. Hazarding a rough guess, I reckon we're talking 11,750 miles from dear old London town.

Standing on the beach, a minute or so before I took that picture, I had one of those moments of clarity so mythologised by alcoholics (you'll have to indulge me a minute...) and walked slowly and purposefully over to the rock face you can see above. Holding out my right hand, I gave the rock some kind of congratulatory high five, about-turned, and set off back along the beach.

For better or for worse, I've gone just about as far as I can go. From now on home is only going to get closer.