Naked rambler completes his trek

Mr Gough and his partner Melanie Roberts, 34, from Bournemouth, reached the north coast of Caithness on Monday.

The ex-marine, who began his 874-mile trek in June, has been arrested and jailed on several occasions.

Mr Gough, from Eastleigh in Hampshire, said he wanted to challenge public attitudes to nudity. He celebrated his success by putting his clothes on.

Video cameras

Mr Gough, who first completed the trek in January 2004, did not rule out doing the journey again.

Speaking from a John O'Groats cafe, he said: "It's nice to get warmed up again.

"It has been pretty cold and the locals have been coming up to us offering us whisky and all sorts.

"They've been very, very friendly. We passed a school and there were even parents coming out with video cameras."

However, the naked pair had encountered problems earlier in their journey.

Mr Gough was jailed for two weeks in September for breach of the peace by walking naked on the A701 in Midlothian.

Cover up

He was arrested again moments after leaving Edinburgh's Saughton prison for refusing to cover up and was bailed.

And he was later jailed for two months at Dingwall Sheriff Court for breach of bail conditions and was sent back to Saughton to serve his sentence.

As he left jail in November, Mr Gough was again arrested for refusing to cover up.

Last month, he was admonished by a sheriff for breaching bail conditions by failing to wear clothes as he left prison.

The pair were picked up by police near Dingwall after an outraged Kirk minister spotted them and complained about their nakedness.

And they were arrested again as they neared Dornoch Bridge in the Highlands.