Summary of distances walked - Saturday October 23rd

I divided the walk into three sections. There are discrepancies in the distances between various points which depend on how they are calculated and by whom. County council signs with distances do not always tally with National Trust signs with distances.

Section one was Dover to Christchurch. I walked this between August 30th and September 16th.
In this section I walked 274.5 miles.

Section two was Christchurch to St Just [Lands End Youth Hostel]. This I walked between September 17th and October 7th. In this section I walked 400.5 miles.

Section three was from St Just to Mnehead. This I walked between October 8th and October 22nd. In this section I walked 257 miles.

This makes a total of 932 miles walked - and it feels like it!

There were a small number of sections which I did not walk as follows and explanations are included.

1. On Thursday September 2nd I had mistakenly calculated that Eastbourne to Worthing was 25 miles but I must have had a senior moment as it turned out to be over 40 miles and included Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters, both of which are strenuous walks. I walked from Eastbourne to Newhaven and then caught the bus to Brighton [12 miles] and then from Portsea-by-Sea to Worthing [8 miles]. In this section I still walked the distance planned it was just that I had miscalculated the distance by 20-25 miles!

2. In Devon on Tuesday September 28th there was no ferry from Bantham to Bigbury-on-Sea and the River Erme was unsafe to ford due to the weather conditions. So I took a taxi to Mothecombe [14 miles by road] and continued from Mothecombe to Noss Mayo. Again there was no ferry from Noss Mayo so I got a taxi to Wembury and did not walk the mile or so from Warren Point to Wembury. This was a total of 5 miles of coast path not walked.

3. On Friday October 1st I had a long journey and by the time I got to Gorran Haven it was clear I would not have enough daylight to safely go round Dodman Point in the fading daylight so I took the gated lane over the headland - this was about one mile less in distance.

4. At Newquay on Monday October 11th I was staying at Cubert a village to the south of Newquay. There was no ferry over The Gannell so I was collected from Crantock and on the next day I was taken to the Coast Path on the north side of Newquay at Porth. This meant that I did not walk the Newquay peninsular. This is a distance of about 5 miles.

5. On Wednesday October 13th when I got to Tintagel there was not enough time to walk in daylight to Boscastle. Had the ferry from Padstow started at 7.00am rather than 8.00am I would have done it. This was a distance of 3 miles.

6. Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th of October. To get to the accomodation I had to walk to the north side of Braunton, a distance of about 2 miles from the Coast Path and then the next monring I walked four miles to re-join the coast path in a different direction. This meant that I missed six miles of the Coast Path around Braunton Marshes and Saunton Sand Dunes much of which is a restricted military area - the area missed was the same as the additional distance I had to walk so balanced itself out.

There is therefore about 14 miles that I did not walk, 1 & 6 being discounted. However, As I stated that I was going to walk 900 miles and have walked about 930 I don't feel bad about this at all!

Day 54 - Friday October 22nd

This morning after kippers and scrambled eggs for breakfast for a change, I was well set up for this mornings short walk. I set off from Porlock at 8.45am for the village of Bossington down a country lane and arrived there at 9.15 and then set off onwards for the climb up Bossington Hill which rises to nearly 1000 feet. This was quite a steep steady climb but I arrived at the top at 9.50am, and my bad leg responded best to this uphill climb which seems very strange to me. From the top, the path meanders slowly downhill passing Selworthy Beacon on the way. The walk today was mostly moorland. The path down into Minehead was mostly gentle but was downhill for over two miles - I was glad to be going the direction I was. I emerged from the wodland onto a flat path and walk and then past the little harbour of Minehead and then therte it was - the monument marking the start/ end of the journey! Almost opposite was a cafe where I went to sit down and sip tea until Jenny, Ralph and Terri arrived and we had some lunch together. Then some photographs and we set off for home at 2.30pm arriving back home at 5.30pm. So success at last. No walking tomorrow and I just need time for my knee to repair.

Distance walked today - 8 miles

Day 53 - Thursday October21st

I had an early breakfast at lee Abbey and set off at 8.05am. I took the Coast Path alonf the Valey of the Rocks, passing the ferral goats in the valley on the way and arrived in Lynmouth at 8.50am. After crossing the bridge on the white bridge I walked along the promenade until i came to the Coast Path again. Initially the path zig-zags uphill but is quite easy, and then runs parallel to the road until the top is reached some way abouve the road and the village at Countisbury. By this time I had climbed to about 1,000 feet above sea level. as the path moved out towards Foreland Point the signing was not clear and I took a wrong turn. When I turned around I found another walker behind me with the same problem. This was Michael and he was walkinmg to Porlock like me so we spent the next six hours walking and talking together which was really nice. He was just two years younger than me. At 10.55am we passed a Gully with its name clearly labelled - Pudleep Gurt! When we got to the point where there are two routes, the lower one had been closed due to repeated landslips in the past six months, so we had to take the higher route. Surprisingly, after the climb to Coutisbury the walk was really easy mainly undulating and following the contours and only very shot steep places. for miles we had signs for Culbone and then we paseed it and found signs in the opposite direction - Culbone was so small we missed it!

At 2.45pm we arrived in Porlock Weir and stopped for refreshment. It was really good having someone to pace me as my lright knee was not very good despite medication and strapping. At 3.10pm we resumed walkiong until we arrived at the Tourist Information Centre at 4.00pm where I stopped to find accomodation for the night. Michael went on to catch a bus. Before we parted he gave me some money for the sponsorship which was nice. I stayed in a 16th century cottage with really low beams. The accomodation was really nice. Originally I had planned to go to Minehead today but when I checked with the Youth hostel they did not have a boking for me. I needed the break as my leg was not up to the whole journey in one day. I was really surprised by the ease of today journey, nothing like I had been led to believe.

Distance walked today - 15 miles

Day 52 - Wednesday October 20th

The Ocean Backpackers hostel in Ilfracombe was one of the best I stayed at and included free internet access which was very useful. I left the hostel at 7.10am and walked around the Harbour and was able to pick up the Coast Path. As often happens the signposting is poorest going out of the towns and villages. However, people are most helpful if asked. At 8.10 I reached Hele Bay and Watermouth Bay at 9.00am. I arrived in Coombe Martin at 9.45am which I was pleased about as the path took a circuitous route in places and alongside the road at other times. I stopped in Coombe Martin to do some shopping and then to a cafe to have something to eat and drink. At 10.30am I resumed my journey and started off for Little Hangman and then onwards to Great Hangman. The climb was steep initially then more steady between the two until I reached the top at 1043 feet which is the highest point on the entire Coast path.

Along the way to Heddons Mouth I met a familiar face - Oliver whom I met and walked with yesterday was walking the opposite way to me and had done so deliberately so as to meet me on the way! At Heddons Mouth the path goes right down to sea level and then on the other side of the river, having crossed on a stone arched bridge the path went uphill again. It was steady but not difficult. At Heddons Mouth I stopped for lunch at 2.10pm and resumed the journey at 2.20pm and pressed on. When I got to Woody Bay I missed the sign for the path distracted by an alterrnative signpost indicating America, Russia, Iceland and New Zealand! Having walked nearly to the beach I had to walk up again until I got back on the path. I arrived at Lee Abbey about 4.45pm having not had to rush at all. Here I stayed for an evening meal and bed and breakfast.

Distance walked today - 18 miles

Day 51 - Tuesday October 19th.

Last night I stayed in a b & b in an old cottage. Thelma the lady was a real old fashioned sort, to make a drink I had to use her kitchen which she didn't mind at all. The house had a real lived in appearance with things everywhere. The dining room had lots of newly made pickle which she had made. The floor levels were all uneven and odd steps which I was worried I might miss going to the bathroom at night. She was really helpful and I had an earlyish breakfast at 7.30 and left the house at 8.10. I had a long walk along the road to Saunton as Thelma's house was More than 2 miles from the Coast Path where I left it yesterday. I took a different route to re-connect with the Coast Path today but it was nearly 3.5miles to get there. I re-joined the Coast Path at Saunton Bay Hotel at 9.10am, and I walked around the [un-named headland into Croyde Bay] and walked across the sandy beach. At the otherside I was joined by another walker called Oliver and we walked and chatted together until we parted at Putsborough Sands some time later. we were at Baggy Point at 10.30am and arrived at Putsborough Sands at 11.20am and stopped for a drink - I had a Bovril drink for a change as this was on offer. Oliver left me at this point and continued as he did not want to stop.

I resumed walkingat 11.30am and walked accross the extensive Woolacombe Sand which is about 2.5 miles long. Its about 25 years since I walked this bay and I enjoyed it very much. It is one of my favourite beaches and brings back many happy memories from my youth! I made good time and arrived in Woolacome itself at 12.15 and continued to Morte Point, then on around to Bull Point and its lighthouse - I set myself the target of getting there before eating lunch. I arrived there at 1.40pm and took my lunch break. I resumed walking at 1.55pm and the sign where I stopped for lunch said Lee 1.5miles and Morte Point 1.75miles. When I got to Lee there was a further sign indicating Ilfracombe to be only 3 miles. I was encouraged as my legs were feeling tired already! I arrived in Ilfracombe at 4.15pm and found a mosaic in a lawn and a plaque stating that this was to commeorate the achievements of Johnathan Edwards and was opened by his parents in 2002. [The interest here is that I am Jonathan's godfather and have known his parents for about 45 years.] At 4.30pm I checked into Ocean Backpackers hostel and have been able to chill out a bit!

Distance walked today, including the distance to get back on the Coast Path is 21 miles.
Tomorrow is slightly less. I have slightly less than 40 miles to get to Minehead. My right leg is playing me up so I may have to split Thursdays walk and stop overnight in Porlock and then complete the final 9 miles to Minehead on Friday morning as I had originally planned.

Day 50 Monday October 18th

Today I left the hostel at Westwood Ho! at 7.05 a.m. and I set off along the road and up the hill to Northam, where I cut through to the point where I left the coast path yesterday. I then started to walk in the direction of Bideford until I got to a sign indicating a high tide route and a low tide route. The tide being out I took the low tide route, but unfortunately I got to a point where I was stuck in the mud. Unable to retrace my steps, with great difficulty I managed to find a way round and eventually arrived at Bideford. At 8.20 I crossed the bridge from Bideford to East-the-Water. I then found the Tarka Trail which also doubles as the coast path for the rest of today's journey.

The Tarka Trail follows the trackbed of the old railway and is tarmaced along its entire course, which made for a relatively easy journey today. I was in Instow at 9.30 and Barnstable at 12.20, where I did some shopping and had my lunch. I left Barnstable at 12.50 and arrived in Braunton at 2.40. On the way there was some really good bird watching and I also had to pass the RAF Chivenor. By 3.20 I had booked in at the B & B. Distance walked today 20 miles.

Day 49 - Sunday October 17th.

Today was a rest day. I had a leisurely start. Tried to catch up on bloggs until the internet connection played up and I lost everything! I went to the local church of England which is next door. They were very friendly and I was welcomed by the minister. They have no vicar at present.

After the service at about 12.15 I set off down to the beach and walked along the beach avoiding the pebble ridge which is recommended - the pebbles are huge 12-18 inches apiece. Where the beach moves around into the estuary I moved onto the path and the grassed area walking around The Skern and into Appledore with its very quaint Irsha Street with each cottage having a name. I continued around the shipyards inland and then continued to the outskirts of Bideford cutting inland and back to Westward Ho! So tomorrow I shall retrace my steps and join the path where I left off and this will have reducded tomorrows walk to about 20 miles.

I'm now back at theYouth Hostel having a leisurely evening.

Distance ambled today 6 miles. This means I have only four more days and about 80 miles to do, having walked approximately 760 miles. So far I've only had one really wet day and three days with showers or limited rain. Forecast for Monday to Wednesday is dry but getting colder. Looks good to me - I can cope better with dry cold days than wet ones.

Day 48 - Saturday October 16th.

After breakfast in my room I set off really early leaving the hotel at 7.05. The first three miles to Hartland Quay were very much up and down but I arrived at Hartland Point at 8.25 which waqs excellent time. Then as the path turned to the east it followed many field edges with only glimpses of the cliffs below. This was easier walking than for some time. There were a couple of dips down and up for small valleys. I waqs at Windbury Hill Fort at 10.35 and the long down and up tyo Mill Mouth. By 12.05 I had passed Clovelly - the path runs above the village and I had missed until I saw some benches and a view of the little harbour far below!

Before Clovelly the path entered mature beech woodland and this continued for miles past Bucks Cross and Bucks Mills until Peppercombe. I arrive4d here at 3.25. Prior to this I met two women who asked me how long it took to get to Clovelly, so I said 2 hours - and they told me that they had been 2.5 hours from Westard Ho!. Later we met up again in the Youth bHstel and they commented that my timing had been exactly right.

From Pepppercombe the path was again very much up and down although the cliffs were lower. I passed Green Cliff at 4.55 and arrived in Westward Ho! at 5.45. I went to a cafe and asked Hill"! and turn right and it was to be found on the right hand side of the road. It was so steep I can understand the local name!

Distance walked 22 miles

Dat 47 - Friday October 15th

After being given hospitality by John & Mary Smyth, Mary did all my washing which will mean I have enough for the rest of the walk. John took me back into Bude from Stratton and dropped me off at thye access point to the path out of Bude. This was a shortish walk as it was supposed to be the most difficult section. I started at 7.50 at Crookletts Beach, 8.40 at Sandy Bay, 9.10 at Duckpool and at 9.45 I was passing ther radio/ radar monitoring station above Lower Sharpness point. 10.20 at Hippa Rock, 11.00 Vicarage Cliff, and at 11.30 at Henna Cliff where I caught my first view of Lundy Island. At 12.30 I was at Marsland Cliff and at 12.55 I crossed a bridge over Marsland Water from Cornwall [Kernow] to Devon - I felt exhilarated! I stopped for lunch in Ronald Duncan's hut for lunch and resumed walking and by 1.40 was at Welcombe Mouth and Sandhole at 2.45, which is the turning for the Youth Hostel at Elmscott. Back at Marslland Water I met two men running from Hartland Quay to bude. They encouraged me to continue to Hartland Quay as I would have some hours before I could check in at Elmscott. So I rang the hotel and booked a room. At 3.45 I was at Speakes Mill Mouth with its fabulous water falll dropping 100 feet down a sheer slate rock face and then running 25 yards before falling still further to reach the beach. I arrived at Hartland Quay Hotel at 4.10.

At the hotel I asked about breakfast. They served it from 8.15 but offeered me a tray in my room which they brought up in the eveing. I was able to have an excellent breakfast as well make some sandwiches for the day.

Distance walked was 15 miles. This section was not as difficult as had been made out, or I must be fitter than I realised!

Day 47 - Friday October 15th

Having been given very good hospitality in Bude from John & Mary Smyth a retired Elim minister - Mary did all my washing which means in that respect I'm set up until the end of the walk. John took me back from Stratton to Bude and dropped me off at the Coast Path at 7.50. An early start was desirable as the guide bok stated that this was the most demanding section of the entire South West Coast Path. So I set off taking the view of taking it steady and not rushiing up inclines. I was at Sandy Bay at 8.40, Duckpool by 9.10 and was passing the radar/ satelite station above Lowwer Sharpnose Point. After this some of the ups and downs began to come with short stretches of reasonably level walking at the top of the plateau. 10.20 at Hippa Rock, 11.00 Vicarage Cliff [the local church was visible inland but no viacarage!], 11.30 Henna Cliff and for the first time I had a really good view of Lundy Island to the north, 1`2.30 Marsland Cl;iff and at 12.55 I crossed the bridge over the strewam called Marsland Water which has signs indicating that I had passed from Cornwall [Kernow] into Devon. Jubilation as this marked another milestone and home seemed so much nearer and I had survived the North Coast of cornwall which was not as bad as many had said. Maybe I'm just that much fitter. At 1.10 I stopped for lunch at Ronald Dun cans hut, which was open to the public so I said comfortably inside for half an hour.



After lunch I resumed walking and at 1.40 arrived at Welcome Mouth where I met two men running from Hartland Quay to Bude. We stopped and chatted and they said that I would be at Elmscott soon after 2.00 and that to stop there until the Youth Hostel was open to book me in at 5.00 was a bit daft and uggested I went on to Hartland Quay which wou;ld also shorten the next days journey which was quite long. At 2.45 I was at Sandhole where it is necessary to turn inland for the Youth Hosterl. so I rand the hotel [the guys I met gave me the telephone number] and I booked a room. At 3.45 I arrived at Speakes Mill Mouth where ther is an amazing waterfall. The stream runs down the valley and then at the beach cascades down an almost sheer slate rock face into a rock gully and runs for 40 yards and then there is another smaller waterfall before the stream enters the sea. At 4.10 I arrived at Hartland Quay Hotel which was about three strenuous miles on from Elmscott.

Distance walked 15 miles

Day 46 - Thursday October 14th.

At about 6.30 I had my breakfast - pasta bolognese. Never had a breakfast like this before but it was good in the circumstances! I left the hostel at 7.20am and the Coast Path is right between the Youth Hostel and the Witchcraft Museum so it took no time at all to resume the walk. By 8.28am I had reached the top of Fire Beacon Point - some climb. By 9.30am I reached the top of the aptly named High Cliff which at 723 feet is one of the highest cliffs in the south of England. By 10.30 I reached Crackington Haven and took a break to write some cards and have a pot of tea. This first part of todays walk was more demanding than I had been led to believe. At 11.30am I set off again from Crackington and pressed on over some demanding ups and downs until I got to Dizzard Point. On my way down I stopped and chatted to a couple about my walk saying that I had started from Dover on August 30th. I then continued down and then up the other side which was a bit like the ups on the Branscome to Sidmouth section in Dorset. At the top it was 1.00pm and there was a bench so I sat down to eat lunch. I had already noticed that the couple had stopped to talk to others also coming in my direction. They arrived at the top of Dizzard Point as I was getting ready to move on and they asked if it was true that I had started in Dover on August 30th. So they asked about being able to follow it on the web so if you have logged on to "Dudley's Dawdle" - welcome!

At Dizzard Point there was sign indicating 132 miles to Minehead - the end is in sight. So by now this is down to about 125 miles.

Once past Dizzard Point the walk got a bit easier with stretches of hill top plateau but with more ups and downs from time to time. At Millook I had walk down the road into the hamlet and then another long uphill slope to the plateau level. Then there was quite a long stretch on the road as the cliff path was no longer usable due to landslip and then down into Widemouth [pronounced Widmouth so I am told]. Once across Widemouth Sand the remaining stretch was parallel to the road at the top of relatively low cliffs and was an easy walk eventually leading me into Bude by the west side of the canal, from where I was collected by John my host for tonight. I arrived in Bude at 4.40pm.

Distance travelled today 17 miles - but quite physical miles although not unduly demanding. The terrain makes progress slower.

Day 45 - Wednesday October 13th

The b & b in Padstow was good. Julian my landlord was very flexible and more than happy to do an early breakfast so I had it at 7.00am. This gave me plenty of time to be ready and walk to the ferry for the first one to Rock at 8.00am. I was not charged for the ferry as I was walking for charity and this is their policy.

I had an easy initial walk to Polzeath, a village I knew of but have never visited before. By 10.17am I reached Lundy Bay which was clearly marked but have been unable to find on the map! At 10.35am I passed Trevan Point which is marked on maps! At 10.55am I arrived at Port Quinn and a sign indicating Port Isaac in three miles. It was quite a long 3 miles with all the twists and turns and ups and downs and I eventually arrived in Port Isaac at 12.40 where I was able to stop and at last have a cream tea previous places having been closed or not offering same said cream tea in the past two days.

This morning I saw three pods of dolphin at the same time along the coast.

At 1.05pm I resumed walking and discovered some discrepancies in the signposted distances like 6 miles to Tintagel but it was obviously much further. I quickly reached Port Gaverne just around the corner from Port Isaac and continued relentlessly on to Tintagel along a hilly coastline with no obvious identifiable features or bays. The only thing was, that from a very long way off I could see Tintagel parish church which is set high on the cliff top and some distance from the main village. I eventually arrived in Tintagel at 5.45pm too late to start the last part of todays planned walk the further four miles to Boscastle as there was no time to do it before it got dark. Had the first ferry from Padstow been at 7.00am it would have been possible.

So I decided what to do. I called in at a hotel and the barman rang for a taxi for me and Dave arrived about 15 minutes later. We had a good chat and I explained what I was doing so although the charge was £8.00 he took £5.00 and told me to put the remaining £3.00 into the sponsorship fund. When I arrived in Tintagel I was too late to do any shopping. So as the Youth Hostel was self catering I had some issues to resolve like breakfast in the morning. Linda who was on duty was exceptionally helpful and told me there was a spare can of soup and that there was some bread in the freezer. I then went out and bought a meal at a local pub. While there I asked for a pasty to take away so this resolved my day time needs. When I got back to the Hostel there was a small school group with two members of staff. These were the only other occupants of the hostel. They must have heard my conversation with Linda as they offered me some of their left over pasta bolognese. I did not need this as I had just eaten but they did give me a bowlful for my breakfast and put it in the fridge. So I no longer needed the soup. Quite an eventful day.

Distance walked today - 22 miles

There is no absolute agreement on distances as distances using GPS technology are "flat" miles and do not take into account the ups and downs. All distances are therefore approximate. Also there are alternative route options indicated on the routing and different people differ as to how far it is to walk between A & B - National Trust distance signs vary from the signed distances put up by the County Councils in some places!

Day 44 Tuesday October 12th

Peter and I left the house in Cubert at 6.50 a.m. and he left me at the coast path in Porth (Newquay) at 7.07. By 9.07 I was clear of Mawgan Porth (Trenance). At 9.45 I was at Bedruthan Steps, where there was some spectacular scenery. At 11.15 I had passed Porthcothan, which was a dead hole, and I also saw the Minnows Islands off shore. At 12.10, having seen the cafe sign from afar, I arrived at Treyarnon, only to discover that the cafe was part of the YHA hostel and was closed. I passed Treyarnon Bay and walked across the sands of Constantine Bay and Booby's Bay. All three bays were very attractive and at 1 o'clock I arrived at Trevose Head, where I had lunch. Part of my lunch was a bottle of Rev. Berrimans Cola with Chilli, which was interesting. At 1.30 I continued my walk passing Harlyn Bay at 2.55, which necessitated walking across the beach as there is no access above the beach, and this can only be done when the tide is out, which thankfully it was. I passed Trevone at 3.10 and then Butter Hole at 4.05. After Butter Hole was Pepper Hole which is an enormous chasm down to sea level and completely unprotected. It was a bit scary! When I passed Stepper Point peninsular and arrived at Harbour Cove, there was a clear path across the sand dunes at the back of the cove. Then I arrived in Padstow at 5.15 in time to do some essential shopping. Then I arrived at the B & B at about 5.40. Distance walked today 25 miles.

Day 43 - Monday October 11th

Today Peter & I left the house in Cubert [the village where he and his wife live] at 6.45am and drove to Portreath and eventually we found the coast path out of the village. It was nice seeing Portreath again and the cottage where I had a family holiday when I was17 years old - haven't been back until Saturday! At 7.20am I started walking up the road as the first part of the path has been closed due to landslips on the cliff making the path unsafe. Not a long way up the road I was able to re-join the path which then went seaward of the old Nancekuke Common Airfield which is now a radio/ radar establishment and the land farmed to produce cauliflowers. The base extended a long way, probably over half of the way to Porthtowan which I arrived at about 8.40am and then continued to Chapel Porth at 9.20am, then on to St Agnes Head at 10.00am and St Agnes village at 10.45am. I passed Trevellas Combe at 11.08am and this was a pretty little place - not much there just a valley with small beach and cliffs. At 12.30 I arrived at Perranporth and stopped at The Watering Hole on the beach for coffee and some chips. I resumed walking at 12.55pm and decided to walk along the beach - one of the best beaches in Cornwall. It is over 2 miles long with firm golden sand and the beach when the tide is out is over 300 yards from the sea to the top of the beach and in places much more. At 2.45pm I arrived at Holywell Bay one of the most attractive bays and beaches I have seen in Cornwall - backed by rows of sand dunes which run at right angles to the beach and some rise to over 100 feet and it is quite difficult to follow the official path. On the north side of the bay I stopped for lunch and resumed walking at 3.05pm and arrived at Joke Cove [yes, that really is its name!]. But you have to decide of course if the laugh is on the other side! I continued walking around two more headlands and then walked across Crantock Beach and having spoken to Peter on the mobile he came to pick me up as there was no point trying to cross The Gannel, the ferry being only available in the summer and the tidal bridge only usable at low tide. So the plan is for Peter to drop me off on the other side of Newquay and The Gannel tomorrow morning at Porth Beach in Newquay, skipping the rather tedious and repetetive urban walk in Newquay.

This morning when I started I had a problem with tendonitis behind my right ankle. This went during the day. However, my right knee which had not been good over the weekend was fine this morning but far from fine when I ended the walk. Tomorrow I am planning another early start to get me well on my way to Padstow for tomorrow evening. Tomorrow like today looks like being fairly gently walks along clifftops and not too strenuous - unlike the end of Wednesdays walk and the start of Thursdays which are the last two reallydifficult bits according to reports but not as difficult as last Fridays walk between Pendeen Watch and Zennor.

There are now only 10 days to go - the end is in sight. I weighed myself on Saturday and I now weigh 12 stone 8 ozs, having lost another half stone since I started stage two of my Dawdle on September 17th.

Today I walked 21 miles

Day 42 - Sunday October 10th

Today is a rest day so no walking. Time to relax, go to church and to look after my feet! I forgot to mention yesterday that I saw a large grey seal colony at Fishing Cove just east of Navax Point after I had passed the Towans yesterday. I slept in late for me not waking until nearly 8.30am. My hosts, Peter and Teresa, took me to Newquay Christian Centre [Elim] which was at 10.00am. There were over 200 in the congregation for their Harvest service. I was encouraged by the serviced and was introduced to the congregation by Pastor Mike. This was followed by lunch at church. After this we returned to Cubert, the village south of Newquay where Peter and Teresa live. I helped Teresa clear the tables at the shop from last night's celebration of the sixth years she has been running the cafe in the village. Later back at the house I had a sleep and then set to and sorted out my feet and putting on ointments and potions to get ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow the first part of my walk is from Portreath to Perranporth, but the second half mainly describes a circle around the village of Cubert. I also checked the ferry at Padstow as I shall need this on Wednesday morning and this starts at 8.00am which is a good time and I actually got an answer when I telephoned which was good. This is the very last ferry crossing which will be a relief.

I plan to start early tomorrow and Peter and I are going to leave the house at 6.30am so I can start walking as soon as it gets light. It really doesn't matter if I end early but the evenings are drawing in and on long days an early start is advisable but it depends on the overnight accomodation as to what is possible.

I now have less than two weeks left of walking and by next weekend the conclusion will be in sight.

This weekend I have received nearly £140-00 in sponsorship here in Newquay which is encouraging.

Day 41 - Saturday October 9th.

Today did not start well. I was in the Backpackers Hostel in St Ives and when I went down to the kitchen at 6.15am it was locked with a notice saying that it would be opened at 8.00am. and my food was in the fridge for breakfast and lunch! Additionally I was unable to have a drink or fill my flask and bottle with water. If I waited until 8.00am I would be late so I decided in a not so happy frame of mind to abandon my food and sort things out on the way which was possible as I was passing through various places to start with. So at 7.00am or thereabouts I set off - the co-op around the corner did not open until 8.00am - no good so I set off and found myself on the main road out of town and stopped at a garage which did not have shop but they were very helpful and pointed me to the Tesco up the road which opened at 8.00am but this was not early enough so they told me there was a shop further on at Carbis Bay further down the road which opened at 7.00am When I got there I was able to buy sandwiches for breakfast and lunch. This was the first time I've had chicken Tikka sandwiches for breakfast!. I continued down this road to Lelant and then turned on to the B3301 to Hayle and was nearly out of the town when I saw a cafe with an illuminated sign saying "open". I went in upstairs [it was an odd arrangement really] and I asked the woman if she would do me a favour and as well as provide me with a coffee also fill my flask with coffee and top up my water bottle. She was more than willing and I was surprised to be charged only £2-00.

After this I arrived at the Towans and after a short walk at the back of the sand dunes, joined the coast path along the dunes and then decided to walk on the beach. The tide was going out and the sand looked firm and solid but in reality the first 2 miles it was quite soft but then got firmer until I passed Gwithian Towans when I returned to the dunes until I arrived at Godrevy Towans and took a break for a coffee and cake. I passed Harveys Towans, Mexico Towans, Riviera Towans, Phillack Towans, Upton Towans, Gwithian Towans and Godrevy Towans. At Godrevy Towans there was a coast path sign saying Portreath 6.5 miles which encouraged me as I thought I had more mileage to do than this. The route went slowly uphill and the path was good and progress would have been much quicker had it not been for a very strong headwind blowing from the south east offshore. At 2.00pm I stopped briefly at Bassetts Cove for some lunch and arrived at Portreath at 3.00pm. By this time I had already telephoned my host so that he would have enough time to come and pick me up. I had also decided that due to the wind it would not be sensible to press on further to the next village about 90 minutes further on. I am staying five miles from Newquay where I will be worshiping with the Newquay Elim church tomorrow.
Today I had a problem with the achilles tendon on my right ankle and this improved during the day. It was a bit painful and slowed me a bit but not too much. I could do without this. Otherwise, apart from the occational blister, legs and feet are doing well considering. This coming week I have three really challenging days - Monday to Wednesday as each day is over 20 miles each day.
Reflections on this week, include the amazing waves at the Lizard, seeing choughs at both the Lizard and near Lands End, only having had one really wet day so far, amazing varieties of mushrooms and toadstools, lots of red admirals, have met some really interesting people from different countries walking our coastline, exchanging information on hostels and routes, and feeling reallyexhausted on Friday night after what everyone tells me is the most difficult section of the coast path.

Distance walked 19 miles

Day 40 Friday 8th October

Today was a very strenuous day. I left the hostel at 8 a.m. and walked to Pendeen Watch, a distance of 6 miles and this took 2 hours. I then walked from Pendeen Watch to Zennor, a further 7 miles over very difficult terrain. It was muddy and rocky and up and down, and this took 4 and a half hours. The last part of the journey from Zennor to St. Ives was a bit easier and took 3 hours, a distance of 6 and a half miles. I walked a total distance of about 20 miles, but it took a long time because of the terrain. This evening I'm feeling absolutely shattered, this having been by far the most difficult walk so far.

Day 39 Thursday 7th October

This morning I left the hostel at 8.05 and took the path down to the coast, joined the coast path near Newlyn. I was down by the side of the sea at 8.20 and had a rather lengthy walk along the road to Mousehole. On the way I passed a memorial to the Penlee lifeboat men who died in 1981 at sea in a tragic accident. After Mousehole I continued until I got to Lamorna Cove. I arrived there at 10.24 and then I continued until I eventually got to Porthcurno at 1.25. I then walked up the steps to the Minnack Theatre and went past the theatre and stopped for lunch. After lunch I walked on to Porthgwarra and at this point there was a sign to Land's End 3 and three quarter miles. I continued on towards Land's End on a very strenuous up and down path and eventually arrived at Land's End at 4 p.m. However I was rewarded by seeing a pair of choughs along the way. After a stop at Land's End to celebrate Dover to Land's End I resumed at 4.25 to make my way to the Youth Hostel, which although it is called Land's End Youth Hostel is another 6 miles further on. I passed Sennen Cove and Whitesand Bay and at 6.30 I eventually arrived at the hostel very tired but very happy. Distance walked today 23 miles.

Distances travelled

Dover to Christchurch 280
Southbourne to Sandbanks 10
Shell Bay to Porthallow 315
Porthallow to Lizard 15
Lizard to Penzance 28

total miles to date 648

This leaves about 250 miles to be walked in the next two weeks.

Day 38 - Wednesday October 6th.

When I told various people that I was going to walk from the Lizard to Penzance today they look at me in stunned silence. One said that it was "do-able" but others did this in two days. I estimated that it was about 28-30 miles and some of the terrain very up and down which slows progress. So the hostel being self catering I decided to make up my breakfast last night and leave the hostel at 6.00am., which I did. I started in the dark with starlight and my torch! The path from the Lizard to Kynance cove is quite wide and well defined so it didn't present any great risk. There had been heavy rain during the night and paths were waterlogged or muddy until lunchtime. As the dawn began I was able to see without the torch to go down into Kynance Cove and up the other side. This was quite a climb. By 9.05 I arrived at Mullion Cove and stopped for breakfast. By 9.40 I arrived at Polhurion Cove, 10.07 at Poldu Cove, 10.23 at Church Cove [where the toilets were locked which was not helpful!], 11.10 Gunwalloe village and cove and at 12.50 I was at Porthleven which is about half way to Penzance. Yesterday afternoon a fishing boat was side on to the waves and too near the shore when it was caught by a large wave and the boat smashed on the beach. One fisherman scrambled ashore and the other had to be winched off by helicopter. The remains of the boat was on the beach when I passed - little was left apart from half the keel andthe rear end of the boat. A salutary reminder of the power of the sea.
At 12.45 I set off from Porthlevn, passing Rinsey Head at 2.23, and arrived at Praa Sands [north end] at 2.53 to find the cafe closed so I wasn't delayed! At 4.20 I passed Paranuthoe and then Marazion. From Marazion onwards the route was flat and a bit tedious walking along side the beach on the left and the railway on the right. I arrived in Penzance at 6.15 and had to wait a while for a takeaway that I had ordered. I then walked through the town to the Youth Hostel arriving there about 7.17pm feeling satisfied with the days walk and also tired!


Distance walked 28-30 miles

Day 37 - Tuesday October 5th

Today was a short walk by design as staying at the Coverack youth hostel and moving to the one at Lizard seemed ideal. I took my time and did not rush to get up early. However being an early riser I opted for breakfast at 7.30 as usual and was ready to leave at 8.15. At 9.00 I passed Black Head. At 10.40 I passed Kennack Sands and then arrived at Cadgwith where I was diddled over a pot of tea in the hotel. They charged me £3 for a pot of Earl Grey tea with no additional hot water, out of which I got two cups. Normally I pay £1-50 and get four cups - I was not impressed! I then watched a fishing boat run the gauntlet of large waves and coming ashore and being winched up the beach above high water level. The beach was narrow and rocks on both sides which made the whole thing quite risky. The fisherman had to make more than one attempt to get it right. By 1.40 I had arrived at the Lizard and had an afternoon free. I left my rucksack at the hostel as I had been given the door entry number by a walker who had been there the previous evening and booking in was not until 5.00pm. !It turned out that the staff member on duty had been at the Boswinger hostel when I was there a few days back and remembered me! I walked up into the village and did some shopping as the hostel was self-catering and had some lunch at a cafe.
I spent quite some time just sitting and watching the sea. Huge waves breaking a quarter of a mile off shore over 15 feet high. It was both spectacular and breathtaking. And the way in which the waves were breaking on the rocks was an everchanging panorama and a reminder of the awsome power of the Creator's creation.

Distance walked 11 miles

Day 36 - Monday October 4th

I spent the night at an independent hostel called Tregneda Lodge which was very well appointed and self-catering which suited me fine. As a result I got my own breakfast and was out of the hostel at 7.10am as I was not sure about the distances involved. By 7.25 I was back at Maenporth Beach which was tranquil and beautiful and no people around apart from myself. By 8.05 I passed Rosemulllion Point and at 9.15 I arrived at Helford Passage. The ferryman had arrived and was getting the boat ready - putting in fuel. I was his first passenger and I was accross the estuary by 9.30. I got to Gillan Creek just too late to be able to ford it as the tide was coming in so had to walk around the creek adding a couple of miles to the journey. This was not too bad but walking uphill on Cornish lanes is tiring - more so than the cliff paths. At 11.45 I reached Flushing with a sign indicating Porthallow 3.5 miles. I arrived at Porthallow at 1.10 and had a good look at the new monument indicating that it is exactly half way between South Haven Point and Minehead. I felt a real sense of satisfaction! I passed Porthoustock at 2.15 and arrived in Coverack at 4.15 and treated myself to a Cornish cream tea - I had to wait while they made a new batch of scones so they were hot and fresh - very nice. Having had tov walk up a 20% road to get the hostel I decided to eat at the hostel.
Distance travelled - 18 miles.

Day 35 Sunday 3rd October

During the night there was torrential rain, but this stopped about 7 a.m. The rest of the day has been dry. I took it easy this morning, leaving the hostel at 10 a.m. to go to church. I went to the parish church of King Charles the Martyr. It was their Harvest Service and it only lasted 45 minutes. After the service I started to walk around the back of the harbour where there are some really good views of the harbour, and then on to Pendennis Point where there are really good views of the surrounding coastline. I then strolled on leisurely to Gyllyngvase Beach. Here I ate lunch and met the couple of Italians who had been in the hostel last night. After a while I continued, passing Swanpool Beach and then Pennance Point and onward to Maenporth. On the way I met the Italian couple again and when we got to Maenporth they bought me an ice cream. After chatting for some while I left them and walked up the road to Tregedna Farm, where I am now at the hostel. Tomorrow morning I shall start early as I have a long day ahead of me. Distance walked today 6 miles.

Day 34 Saturday 2nd October

I left the hostel at Boswinger at 8 o'clock and walked along the road to Tregavarras, rejoining the coast path at Porthluney Cove. I then continued until I arrived at Portloe at 10 o'clock. At 11.15 I passed Nare Head and arrived in Portscatho at 1.2o p.m. I then continued along the coast, past Towan Beach, Porthmellin Head, Zone Point and St. Anthony Head. At 3.55 I caught the ferry from Place to St. Mawes and at 4.05 caught the ferry from St. Mawes to Falmouth, and arrived in Falmouth at 4.25 and went to the youth hostel. Distance walked 20 miles.

Day 33 Thursday October 1st

I left Fowey at 8.15, fully kitted in waterproofs as it was raining steadily. I reached the coast path at 8.30 and I passed Gribbin Head and continued to Polkerris, arriving there at 10.30 and stopping for a cup of tea. A short time later I resumed walking and passed Polmear and Par Sands, but had difficulty following the path because it was so badly marked. I had to walk around the dock area with a very muddy path beside the golf course, and eventually arrived at Charlestown at 12.45. After lunch at Charlestown I started walking inland around a diversion because the cliff path was unsafe. When I arrived at Porthpean the rain appeared to have stopped so I took off my waterproofs, and as soon as I had done this it started raining again! I continued until I arrived at Mevagissey at 4.45. Having bought a take away for my evening meal I resumed walking at 5 o'clock. I passed Portmellon and Chapel Point and arrived at Gorran Haven at 6.30. As the light was getting poor I took a lane parallel to the coast path, which slightly reduced the distance and I arrived at Hemmick Beach and then had to walk a quarter of a mile up a one in five hill to arrive at the youth hostel at Boswinger at 7.15. Distance travelled about 28 miles.