Day 14 - Sennon Cove, Land's End, Porthcurno, Lamorna Cove, Penzance

Total: 277+m / Daily:18m  / Rain Clearing to Sun / A Social Day

3 miles to Sennon Cove and I took a big break to catch up on blog entries. I'm currently a full day's walking ahead and would like to maintain this allowing me to take a day off at one of my upcoming friend meets if I can. The plan is to reach the YHA at Penzance this evening and wash clothes, clean kit shower etc. without having to take time off. We'll see whether that happens in due course...

Land's End is a tourist mecha, one which I was glad to leave. I did however have 'the photo' taken which costs £9.95 even if you are a charity. The reason given is that they have charity challenges through everyday, in my mind that means they should be doing a lot of free photos?!

In 1967 a super tanker crashed (SS Torrey Canyon) into the rocks off the point of Land's End, one of 36 ships wrecked there. The reason they are so dangerous is that there are so many rocky sections at different levels making it impossible to visually navigate at any level of the tide. This supertanker was leaking its 100,000+ gallon cargo into the sea and the Government ordered the RAF to bomb it in an attempt to burn off the oil and contain the leak as best they could. I wish I had seen that!

I met lots of different people today (cards are a big success Em): 3 teachers; remet Annie who was bursting with energy on dolphin watch with Lucy and she donated a brownie! (which are banned in 19 countries due to their addictiveness); one man from the Dominican Republic who bought a bike whilst in Manchester, then a trailer to carry his bag, is now in Cornwall and has surf board, tent etc. in there as well, brilliant!; two Germans who had only today completed their end to end cycle; a girl from Glasgow painting seascapes on driftwood and a kind lady in a shop in Mousehole (the name of a little village). Apologies for not expanding on all of these stories, I would be writing forever and there is walking to be done.

Finding out that the YHA in Penzance was a mile from the coast was frustrating, as those who follow the Twitter feed would have noticed, but I was pleasantly rewarded with an excellent hostel manager, Paul, who works hard, has a good sense of humour and was generally very amicable, a YHA that looked more like a hotel, good company in the dorm and a bar. Late night at 11pm and the beers meant this morning was a little more tardy than I had envisaged.

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Day 13 - Zennor, Pendeen

Total: 246+m / Daily :18m  / Rain clearing to Blue Skies / Tired

Tired after yesterday's huge day. Lots of mining works today and I passed Levent mines which had one of the first beam engines installed to pump water. Trevethick's (sp.?) influence spread very quickly across all of industry with steam really firing the industrial revolution into action. I had a brief look around the museum and studied the inch:foot working replica desparately trying to understand the rod operated value system which equalise pressure in the cyclinder. I finally got it, much easier to understand than the incredible beam engine on the Kennet Canal, that rod system blew my mind with its complexity.

Fell asleep behind a wall in the shade and fell asleep again whilst taking a break from the 'oh so hard' task of pitching my tent. It was windy all day today, I think that constant exposure to the elements helped to sap my energy. Not the case for Annie at Cape Cornwall car park! This national trust representative is exactly what is neded at such a bleak and exposed bit of land. We had a lovely chat about life/IoM/Cancer etc. and I was able to fill my water bottles there. Thank you so much Annie for brightening my otherwise rather dull day, expect that postcard once I return home in a month.

Camped next to a mine shaft and it rained for most of the night.

Day 12 -St. Agnes, Porthtowan, Portreath, Hayle, St. Ives

Total: 232+m / Daily:28m  / Constant Wind, Regular Showers / 1x Pod of Dolphins

Busy day today, a total of 29 miles which certainly wouldn't have happened if I didn't bump into the Coaster Crew part way through the morning, in Porthtowan I think it was. Sarge was eating chocolate, Nick, a pork pie and Nog consulting maps. (reread that last sentence as a list of things Sarge was eating, haha!). I suppose it was subconsciously because others were eating, but I got rather hungry and pulled out my bag of trail mix I had created in Aldi in Newquay. I was promptly slated for eating bird food, but to hell with 'em, it's tasty stuff. It contains peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, raisins, dried: red & green apple, mango, pineapple & kiwi. I have 1kg of it, that's the only downside. I will attempt to take this entry chronologically:

I saw a pod of dolphins this morning, or rather, a man saw them and pointed them out to me. I saw a man running round the headland and assumed he had lost a dog or something. He said he'd been following them for a couple of days and they'd just passed us. I turned around and walked back along the path for 5 (back, I know!) minutes and sure enough, at the next outcrop we could see 10-15 of them, jumping out of the water heading east.

I passed a DoE bronze group a little later slogging their way up a hillside of a valley. They are all part of the Air Cadets and I saw a couple of other groups throughout the morning, it must be DoE weekend. One of the lads, Christian, said they had learned about prostate cancer in school and what a great charity it is. Christian then began routing around for a donation. His fellow cadets also donated and I am very thankful for their support. Christian donated mostly in coppers which added a fair weight to my bag for the day and I'll spare you the embarrassment of the story regarding why it was all coppers in case you read this Christian! I'm glad I bumped into their assessor further up the path and was able to share what a credit to their organisation that group are. (One bit of advice: get cracking with the service/skill/sport, that's the one that will hold up your progression through the award scheme.)

Approaching lunchtime, I arrived at the everlasting sands near Hayle. It was spitting with rain and progressively getting harder. I took shelter in a lovely sandy cave and had lunch. Peanut butter wrap x2 and some bird food, delicious.

The showers continued into Hayle, 'The birthplace of the industrial revolution and it doesn't seem to have moved on a great deal since. I hid in the co-op as the first downpour came, the shop owner saying it was the heaviest rain she'd seen since moving there 8 years ago. I will try and upload the video I took at some point.

From this point it was about 6 miles to St. Ives along roads, tracks, concrete paths and other urban environment. I took shelter from the next heavy downpour in a pub but the third got me. I was perfectly happy in full raingear and remained dry and in high spirits. The rain was incredibly heavy and the steep steps up into St. Ives were literally a waterfall. It was amusing to see stones the size of a tennis ball being washing down the path, it makes erosion much easier to appreciate!

Met CC Crew in the pub and was able to take up the offer made 18miles ago of a shower. Nog gave me his dessert, an unexpected surprise of icecream, biscuit, coffee and amaretto (sp.?) and I bought a pizza to eat as I wandered out of town looking for a place to pitch. 2miles onto a 'severe' section I found the perfect flat grassy patch on an outcrop sheltered by the wall of an old mining structure.

What a day.

Day 11 - Newquay, Holywell Bay, Perranporth

Total: 202+m  / Daily:20m  / Sun, Overcast, Rain / 1x Naked Photoshoot

I had nice spot to camp last night: a headland some way away from Newquay but with a view looking at it across the bay. In Newquay by mid morning I decided not to stay for long, only visiting Aldi (which I did not know doesn't accept credit cards!) before heading on past the famous Fistral Beach. I walked a narrow path between the sand dunes and the golf course, sand was slowly but surely getting into my boots.

Sand dunes, or beaches were in sight for the vast majority of today and I saw 100s if not 1000s of surfers across the various spots today. Sand makes for progress slow, especially when it's soft sand but I was happy enough, dragging my poles and making patterned trails as I went.

The ferry service at Fern Pit had turned into a wooden bridge, one which they use when the tide is fully out and it has floating supports so that it is at the right height. There was no mention of this in the guide book so it made a pleasant surprise. I had my photo taken by a lady who sympathises with my cause and I wish her the best with next week. It'll be interesting to see whether that photo makes it here.

WARNING, the following paragraph contains references to scenes of a sexual nature and is not suitable for younger audiences. Well, perhaps that is a little strong, but now that you are paying attention: I rounded a corner of a rocky headland to yet another sandy cove and there were 3 people all looking down. I assumed a seal or some sort of animal. Once I got close enough to see down there were 7 or 8 people looking down into a secluded part of the beach. A lady with long back hair was posing naked against the rocks whilst a photographer captured the moment. This continued as she held various poses, completely oblivious to her audience who were chatting and giggling above.

I camped on a flat grassy spot at some disused mines. Wasn't sure whether I was going to disappear down the cliff in the night! There are a number of blow holes, caged with iron which look a little odd sticking up out of the ground.

I managed to withdraw some cash without paying the charge for taking cash on a credit card thanks to the prompt machine at the card company's call centre after I phoned to try and pay it off. However I can't do that again and will have to pay some interest next time... Any bright ideas for how to do the next 400m on £100 cash (and card)?

Day 10 - Trevone, Harlyn, Porthcothan

Total: 180+m / Daily: 13m  / Sunny /

As I wandered to find a spot to camp last night I came across more little frogs, see if you can spot one in the photo (it's right in the centre).

No need for sleeping mat last night, the grass I pitched on was very long and it came a good cushion. Whilst doing minor foot surgery (I'll spare the details) I noticed that my feet were looking rather red, not just rubbed areas, but the whole bottom and sides of both feet. I have a photo which doesn't really do the redness justice, but it gives an idea. I went to sleep with my feet feeling like they were on fire.

This morning was similar although walking in boots again was slightly less painful. Crocs and a backpack is a terrible idea! My new plan for today is 13m which will use up the lead I had gained.

Many thanks to Katrina who donated by both edible and financial means! I searched for the cafe where her colleagues worked but only found the YHA at Treyarnon Bay where I rested my still burning feet for 3 hours.

I bumped into the Coaster_Coast team at the beginning of the day who are putting in a couple of big days to see them to Portreath on Saturday. They plan on finishing before I do, future visits will be brief I expect and only if I push ahead.

*Puppy photo because we are thinking of getting one (I didn't actually see one)

Day 9 - Port Isaac, Polzeath, Padstow

Total: 167+ / Daily:22m  / Rain + Sun / 1x Film Crew

My fundraising target is now set at £10 per mile. I wasn't sure about increasing the target but 10 is such a good figure and makes my walking maths easier!

Not a huge amount to report today. An early start saw me in Port Isaac by 11 and I couldn't help but order some food. This happened again in the evening when I reached Padstow, I might need to be a little careful that this doesn't turn into a regular occurrence. If it does, the cost of the walk will sky rocket!

Morning walk was wet for a short time, but the hours of walking against overgrown paths afterwards meant that lots of water ran down my legs and completely soaked the inside of my boots. I will wear overtrousers regardless of the heat in future, wet feet and boots are a pain to manage.

There was filming going in in Port Isaac which involved a car driving up the street (at normal speed) then stopping. It was thrilling to watch, but unfortunately I had places to go! The day panned out as the guide listed,  severe then strenuous then easy which is just as well, my feet feel rather delicate now and I actually walked the last 3 miles in crocs as it was mostly across the beach and tidal estuary banks.

Thanks to Quayside B&B for holding my package, I've now got my mini business cards to give when people want to know my blog address or donation page. 100 is the minimum order though ... So I have lots. Maybe I can leave one in every cafe, that would use at least 26! (26 more days).

Really looking forward to sleeping this evening and I'm slightly ahead of schedule so might go easy on my feet tomorrow with a slow start. I'm sure the hot spots will appreciate that.

Day 8 - Crackington Haven, Boscastle, Tintagel

Total: 146+ / Daily:19m  / Overcast, Sunny, Spots of Rain / 1 Seal

Having slept incredibly well, I lay dozing until 7 when I packed up and sat for a few minutes with WiFi connection outside the cottage. I had a photo from Emma with a notice board about her bake sale in aid of my fundraising and confirmation that the mini business cards would be in Padstow tomorrow, fantastic! There's some extra incentive to complete the highish distances needed today and tomorrow. The little things eh?

On a similar theme, today I did some mental maths! If I were able to reach £10 per mile, that sponsorship translates into £6.25 per kilometer and 0.625p per metre. If I get to a low moment, there's a good reason to take another step!

I saw a seal this morning as the path neared a cliff. It obviously saw me too and it vanished. I hoped it would become comfortable with my shadow and return. Sure enough, the seal reappeared and bobbed around for a while. It was diving, then emerging further along and swimming back against the current then diving again. The tide was coming in and the bay was curved, meaning that the water swirled around and the seal seemed to be playing in the currents. I sat and watched for about 5 minute, it was most entertaining!

There was a good number of other people walking today and the guide says it is a popular day walk route. This included 4 women who looked about 21 and were all dressed in flat shoes, handbags and short skirts. All a bit bizarre for a 'severe' section of the coastal path but one said they lived nearby, they seemed utterly bemused by the thought of walking alone and I sympathise with them, it is a little different!

Tintagel Castle ...or rather Tintagel Ruins were .. unimpressive actually. Granted, I don't know the history and the coastal 'wow factor' was lost on me, but it is still impressive to build a castle on the foundation of jagged rocks. .. Perhaps that's why it's not there anymore! I looked for the photo opportunity of 'Tintagel Castle and Pier' but couldn't see it.

Set back into the cliff and completely hidden from the road is Tintagel YHA, an old quarrying lodge from when this area was heavily mined for slate. I enquired about weather and distances, with no intention of staying (if I did, the total for tomorrow would stand at 21+miles to get the cards from Padstow on top of a 'severe' rating in the guide) and found common ground with the hostel manager in distance walking. After a long conversation (and a cup of tea from Jarka) the rain had moved across the bay and was coming towards us.

Changeover day at the hostel is tomorrow and I was kindly offered food which was spare. Two beef burgers with blue cheese, chips and a cream tea? Chef Macnair will walk 21+ miles tomorrow thank you very much!

Many thanks to Jarka who paid my membership as sponsorship for Prostate Cancer UK, your kindness is much appreciated.

Day 7 - Bude, Widemouth, Millook Haven

Total: 124+m / Daily:18m  / Overcast + Sunny / 'The Arduous Day'

For 'probably the most arduous day of the itinerary' this morning didn't seem to bad. I was already 2 miles into the 15mile section at the hostel so that helped I suppose. I was able to reach Bude (apologies if it gets published as Nude, my phone kindly autocorrects it) by lunchtime and ate a full English breakfast, delicious.

The day didn't start quite so successfully. I had the worst night sleep I have had in a long time. I was sleeping in a 4 man dorm with one other gentleman but it sounded more like a race track. I tried everything I could think of but nothing could stop him snoring for longer than 30 seconds. I took a 20 audio clip from my bunk which is pretty clear (I may upload it at some point) and I even went outside at 3am to escape, but I could still hear the snoring. I didn't have more than 30 minutes uninterrupted sleep from 11:45 to 5:30 when I got up and left. The joys of staying in a hostel dorm? There should be some sort of vetting process to stop this! Funny thing is, he probably had a great sleep..

Rather than hide from the sun, I decided to sit on the beach, catching up on a couple of hours sleep whilst casually learning how to surf, listening to an instructor teach a young group. I was thinking it might be fun to try somewhere, and Stan suggested the same thing later in the day. Bude turned into Widemouth and then I returned to steep rises and falls ending up in Millook Haven. For late in the day (6ish) there was a good number of people on the beach and I asked about camping on the grass around the 6/7 houses the valley had.

A lady with three pugs suggested that I walk a little way on a track beside a stream and ask at the cottage. She kindly showed me the way and introduced me to Lucy at a charming old cottage hidden back from the road with a stream and wooden bridge in the garden. Lucy allowed me to setup in one of the fields and just as I finished setting up, two lads appeared.

Lucy's son, Stan and his friend Ravi brought me a packet of Mini Cheddars and soon took an interest in what I'm doing, I was happy to field their questions as we played with Stan's diablo. The boys were called to have supper but returned with the offer of a cup of tea and a bath!

The cottage is just as charming inside as it is outside and the family visit every holiday, including all their Christmas holidays too. As the situation was being explained, I realised it is for them, what Treetops is for me. The light fitting in the bathroom was rusted and Lucy gave me a candle, I suggest they never fix the fitting, a candle is much better! So there I was, drinking a cup of tea in a hot bath, relaxing my knee by candlelight, there is no chance I would have guessed that as the end of the day. Lucy, thank you so much for your incredible hospitality to a complete stranger and I hope you and the boys enjoy the rest of your holiday.

A late night by walking standards at 10.30, I highly doubt tomorrow will be as interesting!

Day 6 - Hartland

Total: 109+m / Daily: 6m  / Overcast, Patchy Sun / Attempted Day Off

Waking up with the sunrise, I thought it was going to be another hot day but fortunately the sun was obscured for most of the day which meant the breeze was pleasantly cooling. Arriving at Hartland Quay at about 9, the hotel was just beginning to wake and an employee was turning back over the benches and setting up for the day. I enquired about getting a lift into town and he offered a free coffee whilst he asked if any of the staff were heading up.

Outside, I met my first set of people who are walking the entire coast. 'Coaster Coast' are a three man crew walking the length for Kidney Research UK and St. Margarets Hospice (www.facebook.com/ coaster_coast_9). They set off a couple of days before I did and alternate with two walking and one on luggage transfer for the day. They have sponsorship from a brewery and as a consequence, have every night accomodation and various drinks/meals paid for ... I missed a trick there. Do you think Manx2 (a local airline) would sponsor me?

I spent a few hours in Hartland village after waiting all of three minutes for a lift on the quayside. The local church, St. Nectans run a tea room in the village and I had two cups of tea and cake for £3.50. Not only did it have WiFi, but the change from the £5 note which I said to put in the church collection was handed back as a donation towards my fundraising, thank you St. Nectans.

My options to get to the YHA were all fairly unsatisfactory, lack of buses/taxis coupled with the fact that everywhere useful (the coast, the village and the hostel) were all 3+ miles apart meant that I was going to have to walk on my 'knee resting day'. A local man, dropped me two miles back towards the coast and I wandered on, keeping an eye on the signs so as not to miss the turning towards the hostel. I found a lovely spot at Speke's Mill Mouth, where the track left the path at a secluded grassy cove. I pitched the inner skin of my tent, made a coffee and proceeded to nap for 2 hours. A food bag makes a surprisingly good pillow slipped inside a neck buff. I met Justin and he kindly took a photo of me enjoying my day off (photos will follow when I have a solid connection). Just as they were leaving, his daughter ran up with a donation, thank you Justin, Daisy and family for your support. (Emma, we need those cards!)

Elmscott YHA provided a welcome rest and the opportunity to wash clothes. It feels good to be clean, if only for a few more hours! The forecast is for thunderstorms over the next few days, I hope I don't melt in the rain...