Graces Walk by John

Back in Ticehurst. No miles, no elevation and very few steps

Back at work and the daily grind. It couldn’t last for ever….

Having had a few days reflection, it’s time to look back at some of the highs and lows of the trip. Have I learnt anything and did it achieve what I set out to achieve.

1. It certainly achieved significant funds and publicity for both STARS, and Grace’s particular story. It impressed on me the amazing fellowship, interest and generosity of the public. Wherever, whoever and for me, without exception.

2. Friends, family and strangers. Everyone who supported me in this endeavour from just showing interest, tea, accommodation, and walking. Thank you it makes me feel really quite humble.

3. The country. To walk over 1,000 miles and I would estimate spend less than 2.5% on tarmac and certainly less than 1% in any built up area was to reconfirm what an amazing, diverse, green and pleasant place we all live.

4. The walking itself. I have never felt healthier- we are made to walk. No blisters, no aches or pains, in fact not a single injury. A decent breakfast, 20 miles a day, 3 pints of cask ale and a pie and chips for dinner is the perfect diet regime. Shame it’s not sustainable really.

5. No matter how much you try and lose from your rucksack it’s still heavy at times and light at others. Items never used – long trousers, emergency toilet roll (the one time I needed it I didn’t have it on me), water purification tablets (honestly, where did I think I was going?), first aid kit – on myself anyway. My boots lasted – just, and everything else looks almost as good as new

6. There are just too many great memories but perhaps one that really sticks is getting Grahame over the line at Montgomery. A huge day, massive miles and such a personal challenge for Grahame. The fact we survived the last mile is a miracle but that day will stay with me for a long time. Well done mate.

9. And finally a massive thank you to Katey. For letting me do it, for your unwavering support, for coming to see me four times and for holding everything together and not complaining once about your selfish husband. Your walking was not so great….(I couldn’t find a picture of you on the floor after walking 100 yards)

Have a learnt anything? Yes. Spend time with people, engage with them and talk to them, it’s just so rewarding.

And of course I couldn’t finish without a picture of Schooner. What a dog.

Treverven to Lands End. 10.01 miles, 1,877ft of elevation, 28,977 steps

Well, that’s it then. What a strange feeling. I got up this morning confused that it was so light at 7:00am. I then remembered that the clocks had gone back and all our groovy modern watches and phones all change automatically. Result! So, a trip to Tesco express for my last cooked breakfast before anyone else awoke. I had so much energy….

What a lovely day. The weather had turned back on and the sun was shining. The day was relaxed and the going relatively easy.

We went passed a couple of great spots on route…..Porthcurno beach and the outdoor theatre were highlights and Porthgwarra has a lovely tea shop.

However it was a day to be with the family. Whilst Maddy was convalescing in Cardiff from asthma looking cozy in her bed, we marched to the finish line. Kate’s was more of a stumble as she nearly put a Kibosh on the entire thing by struggling the last few miles to stay upright.

It was lovely, the photos I hope will do it justice.

I knew what I was expecting at Lands End so we kept it subdued and quiet. A few photos and a lovely bottle of champagne and cake organised by Jo. So nice, and we kept well away from everyone.

I had a few moments with Schooner. He never asked to come on this with me, but he has been magnificent. Such wonderful company. So chilled, relaxed and just the right level of enthusiasm and friendship. It will definitely be a part of this journey that will stay with me for ever. A wonderful friend.

There are so many people to thank (another lovely generous taxi driver giving me the fare as a donation after dinner) and so many things to reflect on. But right now, it’s job done and a good night sleep. I will do one last post I think after a days reflection bit for now…….it’s goodnight from me. Thanks everyone….

9.78 miles, 1,486 ft of elevation, 25,244 steps

Today was a late start after a morning watching the rugby. I had initially decided this would not be possible but with a few extra miles under my belt and starting the walk from our accommodation meant we could afford the time.

I have no regrets, that was an exemplary performance by England and one I am so pleased I did not miss. It’s not every day your team dominate against the All blacks so it was great to watch

It also meant that by the time we started we had a few less hours of rain for the day. It was still chucking it down when we left and the team today of Jo, Chris, Grace and myself set off in heavy rain and wind. There was also evidence of the storm overnight on the promenade.

It did soon clear up and we then had dry,’mild’ weather as we negotiated the roads, strange garden ornaments and a stunningly summer house …..

Jo did amazingly and the period from when she had her hip replaced reduced every time we met someone on the trail. I think we were down to a week by the end of the day which led to some fantastic response..

The going was really tough (even those with their existing hips) but we had some good chat along the way. Grace found a precious spot that accepted wifi, but then when not concentrating she found the mud in the path.

The going continued to be tough and knowing tomorrow was less of a marathon, we cut out walk short and hiked up the to the road where Kate then picked us up, this will then be the start of the final walk tomorrow.

Am I ready to finish? Not a chance. But also it’s reached the end and I am looking forward to home, normal life for a while and a nice pub dinner to finish. It’s going to be very strange not getting up and walking and I will miss all the fantastic positives that coming from this level of general all round exercise – especially the ability to eat anything. Roll on the last day……

Gwithian to Penzance. 17.03 miles, 2,162ft of elevation, 35,553 steps

We started off the day taking Rory’s kids to play school which bought back so many fond memories. Then on to the start of the bay which sweeps all the way round to St Ives. I would be bailing out at Hayle and cutting in land

The beach went on forever (well four miles), and by the end I was cold, wet and hungry. What a surprise that we then found ourselves in the ‘best’ pasty shop in England. I haven’t visited them all just yet but can say this was very good….

At Hayle we then veered off in to central Cornwall and made our way south on St michael’s way. We were protected from the worst of the wind and rain and even had time to round up some final donations from the frequent pubs on route.

It is a great institution here in England and it’s such a shame that so many are Closing and losing that local community feeling.

I was amazed at how quickly we saw st Michael’s mount and the south coast. It was taking a real battering and I was soon in amongst it again…..getting properly wet.

Here’s a photo especially for Tristan who did have a hard and wet day of hiking…..

I have the girls with me for the next two days up to the finish and have done some extra miles to allow for the rugby tomorrow morning. Come on England. proper job please…..

Perranporth to Gwithian. 19.29 miles, 3,022ft of elevation, 38,152 steps

Today I hit the 1,000 mile total and am now on 1,012 with three days to go. It seems like a lot but in some ways I feel no different to when I just started. Rory did his best to get the Scottish Proclaimers song stuck in my head but luckily it disappeared very quickly – hopefully never to come back.

We started the walk with Rory’s friend Ally who joined us to St Agnes and to a special coffee shop. After coffees, bacon and eggs and a very generous nut selection provided for free I was on my way again. It does seem bizarre that I spent the first few weeks freezing cold and wet in late summer and here I am two months later in late October eating outside in shorts and T-shirt. No complaints from me.

The walk was straight forward as we entered in to full Poldark territory. You could clearly see the copper in the cliffs and the drainage holes drilled to release water from the mines. It was warm but there was no temptation from me to take off my top and grab a scythe.

On closer inspection, there was still clear evidence of massive slag heaps and numerous cliff collapses. This is a dangerous place and the miners must have been put under terrible stress with the threat of the mines flooding or collapsing at any time.

Schooner and I took some time out to have our sandwich lunch (few snacks for him), as we made our way along to coastal path. The good thing about being on the cliffs is it gives you a great perspective of how far you have come or how far you still have to go!

I am slightly ahead of where I was planning to be. I have had the luxury of staying again at Rory’s house so could just push on today and do some good miles. There is a change of route afoot as I am now going to head inland tomorrow and come down to Penzance on the south coast. The forecast is terrible and will be nice to be off the coast for a bit. Kate and the girls have a cottage in Penzance for the next few nights and it means I can approach Land’s end straight from there with relatively easy days on Saturday and Sunday as the girls join me for the last push to the end. I might even have time to watch the rugby on Saturday morning….,

It all seems a bit unreal that it’s finally coming to an end, but am super excited about seeing the family and spending time with them back home. anyway, I cheered myself up with a beer and soak in the hot tub….tough life.

Treyarnon to Perranporth. 23.30 miles, ,2,910 ft of elevation, 50,497 steps

Long one today with a tag team of support. DC kindly drove us down to Newquay to drop John’s car off and then back to Treyarnon for the start of our walk. This meant John could make a quick get away at the midway point and I did not have to travel with my rucksack again.

The day started with a heavy mist that was quickly burnt off as we got yet another glorious day.

We carried on our route of cliffs interspersed with some magnificent beaches. Porthcothan, Tregona, Trenance. All with amazing surfing conditions which many people were taking advantage of.

When we reached Watergate bay we had a quick tag team change over as John got in to the Taxi that Rory and Tuareg (golden retriever) had got out of. Thanks John for your time, and David and Michelle for your amazing hospitality.

Rory and I continued through Newquay and around the Gannel estuary which also involved a couple of shoe removing procedures. The beautiful beaches continued, and I know have the local knowledge of which beach works on which swell direction as wind direction.

Crantock beach, Holywell and finally Perranporth where at the end lies Rory’s house. However, Perranporth beach is about 3 miles long and by the time we had finished we all felt a little pooped.

Rory found a rather large jelly fish along the way (basically a massive blue bottle) before we reached the end of the beach and a lovely dinner cooked by Sarah.

Another day tomorrow of no rucksack (thanks Rory), and I will see how I go. I am already ahead of schedule and all extra miles now mean that I can reduce some of the final walking days that Grace will be with me on. I can check the weather and conditions without getting out of bed so maybe i might just lose those extra miles if it is raining …,

Port Isaac to Treyarnon. 19.08 miles, 2,080 ft of elevation, 40,492 steps

The sun came out today and it felt like a perfect summers day not the end of October. A fabulous day for walking and John, David and I made the most of it. My large rucksack stayed in the bedroom as Michelle (David’s wife) took us back to Port Isaac to start the day.

The first part of the walk took us along country lanes, lost footpaths and eventually in to Rock. We passed a sign that reminded me of the walk yesterday with Nick and Nigel, before we headed down towards the Camel estuary and Padstow bay. We stopped for a coffee in amongst the posh people before jumping on the ferry .

We decided to miss all of Rick Stein’s Padstow food and headed on up on the coastal path towards Stepper point and eventually our first proper beach at Trevone. We stopped off to have the amazing sandwiches that Michelle had made for us before heading down to the beach for an ice cream.

The walk was a gem, great conversation, stunning scenery, blue sky, no wind and a welcome respite from the climbs of the last three days. Schooner had a swim and John and I had a paddle in the sea. All the important stuff to do when beside the seaside.

We reached our finish at Treyarnon having barely noticing we had walked 19 miles. Michelle kindly picked us up again and we went to a lovely pub for dinner followed by wine tasting in St Merryn. A fab day as I start to count down to the finish. England is putting on a treat for my last week and I am loving it. Roll on tomorrow

Boscastle to Port Isaac. 14.44 miles, 3,522 ft of elevation, 36,153 steps

I enter my last week having done 938 miles and confident I will get to 1,000 over the next few days. Thank you again to everyone for your support and help. You know who you are and it’s made this whole exercise rewarding and worthwhile.

So I promised the boys an easy day today. Short, flattish and picturesque. Setting off having filled ourselves with a very nice breakfast it was a shame to leave such a gorgeous village. It was of course the scene of terrible flooding in 2004 but all seems to have recovered and is somewhere I would definitely return to.

As is often the case what was meant to be straight forward became hard work with a number of high, deep valleys to navigate. We passed Tintagel, with its ancient castle andy monastery. There were some adventures types jumping in to the sea which looked life fun. We also saw some sea stacks which look very close to crumbling (thanks Nigel).

The scenery continued and the terrain started to take its toll on all of us. Nick was the first to go and had huge trouble with his knees. He started to walk backwards downhill for while, and of course Nigel and I were hugely sympathetic!!! Nigel then felt his knee go twang and the wheels started to fall off completely. It was like walking with a couple of geriatrics. Worthers originals kept us going and we eventually made out way on to Port Isaac. It is a stunning town which has done well since its rebirth of Doc Martin. It’s a conundrum as the tourism means that there are always plenty of people to visit but they push-up prices of joy just housing but all other service establishments.

Tonight I am joined by John Moore from work and also staying at David Coombs from work for two nights. It’s luxury with fresh vegetables and plenty of cheese! I will definitely sleep well tonight

Bude to Boscastle. 18.21 miles, 4,583 ft of elevation and 27,796 steps.

Ignore the steps, I had my poles out almost from the start – that was one tough day. The weather however was beautiful, I have met so many lovely people today (the London couple with two young girls, Alan and Lynn and their £10 donation). It’s been a perfect Sunday stroll and truly good for the soul.

Canals in Cornwall? Apparently so. Dave and I loaded up (well I did) on a massive breakfast from the coffee pot in Bude (please go there it was excellent), and then I was on my way. Today was just one of those days. Really tough walking (just look at the stats) but so, so nice. Schooner and I took our time – I was in a t shirt most of the day and just had some great chats.

We came across the wheelbarrow of books which was just brilliant, and ’Daisy’ the dog who sounded just delightful.

I got super excited about a lunchtime beer at Crackington haven which looked delightful but was a bit traumatic in its middle class holiday home type angst. The ice cream however sorted it all out

Schooner and I carried on, the going was really tough but I felt really good. I think this walk might be making me a bit fitter and I just seemed to fit in to it like a glove.

Boscastle came at us as a surprise – approaching from the hills it was magnificent, quiet and perfect. We had a wonderful evening with Nick and Nigel who are walking tomorrow and Mum and Dad and Jill. What a Combo. Such a lovely evening.

Tomorrow is looking good, so excited about getting the boys out for a great day!!

Hartland Quay to Bude. 15.83 miles, 3,727 ft of elevation, 35,033 steps

There was some trepidation about today as I had heard it was so tough but in the end it was just a really lovely day. I think was down to a number of things:

1. England’s emphatic win over Australia. The first World Cup match that I have watched.

2. The 920 miles that I have walked so far have probably made me a little fitter

3. The weather was amazing

4. The scenery spectacular

5. I had to keep ahead of David’s spandex trousers

So, we set off late (10:15) but feeling buoyed by the rugby.

We did have an alternative plan to dive off the coastal path and take an easier inland route, but the path whilst very hilly was giving us so much to see that we stuck with it. So pleased we did. We saw some really cool things on the way:

1. Harold’s Bench. I love the fact there is a route reference for Harold, his bench and the view

2. Ronald Duncan’s Hut

A amazing little hut that was the studio for a local farmer/ poet. His daughter renovated the hut which is right on the edge of the cliffs and has a book left on a desk where people can write comments, add there own poetry or just right their name. Some poetry is better than other’s – I don’t think this one is top of the list

3. The hawkers hut

Much smaller than Ronald’s hut but cool none the less, this had carvings all over the wood and a little treasure chest if you looked carefully

4. Blue sky

We knew it was out there somewhere, just hadn’t seen it for a while

We made it to Bude by 5pm, and a first for a long time which was no wet weather gear and dry boots. Cousins Jill has kindly done my washing and was returned when we met for dinner along with Mum and Dad. A lovely meal to finish a great day. On my own again tomorrow when David returns home in the morning so just Schooner and I for the day. Thanks Dave for coming. Nick and Nigel will be joining in the evening ready for a day on the cliffs on Monday. Bring it on…..