Walk 2020, 130 Miles 5 Days

Day 0 – The Build Up

It was the day before the start of the walk that our Journey began. Our support car and volunteers Ian and Eoin had driven down from Taunton to Plymouth. I had picked John up from his place, Gill (mum) volunteered to help drive the team and equipment to start point. She with Hannah left Adrian (Dad) with a carer and we all met at my place. We packed the cars with a spring in our step, excited about the challenge ahead. Once loaded we were on our way, first stop on the 2 ½ hour drive down to our start point was to pick up Banana’s, Water and Pasta kindly donated by SPAR South West (a massive thank you to spar for supplying plenty for the 5 days).

We arrived at our base for night one at around 15:00, Namparra Campsite a basic farm campsite in an incredible location on the Lizard Peninsula If you like old school real camping, I would suggest you check this place out. It was beautiful clear sky with the sun blaring down on us as we unloaded the cars, Gill headed back to Plymouth. We pitched our tent. John, Eoin and I took the opportunity to head down to Porthoustock for a spot of fishing while Ian and Hannah went shopping for supplies. It was a lovely relaxing evening and we even managed a Wrasse and plenty of mackerel. We returned to the tent at about 23:00 showered and bed ready to start the 130 miles the following day.

Day 1 – What a difference a day makes

Well to say the weather had changed over night was an understatement we went to bed after a glorious day of sunshine and woke up in torrential rain. We didn’t let this dampen our spirits, up we got, dressed, breakfast and our support vehicle dropped us to Lizard point. The hope that the rain would ease before we started walking soon evaporated as we began to walk, and the rain got harder. All 3 of us in our waterproofs and high viz jackets singing in the rain and shaking our collection buckets at, well, no one as we were the only people mad enough to be out walking in such weather.

It didn’t take long for me to realise that my waterproofs could not cope with the one thing they were made for and I was soaked through before we even hit the mile mark, much to the amusement of John and Hannah. In the first 11 miles we barely saw another person and only passed through a couple of small villages and lots of countryside before we got to Gweek. The perfect place to stop for lunch, we found shelter in a bus stop while we waited for Ian and Eoin to bring our Pasties which were kindly donated by the The Cornish Oven in Helston. It wasn’t long before they arrived, and the pasties were amazing just what we needed. John finished his in a flash and asked Ian if he had bought some spare bottles of water “Oh” Ian said, “No I forgot it but I have some beer in the boot” and for once we actually declined the beer. Our spirits were lifted as we set off and the rain eased but the joy was short lived as we turned the corner into the first lane and a puddle resembling a river blocked our path. After contemplating walking around, we came to the realisation that we could not get any wetter than we already were so waded through.

The easing of the weather did not last long as the heavens opened again, we continued to drive on laughing and joking to keep us going and as the odd car drove past, we would shake our buckets hoping for a small donation. The first person to stop was a lovely lady who asked about the charity and while we explained 2 or 3 other cars came but could not get passed as she had stopped in the middle of the road, she kindly put some money in our bucket wished us luck and drove off. A few hours later while on the final stretch of day one the same lady drove back past us the opposite way beeping her horn and cheering as she went a lovely gesture which gave us a lift.

By this time our feet were hurting and our leg muscles were starting to tell us enough was enough for the day but the end was in neigh, as we walked up a hill the sun came out and a big sign came into sight “Carnon Downs Caravan Park” we had made it, day 1 was complete. Not far inside the entrance to this stunning campsite was the welcome sight of a bar, pints were ordered, and we took a well-earned seat outside in the sunshine. With our collection buckets on the table people started asking what we were doing and why and of course we explained, they were genuinely interested wished us luck on the walk and with the charity and donations started flowing into the buckets.

Day 2 – Road our Luck

If anyone saw us getting up for day two they could be excused for thinking that a Zombie apocalypse had started as our body’s showed us how unfit we are. We hobbled over to the shower blocks and prepared ourselves for the day ahead. Showered, teeth brushed and breakfast served by the support team, It wasn’t long before we were on our way again. The first 5 minutes walking was hard work as our body’s resisted but once we got into our stride the stiffness and pain disappeared and we pushed on.

The first stretch of the day was from Carnon Downs to Truro and our route took us along the main roads which unfortunately did not have any pavements. We walked into oncoming traffic, around multiple blind corners for about a mile before we came to the joint decision that it was just way to dangerous and if we continued we would likely be hit by a car. We decided to use the power of modern technology to find an alternative route, it took us a while, but we found one eventually. The start of this took us across a muddy field and over a stream. John being the gentleman he is, hopped over it first, down the muddy bank over the slippery stepping stones and up the muddy bank the other side “Easy” he said as he balanced on the far bank holding his hand out to help Hannah across. This was no problem for Hannah as she grabbed Johns hand and he pulled her across and up the other side. My turn, clearly John and Hannah had faith in my stream traversing abilities as they stepped away from the edge and didn’t even offer a hand of support. Maybe 20 years ago this would have been no problem or if there had not been torrential rain the previous day, but, my attempt was abysmal and as I slipped down the bank and my foot slid off the first stepping stone I could hear John and Hannah laughing before I even hit the water. Lucky for me I managed to half save myself and only my feet and 1 arm ended up submerged. Just the wake up I needed, and the entertainment John and Hannah needed. I finally managed to get up the other side and off we went again.

We made it to Truro and took a well-earned rest outside Tesco and took another look at the rest of our route for the day. Lots more main roads were on the cards so we found some back roads which lead to the same place and off we trotted again. The rest of the morning was pretty un eventful but hard work. Gill, Adrian and Chantelle were joining us later in the day to complete their first 10-mile challenge so many phone calls were had to arrange best place for this to happen as Adrian would be in his wheelchair. We agreed the current route was not suitable however as we were headed to Wadebridge the Camel trail would be perfect and with a bit of jiggery pokery we had a plan. Gill, Adrian and Chantelle who had been joined by Debbie and Antonia parked in Padstow and walked the Camel trail to Wadebridge. We continued our walk to Wadebridge to meet them where, as a group we followed the camel trail back to Padstow. Meeting the others was great and their energy and banter gave us a great lift and helped us complete the last stretch of the day. They told us how on their way to meet us they were collecting money in the buckets and one gentleman who was cycling past at some speed was so desperate to stop and donate he took his eyes off the path and ended up in a ditch ☹ luckily he was ok if not a little embarrassed but up he got made a donation and off he rode.

All of us looking like drowned rats after the heavy showers including hail, we eventually made it to the end of day 2 and got back to Dinham Farm Holidays Limited Camp site for a much-needed Bar-B-Q (in the rain) already prepared by our support team.

Day 3 – A day of ups and downs

We had made it to the start of day 3 in relatively good shape, well I say good, we were never in good shape but other than the aching muscles and a few blisters we were ok. After the challenges of walking along main roads over the previous 2 days we made a slight adjustment to our day 3 route. Our support team dropped us to Port Isaac our new start point. The plan was to follow the costal paths all the way to Bude. It had stopped raining and the forecast said we would have the odd shower, which was great, but it also said it would be very windy which is not ideal when walking along the coast paths.

We left Port Isaac at around 9am with a 25-mile hike in front of us, on a good day this should take about 8 hours’, but 10 hours is more likely after our previous day’s exertions. So off we went spirits high and admiring the incredible scenery as we went.

It wasn’t long before we realised that the dangers of walking a costal path were pretty much on a par with walking on main roads. At times we were a foot away from huge drops with wind gusting up to 40 miles an hour on top of tired aching bodies, this was certainly a challenge.

Our first official stop for the day was Tintagel about 8.5 miles from Port Isaac, The terrain was difficult with huge climbs and descends, at least 8 of over 400 feet on this leg. This is where we noticed the differences in our walking preferences, I preferred going up hill, Hannah preferred down hill and John preferred the flat. As the morning went on this really showed as I would get to the top of the hill as Hannah and John reached halfway. Hannah would catch up with me as we got to the bottom of a hill and John would catch up with both of us before we got to the start of the next hill. Part of the way to Tintagel we passed through Trabarwith a beautiful little place with a little beach a few tourist shops and a Pub. We stopped for 10 minutes to have a drink (not in the Pub) and a quick snack. We watched the huge waves crash over the rocks and discussed how it would be great to visit this place when we have time to stop and hadn’t been walking for 2 and bit days. It wasn’t long before we were on our way again. More climbs and Descends which started to take their toll on our weary bodies. We started to see more people as we got closer to Tintagel with some stopping and chatting to us about the charity and what we were doing. It was great to see later that one had even taken a photo of us going up one of the many climbs and posting it on our Facebook page with a lovely message. We arrived at Tintagel along with what seemed like everyone else in Cornwall, The place was packed. We did manage to get a table outside the pub and have a well-earned pint and Hannah had her standard cheesy chips.

By this time my ankles were really hurting so we decided to come inland a bit for the remainder of the walk, the roads weren’t main roads which made us feel a lot safer and with sturdy ground under our feet the toll on my ankles was much less. Although we weren’t on the cliff paths the scenery still didn’t disappoint, what an incredible part of the world we had the pleasure to walk through. We passed through some incredible places on the way to Bude. Boscastle was another beautiful seaside village with incredible views and landscape. As we got closer to Bude we walked through Widemouth bay what a stunning long beach, I think as we walked along it we were all dreaming of being here on holiday relaxing or fishing on the beach with a Bar-b-q trying to block out the pain we were feeling. It wasn’t much further to the end of day 3 and the relief we felt as we walked down the big hill and into Bude was clear to see on all 3 of us. We stopped at the first pub we found and while we waited for our support vehicle to arrive had a nice cold pint to celebrate completing day 3. Shortly after Tracey arrived and took us back to Bryder farm camping site another lovely little camp site in an incredible location. We had our dinner and a well-earned hot shower before retiring to bed knowing we were over half way.

Day 4 – To the Tarka Trail

It was so nice to wake up on day 4 and have a hot shower before we left. Breakfast was ready and made by our support team and we discussed our route for the day. Due to the challenges from the previous days (Busy Roads with not paths and Cliffs with strong winds) and the pains and aches in our bodies we chose a new route ensuring that we covered the required miles in the safest way possible. We chose a route along the Tarka Trail South Loop, From Oakhampton to Barnstaple although this was different to our original plan it was much more suitable for walking with paths all the way. It also gave us more opportunity to speak to people about the charity and increase awareness of Huntington’s Disease.

Dropped off again with a long walk ahead, each day it took a little longer for our muscles to stop hurting and walking to become natural instead of forced. The scenery on this day was very different to what we had on the previous days, we started off walking through tunnels of trees with sunlight breaking through the gaps in the canopy. John kept us entertained with his bush craft knowledge always looking for specific types of moss or mushrooms that we could eat if we didn’t make it back today. Every now and then on this trail we would come across some interesting art work/sculptures John even managed to make friends with many wooden people. It wasn’t only Wooden people we met on the way with more people stopping to talk to us, asking about the charity and shocked on how far we had walked in the previous days. We stopped for a rest at little café along the route, the weather could not be any more different to day 1, the sun was shining and no wind to speak of. This wasn’t ideal for everyone though as it bought out the wasps, a group of cyclists sat in the café garden for a bite to eat and the food must have been amazing as about 10 wasps swarmed around them. 1 Lady clearly did not like wasps as she jumped out of her seat screaming, running around the café garden trying to get away from them. This was our signal to leave and get on with the next leg to Torrington. We walked for about another hour when suddenly a lone rider comes flying past us with fear still all over her face, Yes it was the Lady from the café who had clearly shot off away from her friends in an attempt to get away from the Wasps.

We got to Torrington and stopped by the trains for a spot of lunch where we were delighted when Tracey one of our support team arrived with McDonalds cheeseburgers for all of us. Needless to say they did not last long a quick drink and photo of the HD Livin’ Hound (Hounds for Huntington’s) on the train and we were off again. By now we had realised that every time we stop it was getting harder to get our legs going again so we pushed on for as long a stint as we could manage driving forward. We had gone from walking in tree tunnels to walking along and over (on bridges this time) incredible rivers, more incredible views. We pushed on as what for us was a good pace, Johns competitive streak certainly helping us as we were passed by a young man who started to pull away “I’m not having that” Said John as he picked up the pace as to not let him out of our site. If John picked up his pace the rest of us had no choice but to do the same. Although no matter how hard we tried after a few miles the young man disappeared out of sight much to Johns disappointment but the chase game did help drive us on for a few miles. We had passed Bideford and were now getting close to Barnstaple and the end of day 4. Our support team met us in Barnstaple and to our delight surprised us by taking us to Weatherspoon’s for a proper meal. A wonderful gesture which really cheered us up after another long hard day. After the meal they drove us back to camp for our last night (Rowdon Barton Caravan Park). Due to the heavy rain a few days before the main field at the caravan park had flooded and the owner had to move all the people staying down into her lower field where we were meant to be staying. So that we could still stay there she allowed us to pitch the tents in her private garden. Tracey and Ian had done an incredible job fitting the tents in but what an amazing Lady for allowing us to still stay. Not only that but she let us use the shower in her house to prepare us for our final day.

Day 5 – The final foray

The final day arrived and despite our weary bodies and aching muscles we were in great spirits for making it this far and having the end in sight. We also knew that Gill, Adrian and Chantelle were meeting us today to complete their 2nd stint of 10 miles. The Support car dropped us back to the start point in Barnstaple and we were walking again. Over a main road to start, then along the river on the Tarka trail, this was a change of plan to accommodate Adrian with his wheelchair. The weather again had been kind to us unlike at the start of the week. Starting off really strong we soon started to feel the strain. We got to our next target in good time, so as not to leave too early and reduce the number of miles the others were doing, we stopped in the café and refuelled with the most incredible breakfast bap. Fed and watered we started our way back. It wasn’t long before we met up with the others and then knew we only had 5 miles to get back to Barnstaple, however this wasn’t the end. We were driven from there to the car park about 1 mile from Foreland point our destination. When we arrived at the car park our friends and family were there waiting for us it was an amazing feeling to get out of the cars to a round of applause from them. We had a catch up for 10 minutes then John, Hannah, Gill, Chantelle and I were joined by some of our friends and family to walk the last mile to the most northerly point of Devon (Foreland Point). Throughout the walk we have had some incredible views, but the final mile had to top them off. It was great to complete the walk with such a fantastic view. As we reached the point, we cracked open a beer to celebrate before we walked back to the car park (what’s another mile after 130).

We got back to the car park and drove to the Beggars Roost Inn where we all enjoyed a lovely meal, thank you to the owners for not only accommodating us but also for their kind donation.

I would just like to say a massive thank you to John and Hannah for completing the whole walk with me and to Chantelle, Gill and Adrian for completing their 20 miles over 2 days. We managed to raise over £4000 which is incredible.

We would also like to thank you support team Tracey, Ian and Eoin we could not of completed it without you and all of the mentioned companies and campsites who again without your support this would not have been possible. THANK YOU