thanks

this is an extra post to say thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored so far, it really does mean a lot.

and a reminder that the fundraising link is on the right hand side (over there -> ) for those that haven't.

i wasn't planning on bugging you all while i was still walking. but this evening i've found myself wondering, just a little bit, what the hell i'm doing this for. so it seems like a fair time to raise the point.

sorry.

jin x

day 15: what a difference a day makes

i believe i wrote yesterday about how familiar the path was seeming. it couldnt have been more different today.

i had a beach, dunes, a building site, a small town, dual carriage way, a village, a golf course, more dunes, woods, a big touristy town, some cliff path, some boulder hopping, and some moor land. all in one day.

it was a bad start to the day. i didn't get to bed all that early, and i could tell. i also felt a little like i was coming down with a cold this morning. i'm going to choose to ignore it. on top of that, someone from the drum n bass night i camped by stole my lovely branch/walking pole which replaced the one i broke in the first week. i'd become pretty attached to it. still. life goes on. or at least, the walking must go on.

i had a lunch date in st ives with margaret and eric, the retirees we met at heartland point. i think it possibly made me feel like i had to rush a bit in the morning, though i don't think i really went any faster.

after lunch, and skipping out st Ives head (i didn't realise until too late cos i'd gone via margaret and eric's) i headed off towards zennor where i'd managed to get a bed for the night in the backpackers hostel.

shortly after setting out though i realised i was incredibly low on cash and had failed to pick any up in st ives. luckily they take cards and i have access to a bed and shower again tonight.

all in all a pretty good day. with the sun shining again. i'm on the verge of thinking i can forgive it the heat for the views it allows. like this one of the beach leading up to hayle:

and this one of one of ridiculously turquoise sea:

and this one of more Heather (yes, i know, it's just so pretty in real life though so i have to keep trying):

there's also a video, of the sun glittering on a bay, that i can't workout how to upload. so you'll have to take my word that it was breathtaking.

jin x

we're getting into the realms of guesswork now, but if the book is correct on st ives harbour being 232 miles along (400 to go!) then i'm at about 238 now. which would make 19 miles today. i don't believe that.

day 14: to trudge

today very much brought to mind a quote from the awesomness that is 'a knights tale':

william: Oi sir, what are you doing?

chaucer: Uh... trudging. You know, trudging?

[pause]

chaucer: To trudge: the slow, weary, depressing yet determined walk of a man who has nothing left in life except the impulse to simply soldier on.

except i'm a woman.

it was cloudy again today. and it's amazing how much impact that had on my mood. quite simply put, i wasn't in the mood today.

not surprising really. i've been going two full weeks now.

the coast today seemed familiar. i think that's the best word. it wasn't that i was bored, or that it looked the same as other stretches. but it had a familiar feel. which combined with the cloud, and the lack of john, kinda made the day drag.

that said, i carried on an extra 4 miles further than the plan today. the first time i've gone any considerable distance further. i got to roughly where i'd planned to camp. but it didn't feel like i'd walked for long enough. so i carried on. i figure i'll save up the lazy time for land's end where i'm in a hostel again.

on the plus side of today, i passed 210 miles, a third of the distance.

on the downside, there weren't many excuses for photos. also, i'm camped up by a bar with a drum n bass night that i can't allow myself to go to cos i don't think i'll find the strength to get up in the morning, and i have a lunch date to keep.

ah well. c'est la vie and all that.

john, here's one for you:

and one for the rest of you:

jin x

it was 14.5 miles in the end today, 219.5 total.

day 13: home comforts

i'm staying with steph, from my course, and her parents today. they fed me a roast and let me use the washing machine and have given me a comfy bed to sleep in. i'm struggling to think back to the walking except i know i made good time.

so i'm gonna go for a cop out and post some pics, since so many of you have said such nice things about them. though i fear these are more mediocre.

first up we have the view back along the three or so miles of perranporth beach. fast walking, but tedious:

then there's the stripey rocks above st agnes, granite with some sort of veining i think:

and a poor attempt at showing how pretty the heather on the hills is:

that one's a bit wonky.

jin x

12 miles today. 205 in all. 5 short of a third of the way round. which is where i am time wise...

day 12: all by myself...

today john made the difficult decision to head home, to get his feet seen to. he got some blisters fairly early on, but soldiered on for 176 miles over 11 days, treating them as best he could. unfortunately they needed more care than a 16 mile a day schedule can allow. he's gonna give them a few weeks to get better and hopefully re-join me when i pass through plymouth. sad times.

on the walk side of things: today was a scorcher! the day went well for me. nice grassy cliff tops meant i could get the flip flops out and give the feet some air.

the views were stunning. looking at the sea you'd think i was in the tropics:

gentler gradients meant I made good time into newquay to head to the minor injuries unit to see about my bite. turns out it was nothing, but I think I had good reason to worry:

i'm now lying on a beach, for the first time so far (sorry john), enjoying the evening sun before i set up the tent for the first solo wild camp.

it's been an odd day. it's very strange not having someone to point out views and kestrels to. but it's also been nice proving to myself that I can do this all by myself. well, for one day at least!

jin x

if i add the signed distance to roughly where i'm camping from newquay harbour to the book distance to newquay harbour then i get 193 miles. which makes it a 17 miler today. plus detour to the hospital. it did not feel like that much! it's amazing how different it is without the massive hills!

day 11: bummer

it was a long day today. so we got an early start. 7.30 early. good start.

we reached polzeath in pretty good time. still good.

we reached padstow in even better time. even better.

the sun came out. nice.

we reached trevone in alright time. still smiling.

then i realised the horse fly bite on my leg was developing a, target like, second ring of red. much akin to those seen with lyme disease. bummer

i had enough internet to google horse flies and lyme disease. it turns out there have been links. rubbish!

i google lyme disease images. they look just like my leg. getting pretty worried now.

after speaking to nhs direct i'm staying calm. luckily newquay is tomorrow and it has a hospital and they can give me antibiotics if needed. better.

we stomp on round to treyarnon bay to the yha, to find out this was one of the ones john hadn't been able to book in to. bummer again.

overall a good day. probably better than this post makes it sound. the sun shone. we made good time. but the irritations take over at the end of the day sometimes.

i'll try to be back to my usual cheerful self tomorrow. assuming the potential lyme disease isn't a problem. if it is i will not be held accountable for the tears that will flow.

jin x

18 miles today. 176 total.

day 10: no. cloud doesn't make for better walking...

the day started much like yesterday, barely able to see our hands in front of our faces:

we thought it'd be good. not sunny therefore not too hot. oh how wrong we were. it felt like we were in a rainforest all morning.

plodding along, unable to appreciate the views, the joys came from the little things. like the dew drops picking out the spiders webs...

and making grass flower look like bunches of grapes...

our fairly short day took us via port issac where we met with john's grandparents for lunch. and were blessed with a bit of blue sky and sun.

it was definitely nicer with the air a bit clearer, but in the end we settled at the end of our 'short' day at around about 158 cumulative miles. a quarter of the way round. we did two high fives today instead of our usual one.

jin x

our 10.6 mile day somehow worked out as 13. i wish they'd stop doing that! as mentioned above, total is now ~158 miles, or a quarter of the way.

day 9: they snuck an extra two miles in somewhere...

...or at least that's what the bench we passed this morning said. 500 miles to poole. 132 to minehead.

today seemed a bit more tricky. the miles were definitely taking their toll by boscastle. we had to get to tintagel. another 4 or 5 miles along.

i keep switching between being amazed that things like the sunset of last night was only one night ago, and being shocked at how quickly 9 days seems to have gone. at some point in the next two days we'll be a quarter of the round.

i think a part of me, for all my talking it up, thought that i'd have failed by now. i thought my knee would have given out. or i'd have been plagued by blisters. or the pace would be unrealistic.

i think the other part of me is daunted by the fact that none of that has happened and I have to carry on...

photo opportunities were scarce today. we were often shrouded in mist.

case in point: tintagel castle. and a lot of fog.

jin x

another long one at 17 miles. 145 miles in total now.

day 8: sunset

we had a late start this morning. not on the trail til 9am. i know that probably doesn't seem all that late. but it meant it was an hour hotter. and we've been an hour later pitching up for the night.

the hour hotter was a bad thing. it meant that by the time we met my mum a couple of hours ouside bude we were already knackered. and perhaps not the best company.

the hour later pitching up has worked for the best as we're the nearest to civilisation that we've been. and it also meant we got to see this:

which was nice.

jin x

we must've done around 17.5 miles today, as the book reckons it, so i make that 128 miles total now. wow. writing that is weird.

day 7: downs and ups

today started early. a coo-ing wood pidgeon had us out of bed and on the road before 7.30. a good start for me. i'm a morning person. less so for john i think. the first half of the day had a definite trudging feel to it. more so for john who's feet were wet through from the uncut grass fields we were in for much of it.

lunch time brought us a sight for very sore eyes, by way of a snack kiosk near hartland point. we stopped for much needed refreshment and a lovely chat with some retirees. they gave us tips of extra hostels and an invitation to lunch with them, in st ives next week. it's really starting to stand out how lovely the people we're meeting are.

refreshed after lunch, and with the sun putting in an appearance john's spirits showed a distinct up turn. the last few miles seemed to pass rapidly, bringing us to our second hostel at around 4.30pm.

once again, we were blessed with lovely people. this time the hostel volunteers who let us use their washing machine so we don't have to smell tomorrow!

there were many photo opportunities today. too many to post here. the best views today were those that couldn't be captured. the golden sea at sunrise. the 180 degree panoramas of the sea.

this one i think almost captures the magic:

but not quite.

the geology was pretty awesome today. lots of geeky rock pictures were taken. like this:

and some fun shots (yes fun. we decided it was about time to have some on this walk):

overall i think the ups out weighed the downs. and that's not bad a week in. i think...

jin x

acording to the book we've done 110.5 miles in total now. which would make today's walk about 18.5 miles. it wasn't. we must have miscounted somewhere along the line. but the total should be correct. i think...

day 6: thank god for chase n status

i kinda knew it'd be like this, but the rest morning didn't really do it for me. i think i'd have preferred to just soldier on.

it was necessary though, i think. and john definitely came off better for it.

the walking today was more like what we expected i think. up and down, cliffs and sea on one side, ferns and trees on the other. it was also sunny for the first time. i don't think that helped with the enthusiasm either. not because it wasn't nice to see the sun. it was. but it was just so bloody hot!

we got under tree cover for the last half of today's walk. which was better in terms of heat. muddier in terms of path.

it was about this time i resorted to the iPod and chase n status to give me a lift. john literally couldn't keep up for a while. it's fair to say, i think, that the music did it's job.

we're now camped up under some trees, just off the path, about a kilometre on from when we planned. not bad for a days work.

there've been some spectacular views today. I think the photo below covers the best and worst. it's stunning, but the headland on the distance is where we were not yesterday afternoon, but the day before. it's amazing how many miles a couple of estuaries add:

jin x

about 9 miles I reckon (some of the 'missing' miles are definitely showing up if john's book/ the path signs are to be believed) and about 92 miles all together.

day 5: we made it...

to the first hostel! win!

it was a painful start, with a painful middle and a painful end. but at least there was no limping today. that's a bonus.

to be fair. i managed to smile for most of the day. so it isn't all bad...

worst view of today: the infinite path...

(behind us)

(and the way on...)

and the best view: fresh donuts a mile from the end!!!

we get a half day tomorrow. only 7.5 miles. I'm looking forward to the rest ridiculous amounts!

jin x

about 20 miles again, 83 in total now, and I threw away the sodding pedometer cos it refused to work properly.

day 4: ouch

i think for a while there my right leg shrank. at least it seemed to shrink in a kind of locking up, not moving properly kind of way. for about the last 4 miles today.

it all started out so well. nice hill to start us off. nice walk along the beach at woolacombe. oh wait. did I say nice? I mean painful 2 mile walk along the beach at woolacombe. think that was probably the end of the nice walking. 3 miles in to today's 20 miles. the most in a day so far. and boy did it feel like it.

some stretching out, bimbling without the pack, and copious use of diclofenac gel have rendered me able to walk again. which just leaves sleep to rest me. i'll leave you with some pictures.

pictures of brave sheep:

pictures of te best stiles ever (thank you north devon council for actually thinking these through):

photos of places we've walked:

and lastly but my no means least-ly, some very old whale bones. yup. we thought it was odd too:

jin x

about 20 miles, 63 total and 28,000 steps since woolacombe which is when I finally remembered the pedometer.

day 3: and we're feeling good

i think we're really getting into the swing of things now! the up hills seem, i was going to say fine, but they feel good! the flats are great. but the down hills, wow, they hurt. a lot. who'd've thunk it?!

well, actually i would if i'd thought about it, but i didn't i forgot.

anyways, today we went over the biggest hill on the path at 318m:

as you may be able to tell it was still quite windy, but not as bad as yesterday's 30mph gusting 45! (i got dad to check the met office!) then we passed combe martin, illfracombe and lee bay all fairly uneventfully. before pitching up less than half a kilometre from out planned stop at bull point, in a nice little grassy combe, with a beach and a stream and sun and everything!

(the sun had gone down and we'd started to get chilly by the time of the photo taking)

favourite view of the day:

giant cow parsley!!! (apologies for the bad photo skills, it was raining at that point)

worst view: honestly can't think of one.

the legs have felt good. the back has felt worse. the blister got no bigger. all in all a good day and i'm looking forward to tomorrow. which seems like a good point to sign of because my 'bed' is beckoning...

jin x

about 15 miles (we think, the signs tell lots of lies!), 43 miles total (ish) and absolutely no idea how many steps, probably around 30,000 again, give or take

day 2: up against nature

woke up this morning to the sound of pouring rain. bad times. this is what i've been dreading! luckily it help off long enough to pack off, and then mostly for the rest of the day actually!

i was mostly ok today. shoulders are definitely feeling it. and I got my first blister. but apart from that I mostly managed to keep on smiling!

best view of the day:

... 5 headlands, all covered today!

worst view:

the headland about three after the last photo, from the one we were on. you may just be able to make out two tiny specks near the end of the path, those are people. in between us and them was a bloody long path down, then a bloody steep one back up!

that's when the near gale force winds kicked in. we battled on, but gave in about a mile before we planned, when we found the loveliest lady ever who let us camp in her garden. and fed us tea. and scones!

jin x

about 14 miles, 27 total, roughly 30,000 steps (i'd imagine, my pedometer didn't want to work today)

day 1: still optimistic

we met a guy just after porlock weir who's on his thirteenth time round. he's carrying as much as us (around 15kg in the end!) and doing 20 miles a day. he aims to finish in 4.5 weeks. this shouldn't be impossible then!

that said, the heavy bags were hurting today. and we were very glad to stop after our 13 mile first day. we did manage to set up a nice camp before the rain set in at bed time though:

jin x

13 miles/25,700 steps

and they're off!

the seemingly endless kit is packed. the throat is mostly better. it is, in otherwords, time to man up and get on with it.

please do spur us along with comments, even if they're only telling us what we already know: that we're mad!

t minus 13 hours...

so it turns out that i'm taking a lot of stuff. a hell of a lot:

there's the sleeping and wearing stuff...

the food and cooking stuff...

the keep it handy and first aid stuff...

the daily wash kit stuff...

the 'i don't know how to classify it' stuff...

the washing and non emergency first aid type stuff...

and the stuff i'm gonna wear...

even when it's packed up it looks like loads...

ah well. i can always ditch half of it after the first hill!

jin x

1 night to go...

huzzah!

the glands are beating a hasty retreat. as are the white spots which showed up on my tonsils yesterday...

jinni's immune system (with the help of strepsils -1 : tonsillitis - 0

jin x

2 days to go...

uh oh...

my glands are up. and i feel like i'm swallowing glass.

not ideal for starting a 39 day walk...

jin x

3 days to go...

aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

this time in 5 days i'll hopefully be settling down after my first days walking.

that is all.

jin x

where we'll be and when

i made a new page!

it contains details of where we'll be passing each day, where we're staying or planning on pitching, how much distance we'll be covering in total and per day in both miles and kms for those out there who prefer those (are there those out there that prefer kms?)

the astute among you will motice that this totals 575 miles, not the previously advertised 630. i've based this all on some gps tracks for the coastpath which i downloaded from some nice website or other (the bad blogger in me has forgotton which one - if you happen to know please speak up and i'll give credit where it's due!) and that's the distance they total.

where the other 55 miles have gone is a mistery to me! however i'd be happy if they stay missing frankly.

please go and check it out if you're thinking of joining at any point - the link is in the shiny new tabs bar, at the top of the page, so it'll be easy to find all the time!

i need sleep now, cos that took aaaaages to put together, up next...whatever comes to mind in the penultimate week.

ps. please sponsor us if you can!

jin x
10 days to go...