The end: LANDS END

We made it!

There was a dramatic finish (more about that in a minute).

Thank you to everyone that has sponsored us and helped us out along the way. The sponsorship page will stay open for the next few months at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/walklandsend

Penzance to Lands End

We made the decision to roll the last two days into one and push onwards to Lands End before the heavy rain and strong wind that was forecast for the next day.

We were also up against the light, as we had to complete before sunset.

It was a 'Challenge Anneka' -style race against the clock, minus the chopper and that 4x4 buggy inside a lorry that she had. 

Right up until the last 2 miles the weather was on our side and we made good time. We had an hour to go until it would be dark. But... Then the rain started.  The rain really started. And the wind was gusting so fiercely that the rain stung as it hit our faces.

We took a bridleway that was not so near the cliff edge to be on the safe side.

When we finally made it to Lands End we just about managed a bedraggled photo at the Lands End sign post, but we didn't hang around for very long. We ran for cover in the nearby Lands End Hotel bar for a celebratory pint!

Day 8: North and South

We left Hayle on the north coast of Cornwall and walked to Marazion on the south coast. It's about 5 miles coast-to-coast across this thinnest part of Cornwall.

At Marazion we saw St Michael's Mount, tide in, so no chance of hopping across the causeway for a look around.

From a perfect blue sky in the morning on the north coast, by the time we'd reached St Michael's Mount just a couple of hours later the clouds had rolled in and the forecast was looking pretty bad for later on.

We met a lady in Marazion that told us her story about Macmillan helping her when she had a brain tumour 4 years ago. She has just been for a check up with her specialist who said she didn't need another appointment for a year. A great success story. We've heard so many great stories about the charities that we are walking for, and what they mean to so many people.

Please support the excellent work of Macmillan and RMH Bristol by sponsoring our walk here: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/walklandsend

When we reached Penzance we made the decision to push onwards to Land's End and combine the two last days into one. We'd always factored in flexibility with the days in case of delays, bad weather, or any other problems, but so far we were on track and on good form so we thought we would be able to make the last 9 miles before the weather closed in on us and before it got dark.

Did we make it? Was it possible? Find out in the next installment of the blog!

Here are a few photos from the Hayle - Penzance walk:

Day 7: The ups and downs

The general theme with the coast path is up-down-up-down-up. Today was no exception. After every big climb there was a steep drop back to nearly sea level.

Erosion on this stretch of coastline was the other recurring theme. There were lots of diversions away from the previously marked path, often borrowing land from a farmer's field, or sending us down a lane.

As our destination of Hayle got nearer, the landscape changed from dramatic cliffs to more gently undulating sand dunes

We passed seal watchers, surfers, bird spotters, walkers, joggers, kite fliers, and every type of coastal being you can imagine.

Everyone we have met has been so friendly and when they find out we're doing a charity walk they almost always want to donate some money to the fundraising pot. All those spare bits of change add up and it all helps. Thank you to all the people that have donated this way.

Thanks to everyone that has already donated via the Virgin Money Giving page, and got those that haven't here's the link:  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/walklandsend

We're pushing onwards towards Land's End...

Here are some pictures from Day 7:

Day 6: Clinging to the cliff edge

Dramatic cliffs along the Atlantic coast.

After leaving Newquay we headed west to the estuary of the River Gannel. We had to head upstream to a different bridge because the place we were planning to cross wasn't passable.

This diversion early on meant we found ourselves further inland than planned so we worked out a new route to meet the coast path at Perranporth.

To say the coastline is dramatic is a big understatement. There were a lot of landslips and the narrow rocky coast path is right on the edge of the cliff in places. The south west coast path is a well-managed national trail but it seems like bits of it might be getting eroded faster than alternative routes can be put in place.

The day ended with a stunning sunset. Here are some photos to summarise the day...

Day 5: Moor to Sea

We started today's leg of the walk in Bodmin, and swiftly picked up the Camel Trail, which is another former-railway-line-turned-walk-and-cycle-path. It seems like there are quite a few of these trailways in Cornwall; many railway lines must have been removed.

The next part of the walk followed country lanes through villages and farms. The weather provided us with April Showers (acceptable because it is April and this is what we took on), although a couple of times the showers were more like April Deluges, getting us thoroughly soaked.

We took refuge from one of the heavier downpours under a church gateway porch in small town called St Columb Major. In this unlikely spot we got talking to a local lady also taking shelter from the rain. It's so interesting to get small snippets of the lives of the people we are meeting along the way.

By the time the sea came into view as we approached Newquay, the sun had pushed its way through the clouds and we realised we had kept walking for 20 miles without really sitting down.

We are over half way on the walk, with four more days to go.

To see how we're getting on during the walk, see the 'Track Our Progress' page which shows a live map - http://2walkto.blogspot.co.uk/p/track-live-progress.html

Here are some pictures from today's walk:

Day 4: Pensilva to Bodmin

At lunchtime we found ourselves passing through the village of St Neot and there we stopped for some food at The London Inn.

We got talking to the Landlady, bar staff and some other customers about our walk. The Landlady of the London Inn very kindly donated to the charity fundraising efforts, as did a very nice couple who were at the next table.

It was such a good day for meeting interesting people along the way.

Thank you to everyone who has sponsored the walk so far. We're getting towards the half way point of the walk, and the fundraising page will remain open to collect sponsorship money after we have completed the walk. If you would like to donate please go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/walklandsend

At the start of this day we had spectacular views from Bodmin Moor, which were not even partially visible through the rain of the previous day.

It got better as the day went on, and our damp spirits were lifted when we met the generous people in St Neot and the sun came out.

Day 4 - Pensilva to Bodmin (photos)

Day 3: Drama in Cornwall

The day of extreme rain, a medical emergency and a phantom path.

We left Gulworthy and headed straight into the forest (rainforest, as it turns out). The rain theme continued throughout the day. By the time we'd crossed the River Tamar into Cornwall we had been thoroughly drenched.

Soon after the first soaking we then had a map-based incident. After following a sign post which seemed to make sense for the direction we should have been going, it transpired that it wasn't and sent us on a 3 mile detour which ultimately ended up back at the place we first went astray.

More heavy rain closed in as we climbed 1000 feet to the peak of Kit Hill. And then down the other side to Callington.

Callington is a smallish town so we were lucky to find a shop open on Easter Sunday. We didn't need anything in particular as we'd planned as if nothing would be open. However it was a welcome warm and dry place which contained chocolate.

A medical emergency unfolded in front of us in the road in Callington and Alex's first aid skills came into action . Once the ambulance arrived and the paramedics took over we were on our way again, into the rain for the final 7 miles to Pensilva on the edge of Bodmin Moor.

Being such a wet and 'eventful' day, it meant we didn't take many photos. But here are a couple of grey-looking pictures, of ghostly things appearing through the murkiness.

Day 2: The end of Devon

Dartmeet to West Gulworthy

Today was hilly and windy but sunny. 

Starting with a big climb from Dartmeet, the first 6 miles took us up the moor to the prison town of Princetown (by 'prison town' that means the place where Dartmoor prison is).

Following the trackbed of a former railway line we left Princetown and headed towards Tavistock and onwards to the overnight stopping point of West Gulworthy.

West Gulworthy is a hamlet which is just about still in Devon but we are a stone's throw from the border with Cornwall. Tomorrow Cornwall begins...

19 miles covered today.

Below are a few photos to sum up our second day.

PS The reason for this walk is to raise some money for two very worthy charities so please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/walklandsend for more info.

Day 1: Totnes to Dartmeet

Wow, what a day! There were some fairly almighty ascents to contend with. There's nothing like jumping in at the deep end.

It's all for two fantastic causes, Macmillan Cancer Support and RMH Bristol.

Take a look at the sponsorship page and if you are able to donate to the charities we're supporting with this walk please consider sponsoring the walk. There are plenty more days and a lot of hills still to climb!.

http://VirginMoneyGiving.com/walklandsend/

Here are some photos from the first day of the walk...

It's nearly time...

Tomorrow is the kick off. Day one. The walk begins!

Looking at the map for tomorrow it is fairly steadily all uphill for much of the day. We are going to be following the River Dart, from Totnes town up to Buckfastleigh, then on Dartmoor to Dartmeet.

Dartmeet is so named because it is where the East Dart and West Dart tributaries meet and become the (single) Dart.  So that's all very exciting.

We are currently somewhere on the A303 driving to Devon. Got that "did I remember to pack my walking boots" kind of feeling, like something crucial has been forgotten.
Driving out of London after work was a fairly torturous experience, with the mass exodus for the bank holiday weekend creating gridlock. It was because of being stuck in a traffic jam that was the reason and inspiration behind wanting to do the walk in the first place. That fateful comment "it would be quicker to walk" which is a horrible cliche, but was just crying out to be acted upon.

It definitely won't be quicker to walk this particular 150 miles to Land's End, but on the other hand it definitely would not be possible to drive this beast of a trek we've got planned. We'll be off-road for as much of the time as it is feasible, which is why the route plan looks a bit wibbly-wobbly in places.

To see where we're going, check out the Route Plan page here: http://2walkto.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-page.html

The "Track Our Progress" map ( http://2walkto.blogspot.co.uk/p/track-live-progress.html) should update with our latest positions sent by GPS to an app called Viewranger, which in turn gets interpreted by a website called Social Hiking. The Social Hiking map will also grab any social media posts or photos we take and attach them to the nearest position on the map.

Well that's all the pre-walk things to say. Thanks again for following the walk and for sponsoring!

To end this post, here's a photo of Lua the cat helping me pack my bag earlier today by conveniently falling asleep amid the gear, on top of my clothes.

More hills and training

Only one week to go before the walk from Totnes to Land's End begins.  The sponsorship page is now open at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/walklandsend

Training Walk on the North Downs

We have been out in the Surrey countryside exploring another part of the North Downs Way. This time we caught the train from London out to Oxted, just outside the M25.

Here is a map of the route (click on the map to zoom in and view the distance, height, average speed etc if you are into that kind of thing!)

This part of the North Downs Way seems to hug the M25 for quite a long way. The countryside around here is absolutely beautiful (ignoring the 8 lanes of roaring traffic where possible!).

We had to cross the motorway a couple of times during the day, and we were never far from it.

Despite the proximity to the M25, at times it was possible to forget it was there. Combined with a beautiful Spring day we were treated to some great views of Surrey.

Here are a few more photos from the walk:

And no walk would be complete without seeing a quirky road name. We stumbled upon...

Don't forget to follow us next week when we begin the walk from Totnes to Land's End, and if you can sponsor us that would be brilliant.

The sponsorship page is open at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/walklandsend