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Truly hideous! My face couldn't hide my initial reaction. I would never ever use the words 'hideous' and 'my wife' in the same sentence under normal circumstances, but taking a look at her feet, there really wasn't a better word to describe them.

By some small miracle, I was hoping the blisters and missing segments of skin had miraculously replenished and repaired themselves. They hadn't. They looked exactly the same as they did the previous evening after the gruelling thirteen mile coastal walk from Pendeen. So disgusting, it was hard to look at them for more than a few seconds without feeling nauseated. I tried to offer words of encouragement and inspiration, but we both knew they were lacking any honesty.

Trying to be the doting husband, I walked the twenty minutes in to St. Ives, picked up a selection of bandages, plasters and surgical spirit and returned to the campsite. I'd never come across surgical spirits before, but from conversations with fellow campers it's a staple amongst seasoned walkers and is used for hardening the skin on feet to stop the exact problem we were currently faced with. It was worth a shot.

By the time my wife had finished dressing her feet, she looked more like a burns victim than suffering the misfortunes of an inexperienced hiker. She gingerly placed her boots on, wincing frequently with pain. There was no way she was going to give in or stop. Like me, failure was a word she rarely used. If I say I'm going to achieve or do something, I normally do it, no matter how long it takes or hardships faced. My wife was the same with this 1160 mile charity walk from Lands End to John o'Groats. To her, failing at this would be failing her grandparents, who had recently passed away from cancer. They were the driving force in doing this charity walk and raising funds for Association for International Cancer Research.

It was almost 10am by the time we set off. Very slowly we walked. The sea mist was back again, lying in front of us like a mocking jester. My wife was sobbing in agony. I felt completely helpless. The only redeeming factor was that today would be a shorter day's walking. We were only going to Phillack (near Hayle) and after consulting my map, we realised it would be easier and quicker if we stuck to roads the whole way. Neither of us minded this. The dank, dismal weather doing little to raise our spirits.

St. Ives might be a popular tourist resort. With its golden sands and tranquil atmosphere, it was awarded best seaside town in 2007 by The Guardian newspaper. Today though we headed through the town without giving it so much as a second glance. Our mind was only on the finish line. Taking one moment to look back across the harbour, it reminded me of something from the 17th century. Cloaked in mist, it was easy to picture pirate ships and wooden galleons.

It was a steep climb out of St. Ives, following the A3074 towards Hayle Estuary. By now the heaven's had opened and we were enjoying walking for the first time in torrential rain. No matter what anybody says, there are no joys associated with being out in the rain. I'd rather poke myself in the eye continuously with a blunt pencil.

The pavement kept us away from the traffic and we were able to increase our speed slightly. My wife's feet had numbed, reducing her throbbing woes. In nicer weather, the RSPB managed nature reserve of the Hayle estuary might have offered some respite and glimpses of rare birdlife, but today, like St. Ives, it offered nothing.

Within three hours we had already arrived in Hayle. Passing the quaint shops and tea rooms our sights were set firmly on a vision at the end of Penpol Terrace. Like a mirage in the desert, the world famous Philips Bakery grew closer and closer. Hayle is known as the Cornish Pasty capital of the world and Philips Bakery arguably serves the greatest Cornish Pasty I have ever tasted. Their medium traditional pasty not being too dissimilar in size to that of a human head. Coming to England and not tasting a Cornish Pasty is identical to going to India and not eating a curry: a complete and utter travesty. Once cooked by housewives for Cornish miners to take down the tin mines, they are now a staple food for millions throughout England. In Wales they are called Oggies and in Scotland they are similar to Forfar Bridies. They are quite possibly the greatest British food invention. I envisage plenty more of these pastry treats being eaten before we leave Cornwall.

We reached our campsite in Phillack thirty minutes later and spent the afternoon sleeping. No further damage to my wife's feet occurred and we celebrated this fact in the nearby Bucket of Blood pub. There is certainly no doubting that one of the biggest draws of walking across England and Scotland is the wide variety of local drinking establishments, and the Bucket of Blood public house has set an excellent early standard of quality.

Centuries old and containing its original low beamed ceiling, the cosy Bucket of Blood establishment is so named after an episode some two hundred years ago when the landlord went to draw water from the well outside. Pulling up the pail, he found the water to be bright red. The corpse of a taxman had been thrown down the shaft. Today it is the only pub in England that carries this name.

It was well in to the evening, when the sun finally cut through the mist and we made our way back to the campsite. Tents and caravans full of unhappy parents screamed foul-mouthed abuse at their disobedient children. To escape the mayhem we walked through the sand dunes to Hayle beach and watched the sun set over St. Ives Bay. Morale had been restored.



Land's End to John o'Groats (LEJOG) Walking Statistics:

TODAY:

Start Location: Helsveor Farm, St. Ives
End Location: Phillack
Distance Covered: 8.70 miles
Start Time: 09:50
End Time: 13:35
Total Walking Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
(this includes all rest and stoppage time between start and end location and not just walking time)
Footpaths Used: South West Coast Path. For a full in depth look at sights of interest passed during today's walk, please visit http://www.southwestcoastpath.com/. This is the official South West Coast Path website, maintained by the National Trust. (Used only sparingly today due to injury)
Accommodation: Beachside Holiday Park, Phillack, Hayle, TR27 5AW. Cost: £11

OVERALL:

Total Land's End to John o'Groats Walking Distance: 1160.23 miles
Total Distance Covered: 34.33 miles (2.96%)
Average Miles Walked per Day: 11.44 miles
Days Walked: 3 (out of 82)

Pint(s) of the Day:

Bucket of Blood (St. Austell Brewery, St. Austell, Cornwall, PL25 4BY) (4.4%)
“A really distinctive ale with spicy flavours perfect for Halloween and the winter months.Befitting its name, Bucket of Blood is a red ale, infused with spicy hops and takes its title from St Austell Brewery’s Bucket of Blood pub, in Phillack, Hayle." (http://www.staustellbrewery.co.uk)

Charity of Choice:

We are walking 1160 miles from Land's End to John o'Groats to raise money for cancer research charity Association for International Cancer Research (AICR). AICR funds cancer research projects globally. If you would like to see how much we manage to raise or if you are inspired to donate to this worthy cause, please visit our donation webpage at http://www.justgiving.com/Adrian-and-Candace.

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