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Confidence. It's a funny thing. One moment you can be riding the crest of a wave, feeling unbeatable and exuding unbelievable self-belief. The next, after the smallest of mishaps or setbacks, those niggling self-doubts start to snowball out of control like a swine flu epidemic. Before you know it you're questioning your own ability to put one foot in front of the other, impossible to climb out of the bottomless pit of negativity, despair and depression.

Today's walk from Phillack to Portreath followed this line of thought to a tee. After yesterday's short hike along easy pavements, followed by an over-indulgence on pasties and pints, we woke feeling like we could take on the world. A bacon and sausage bap, the breakfast of kings, only added to our supreme confidence levels.

From our campsite, situated on the edge of Hayle Beach and overlooking St. Ives Bay, we made our way northwards along the coast, through Gwithian Towans, an area of sand dunes that rise and fall like a temperamental ocean. The skies were blue and a cool wind whipped off the sea. By the time we had made our way to the end of Hayle Beach, a mere two miles of walking, our hopes of walking 1160 miles from Lands End to John o'Groats in aid of Association for International Cancer Research were in desperate need of resuscitation. Our confidence had again been shattered.

Instead of walking along Hayle Beach itself, I chose to follow the South West Coast Path through the dunes, stupidly ignored my wife's shortcut suggestion. I thought I knew best. I didn't. Walking through the dunes was a more demanding trail of constant ups and downs. It was impossible to keep the sand out of our shoes, which rubbed and imbedded itself into the plaster-covered sores and ruptured blisters. The sharp twinges of debilitating pain had returned, slowing our progress to a crawl. We started to bicker, arguments that could have been saved if, I'm sure like most husbands, they would listen to their wives more often.

At the end of Hayle Beach lies the picturesque Godrevey (Trinity House) Lighthouse on Godrevey Island, one of Cornwall's best known lighthouses. It was this very same lighthouse, built in 1858-59 that inspired Virginia Woolf's novel 'To The Lighthouse.' Opposite the lighthouse at Godrevey Head, we rested for an hour, assessing the damage and eating a packet of ginger nut biscuits. In such a situation, it's amazing how comfort eating can help ease the hurt. We decided to continue, knowing that our intended destination, Portreath would have a pharmacy to buy more appropriate blister control plasters. Looking back southwards, St. Ives was still clearly visible. It's always demoralising to still see a place you have worked hard to come from still so close.

Once past Godrevey Lighthouse, the South West Coast path became flatter and easier to navigate. Some of the best coastal heath in Cornwall, owned by the National Trust, surrounded us. Thanks to the proximity of the B3301 and nearby car parks, tourists and hikers were out in force. Unlike the friendly people we passed the previous days, this time we were met with unsympathetic, snotty, 'I'm better than you' stares, like the ones you gave at school to the kid wearing a school uniform he out grew three years previous. Although our 14kg backpacks were no longer the torture they initially were to carry, our dishevelled demeanours gave off a somewhat pitiable aurora. To be honest, I would have given exactly the same looks under the circumstances.

Even with the sun beating down, the strong sea breeze kept temperatures down, making for perfect walking weather. Slowing down our progress made the pain levels bearable and the walk enjoyable. The South West Coast Path hugged the steep, treacherous cliff sides, a popular breeding ground for gulliemots, razorbills, fulmars and kittiwakes. Eroded caves below us boomed and exploded with the crashing waves from the surging sea. To our right Shetland ponies, brought in by the National Trust, innocently grazed.

Passing Hell's Mouth, deadly drops only inches away leave you in no doubt why this has been chosen by some to be a suicide spot. There was no need to be on suicide watch today. In fact, continuing on towards the North Cliffs, the Knavocks (or Navax) and Samphire Island (named after the salty, cripsy edible plant that grows there), this rugged coastline is undoubtedly some of the most striking in all of Cornwall. Enjoying the scenery so much, it was a shame Portreath came so quickly, where another steep decline brought us into town.

Spread along a stream valley that ends at a sandy beach, Portreath is one of Cornwall's many surfer haunts. Originally Portreath was a port serving the copper and tin mining industry and was also home to a pilchard fishery. Today though, as we stocked up on supplies and blister remedies, Portreath had a somewhat well-maintained, ghost town feel.

Trying to do this charity walk using only campsites does have its setbacks. Although they are cheaper, they are rarely located near the main urban areas. Instead they take needless extra miles to get too, which only add to the difficulties of this challenge. A mile or two might not sound a lot, but calculating this over the expected 82 days it will take to walk from Lands End to John o'Groats, that's a good 100 miles more than what we need to do. This time, the extra two miles was worth it, with the friendly Cambrose Touring Park offering a tranquil, secluded location. We sun-bathed. Soaking up the rays helped restore our lapse in confidence earlier in the day and it was no surprise we had our best night's sleep so far.



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

TODAY:

Start Location: Phillack (nr. Hayle)
End Location: Portreath
Distance Covered: 12.46 miles
Start Time: 09:30
End Time: 15:05
Total Walking Time: 5 hours 35 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.
Accommodation: Cambrose Touring Park, Portreath Road, Portreath, TR16 4HT. Cost: £10

OVERALL:

Total Land's End to John o'Groats Walking Distance: 1160.23 miles
Total Distance Covered: 46.79 miles (4.03%)
Average Miles Walked per Day: 11.70 miles
Days Walked: 4 (out of 82)

Pint(s) of the Day:

Black Prince (St. Austell Brewery, St. Austell, Cornwall, PL25 4BY) (4.0%)
“Black Prince is a black mild ale and well worth investigating. Deep, dark and intriguing, it has a full-bodied fruity flavour, the perfect complement to a Steak & Kidney Pudding or Steak & Ale Pie." (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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