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Published: January 23rd 2012
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Cornish Mining Heritage
Views from Day 2 (Pendeen to St. Ives) of our 1160 mile charity walk form Lands End to John o'Groats "Why are you so obese? You really are obese!" These words were still raw. I admit to carrying a little puppy fat, too much cheap Asian street food earlier in the year being the culprit. But obese? Surely not. But these inquisitive words from a family member had hit a nerve. I was hoping that the upcoming challenge of walking 15 miles a day for three solid months would help send these words straight back in the direction they came from.
As dawn broke on day two of our 1160 mile charity walk from Lands End to John o'Groats, the back spasms and stiff hamstrings filled me with dread. Our tent, saturated from condensation on the inside and out, was packed away in a soggy mess. Not in any way was I enthusiastic about spending another night outdoors.
Travelling for three months in a developed country was never going to be a cheap undertaking. We had estimated a rough budget, based on camping and eating frugally for the duration. As I forced down a can of cold baked beans, followed by cold rice pudding I was already realising it wasn't going to take long to start breaking our budget.
South West Coast Path
Views from Day 2 (Pendeen to St. Ives) of our 1160 mile charity walk form Lands End to John o'Groats Such a diet might help my intended weight loss, but enjoyment levels would be severely sacrificed. With all the pain, I knew enjoyment levels had to be high if there was any chance of progressing onwards.
There was no early start today. One thing I hadn't envisaged was just how long I could sleep in a damp tent. My arms burned as I lifted my backpack onto my shoulders. Sea mist shrouded the views for the second day running. Today's 13 mile walk to St. Ives was classified as 'SEVERE' in our guidebook. The fact we'd struggled the previous day on a 'moderate' walk didn't bode too well. Almost as soon as we left Pendeen the sea mist cleared. Blazing sun and deep blue skies replaced it and it wasn't long before we were drenched in sweat.
To make our day a little easier, we joined the South West Coast Path a couple of miles further north, following the easier B3306 road through the villages of Bojewyan and Morvah, leaving it next to a derelict tin mine. Pendeen Lighthouse, built in 1900 to aid ships through one of the most treacherous stretches of Britain's coast was still only
South West Coast Path
Views from Day 2 (Pendeen to St. Ives) of our 1160 mile charity walk form Lands End to John o'Groats a stone throw's away. Our short cut probably saved no more than twenty minutes.
It was obvious today was going to be a sharp contrast to the previous days exertions. The pathway hugged the coastline, constantly climbing up towering cliffs and down into scenic coves and secluded sandy beaches. It was steep and undulating, but magnificently beautiful. Grouse danced through fields of wild flowers while seals frolicked along the shoreline. Even though the scenery helped take our minds off the hardships of walking with heavy backpacks, the miles passed slowly, barely covering two miles an hour. Whenever we stopped to rest, our calves shook uncontrollably. The build up of lactic acid in our shoulders made our bags an even bigger burden.
There were fewer mining relics today and signs of civilisation, but still walkers and ramblers passed us at regular intervals. I've never been a rambler and probably never will. The connotation of 'rambler' is something I find similar to calling a student 'nerdy' or 'geeky'. To many, it holds a negative image of a socially awkward individual dressed head to toe in gore-tex, with hiking stick in each hand. It was nice to have this image immediately
South West Coast Path
Views from Day 2 (Pendeen to St. Ives) of our 1160 mile charity walk form Lands End to John o'Groats quashed. Every age group and continent was represented. Everyone stopped to talk and all offered encouragement to our Lands End to John o'Groats challenge. Some even gave donations. For the first time we felt confident in our actions and confident there was a chance of succeeding.
It was nice to pass people regularly. The hours passed quickly and by late afternoon we were closing in on our finish point: St. Ives. With the steepest cliffs behind us, we were becoming aware of what we were capable of if we stayed positive. There was still a lot to learn. The most important of which was the necessity of carrying more than a litre of water each for the entire day's exertions. With the constant heat beating down, we knew we were in trouble before we had reached the halfway point. Expecting to pass either a s hop or ice-cream van along the way, neither of us had realised how isolated this stretch of the South West Coast Path would be. We took the last swigs of our meagre water supply with still over an hour's worth of walking left to do.
Again we attempted a short cut, this time
Cornish Mining Heritage
Views from Day 2 (Pendeen to St. Ives) of our 1160 mile charity walk form Lands End to John o'Groats to reach civilisation sooner, cutting through farmer's fields and ducking under electric-fenced, bull inhabited enclosures. This meandering only added extra time and mileage to our days walk. Our heads were thumping and mouths pasty. I fought the urge to vomit. Luckily we finally found civilisation before the need to call emergency services, a concerned home-owner coming to our rescue. Another twenty minutes or so and it could have been a completely different story.
After gulping down copious amounts of cool water, filling our water bottles back up and offering our gratitude endless times, we completed the last mile to our campsite. We collapsed in a heap on the grass floor, enjoying the refreshing sea breeze.
It didn't take long to put up our tent and with the sun and light winds, it was soon dry and hospitable again. Our clothes were covered in crusty, salty sweat marks and after changing and showering we realised another schoolboy error of today's walk: we hadn't given our feet any loving attention at all. No changing of socks. No talcum powder or Vaseline. This was a huge mistake. When my wife took her boots off, her socks were soaked red in blood.
South West Coast Path
Views from Day 2 (Pendeen to St. Ives) of our 1160 mile charity walk form Lands End to John o'Groats The constant rubbing had left her heels and toes raw. Slathers of skin were hanging on by threads. Ripped to shreds was a complete understatement. Blisters had formed underneath other blisters and the associated pain and discomfort was making itself known.
It was obvious we now had a huge problem. There was no way these blisters would heal overnight and our first scheduled rest day was still four days away. Scoffing down junk food and Coke, our reward for completing the day, we contemplated our options. Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day for my wife.
Land's End to John o'Groats (LEJOG) Walking Statistics: TODAY: Start Location: Pendeen
End Location: Hellsveor Farm, St. Ives.
Distance Covered: 13.09 miles
Start Time: 08:35
End Time: 16:25
Total Walking Time: 7 hours 50 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 click here.
http://www.southwestcoastpath.com/main/sections/index.cfm?fsa=dspSectionDetail&w_id=156 This is the official South West Coast Path website, maintained by the National Trust.
Accommodation: Hellesveor Camping & Caravan Site, Hellesveor
South West Coast Path
Views from Day 2 (Pendeen to St. Ives) of our 1160 mile charity walk form Lands End to John o'Groats Farm, St. Ives, TR26 3AD. Cost: £10 (£5 charity deduction on normal price).
OVERALL: Total Land's End to John o'Groats Walking Distance: 1160.23 miles
Total Distance Covered: 25.63 miles (2.20%!)(MISSING)
Average Miles Walked per Day: 12.82 miles
Days Walked: 2 (out of 82)
Pint(s) of the Day: Healey's Cornish Ratler (Healey's Cornish Cyder Farm, Penhallow, Cornwall) (6%!)(MISSING)
"Designed to be different in taste and appearance, this cloudy Cornish cyder is sparkling. Perfect on a warm summers day in Cornwall." (http://wwww.thecornishcyderfarm.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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Tracey
non-member comment
What a cliff hanger. I'm full of admiration for your achievement.