Tracy Curran_Walking the Cornish Coastline Challenge

                                                Praa Sands to Long Rock (9 miles exactly) Today's walk was a classic example of how we are trying to fit in our walks around family. My daughter needed to go to Penzance to visit a relative so Sarah and I dropped her off, parked the car and hopped on a bus to Praa Sands. Sarah also had a family birthday celebration to get back to, which left us quite tight on time,  and so we opted for a fairly flat 9-mile route.  The weather was cold and windy as we set out and, although the path wasn't too challenging in terms of steepness, it was very narrow and full of twists and turns with lots of roots to trip over. Although, Long Rock to Marazion is one of my favourite haunts, I haven't visited Praa Sands for several years and I have never walked this whole stretch of coast before. It was great to look down on Prussi...

Padstow to Porthcothan is a route which is familiar to Sarah and I as we walked it together when we did the Macmillan Mighty Hike in September 2022. It's a beautiful walk which is predominantly flat, although there are some slightly steeper parts along the way. The challenge is in the distance at 14 miles, but we are becoming used to these longer treks.  To save time, we parked at Porthcothan and took a 30-minute bus ride up to Padstow. I was slightly worried about Romeo's reaction to the bus but he didn't seem phased and even stayed calm with other dogs on board. Result!  We set off from Padstow - a twisty path with breathtaking views across to Rock, especially in the sunshine. Then we climbed up around the head and along a wide, grassy route which passes sheep and cattle. The weather was calm and dry, although the sun did weaken through the day, and the sea was a tranquil haze of blue.                          ...

                                                                                Crantock After a month's break due to half-term, weekend family commitments and illness (it really has been slow progress), Sarah and I decided to be kind to ourselves and re-attempt Walk 2 from Crantock to Perranporth. During our first attempt, we had started at Perran and were heading to Crantock when the weather closed in and we found ourselves being battered by the wind whilst standing right on a cliff edge. In the end, we turned back after only a measly three miles but it was the right thing to do. If we had listened to the forecast, we never should have ventured out anyway. Walk 2 revisited was a very different experience with the sun shining as we set off. However, it wasn't the smoothest of starts as we ...

                                                                                            Porthcothan Saturday 14th February - the first weekend of half term - was sunny and beautiful. With a week's holiday stretched out in front of me and the dry and bright weather, it made getting out of bed much easier. I drove to Newquay to meet Sarah and then we took one car up to Porthcothan and started walking. I only intended on bringing one of my dogs with me but Cocoa, my mini cockapoo was not going to let me leave without her and would have woken the whole house whining if I had. Spirits were up as the walk began. Sarah and I hadn't seen each other for two weeks so we had lots to chat about, the views were stunning and the path was nice and level. We had a couple o...

From rain to sun... Check out Sarah's video of this walk:  Walk 3                                                                                        “Do you think we should go?” This is the question that Sarah and I are asking ourselves way more than I ever thought possible… We woke up early on Sunday to MORE rain and fog. Plus, earlier in the week sinkholes had opened up on Perranporth dunes – a worrying sign of how the relentless rain is impacting the ground we walk on. “I think we should try Bassett’s Cove to Hayle,” I finally decided. Portreath to Hayle was the actual plan but I knew that Portreath to Bassett’s Cove is a tricky up and down path, which completely flattens out from Bassett’s Cove to Hayle. “Plus, the tide times should allow us to get right acr...

Our second walk was a VERY different experience to the first... The weekend of the 24th January, we planned to get going first thing on Saturday. However, with stormy weather on Friday and heavy rain overnight, we needed a bit of extra time to make a judgement about what we should do. In the end, we set off later in the morning (11.30am) and decided to walk along Perranporth Beach, onto Holywell and then as far towards Newquay as we could manage.  The weather seemed to be more on our side as we headed out. The wind was calmer and, apart from the odd shower, the rain had stopped. We knew the paths might be muddy but dressed accordingly with proper hiking boots. However, my first mistake was deciding to take both dogs. I wouldn't risk either of them not being leaded on a cliff edge and this led to difficulty.  The walk along Perran beach was lovely. This is my favourite running ground, although I have swapped in my morning runs for full-time work in Penair library, hence my drop...