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 ...