The Portland Circuit - 13 miles



Ann was really worried about me last night.  I was sick a couple of times (fortunately on the bathroom floor which could be easily cleaned) but when she took me out for my wee before bedtime I didn’t want one.  All I wanted to do was eat grass.  I had an upset stomach and I thought that eating grass might help.  Ann put down newspaper all over the bedroom floor in case I was sick during the night but I wasn’t.  She said if I wasn’t very well in the morning we wouldn’t do a big walk – we’d just have a drive around and do some little walks.

This morning when I went for my little walk before breakfast at about 8.15am I ate loads of grass.  Ann thought I’d be desperate for a wee, because I hadn’t had one since about 4pm yesterday, but all I wanted to do was eat grass so I didn’t have a wee until I’d been out for about 10 mins.  I had to go in the car while Ann had breakfast today and she said if I was sick while she was having breakfast we’d abandon our third day of walking.  I love our walking holiday so I tried my hardest not to be sick.

However I still wasn’t feeling that great.  We drove to the car park at Chesil Beach, at the start of the road to Portland, and got there at about 9.30am. It cost us £5.50 to park there for 12 hours.  It was a massive car park and at least two dog walking people arrived, didn’t bother paying and just wandered off to exercise their dogs.   I had to stay on my lead because we were near the main road but we were walking through a grassy area and I ate loads of grass.  Ann said we didn’t have to do the whole walk – we could just have a little walk round the first area on Portland and then go back to the car.  However, after about half an hour I was let off my lead as we had to climb up a big steep hill to the top of some cliffs.  By then I was having such fun running about, that I forgot I wasn’t very well.

It was ever so cold at the start of our walk.  Ann had to wear her fleece, anorak and gloves but after about half an hour she took her anorak and gloves off and didn’t need to put them back on again.  It was a lovely day.  We could see for miles down the Chesil Beach.

There were quite a few people about on this walk.  I don’t think we went for more than 10 mins without seeing someone.  And also because it is quite a built up area with quite a lot of buses Ann said that if I wanted to abandon the walk at any time we would look on the map and head for the nearest bus stop so she could take me back to the car.  Portland seems to be well served with buses into Weymouth and they all had to pass where we’d left the car.

This walk was described as ‘moderate’ on the official SWCP website.  The first trek to the top of the cliffs was hard, then once we'd done about half of the walk we then had to go down and back up to a place called Church Ope Cove and then the last bit of the walk from the prison down to the water was hard.  Ann said that she had sore feet and also her knees were hurting occasionally.

We got to Portland Bill (the very end of Portland) by about 11.30am and had a coffee at the cafe there.  I got to have a drink in my foldable doggie water bowl.  The worst thing about this walk was that there were absolutely no streams for me to have a drink in.  Ann gave me drinks at regular intervals and I also had several drinks out of muddy puddles but there were no streams.  It wasn’t until we got back to the B&B and I drank loads that Ann wondered if Portland was a water free environment?!  We certainly couldn’t see any water marked on the map.

Once we’d rounded Portland Bill and were on the homeward route we had to walk past a ‘Young Offenders Institution and also the Prison – all very eerie.  I suppose they have these places on islands because if any of the inmates escape there’s only one route via the road off the island.

Apart from stopping for coffee we didn’t have any other breaks.  We didn’t have anything for lunch today but Ann said that she doesn’t really like stopping because her feet get sore when she stops and starts.  In fact neither of us has eaten very much during the last few days.

We got back to the car at about 2.15pm so our walk today took us just under 5 hours.

I’m absolutely shattered.  I’m just lying on my duvet fast asleep.  Ann is lying on the bed having a snooze.  She says her legs feel stiff all over.  I’ve had an absolutely lovely holiday walking the SWCP.  But 38 miles in 3 days is very tiring for a 6 year old collie like me.  I’m looking forward to going home tomorrow and hope that Ann is going to be at work a lot this week so I can have a few days of quiet sleep time.

However, I’m sure when I’ve re-charged my batteries I’ll be up and raring to go on our next walking holiday.  We think we might go to the Torquay area next.

Lulworth Cove to Ferrybridge (Weymouth) - 14 miles

I’m exhausted.  I’ve been walking for six hours and have had no sleep time today. 

We had to get the X53 bus to Wool Station at 10.05am and when we arrived at the bus stop at the Esplanade in Weymouth there was a massive queue.  We think everyone was going shopping in Poole because the bus was the Exeter to Poole one.  Anyway when the bus came it was a big double decker and even though we were at the end of the queue we still managed to get a single seat right at the front of the bus which meant that there was loads of room for me to sit and watch everyone getting on and off.  It cost £3.20 for Ann and the driver let me on for free.  It took us about 35 mins to get to Wool Station and then we had to transfer onto the 103 bus which was a little bus that arrived at 10.45am.  Again the driver let me on free and it cost Ann 90p to get to Lulworth Cove.  We arrived just before 11am.

Lulworth Cove was lovely.  All the houses had thatched roofs and it was ever so pretty.  There were a lot of people about.  We think most people were just having a little walk to Durdle Door Cove which was very pretty and about a mile from Lulworth Cove.  The coastal path out of Lulworth Cove took us up a big steep hill but it was obviously part of a well walked route because there was a wide path of steps leading right to the top.  Then, when we started to head down the other side, we met a group of about four young Dutch boys who told us there was an abandoned dog further down the path.  They said they’d tried phoning the number on its collar but got no answer.  Ann was a bit cross that they’d just left it for someone else to deal with, and so began our first adventure of the day.

The little dog was gorgeous.  It was a puppy spaniel and she was absolutely exhausted.  She was all wet and had loads of thorns etc sticking in her fur, her paws were red and it was obvious she’d had a really long walk and could go no further.  She was just lying at the side of the path half asleep but she wagged her tail when we approached her.  Ann was really annoyed because there were loads of people walking on this part of our walk and they all must have just ignored her.  Ann phoned the mobile number on her collar and left a message saying puppy was exhausted and that we would take her back to Lulworth Cove.  She let Ann pick her up and she snuggled right into her but as we had almost a mile to go back to Lulworth Cove, Ann asked if I’d mind if she borrowed my lead because puppy was too heavy to carry for long.  I didn’t mind.  I liked the puppy.  So we walked back.  I was off lead and puppy walked by Ann’s side on my lead.  When we got into the car park Ann told me I had to walk off lead by her side as there were a lot of cars about.  I managed to do that perfectly, but then when we got to the Heritage Centre she took the puppy off the lead, tied me up outside and carried puppy into the centre.  I couldn’t believe I’d been left outside when I’d been such a good girl.  Ann told the Heritage Centre man that she’d found puppy exhausted and didn’t know what to do with her.  Secretly I think Ann wanted to keep her but we knew she must belong to someone because she had a collar & ID tag on and she was also wearing one of those collars that sends out an electric shock if they bark too much.  The Heritage Centre man phoned a dog rescue centre, the dog warden and someone else but couldn’t find anyone that would help locate her owner.  The dog warden wasn’t even answering the phone and if he’d come out he could have scanned her to see if she was micro chipped.  Ann really wanted to take puppy with us, but she was so exhausted all she wanted to do was sleep.  When Ann put her down in the Heritage Centre she immediately just went to sleep so a 14 mile walk with us wasn’t really an option.  Ann told the Heritage Centre man that we were walking to Weymouth and if he could look after her, we’d come back and get her.  But the Heritage Centre closed at 4pm and we knew we wouldn’t be finished our walk by then, let alone be finished and be able to drive back to Lulworth Cove by 4pm.  Anyway after a lot of discussion, the Heritage Centre Man eventually found someone in the village that agreed to look after her until her owners contacted us.  We left her there, but by 3.30pm we still hadn’t heard anything from her owners so phoned the Heritage Centre.  Apparently the lady who was looking after her had phoned the local vet and asked him to do a search on puppy’s phone number.  It turns out that puppy belonged to someone who actually lives in Lulworth Cove and she’s been returned to her owners.  We’re happy about that, but very disappointed that puppy’s owners couldn’t even be bothered to return our call or the call from the Heritage Centre.  It makes us wonder what kind of a life puppy has?!

Anyway by the time we’d finished faffing about with all that it was well after 12 noon when we started our walk.  And obviously we had to go back up the big steep hill.  The first part of our walk was ever so hard.  There were three or four really strenuous areas where we had to walk down and up very steep hills.  The cliffs were very high and although we had lovely views (we could see all the way to Portland/Weymouth) it was very hard going.  After about the first half an hour there wasn’t many people about but it was a really lovely day, in fact Ann had to take her fleece off for some of the walk.  Also, after the first 1 – 2 hours the walk was quite easy.

This walk wasn’t totally isolated – there were other people that we met on all sections of the walk but because we’d ended up leaving so late we were very conscious of the fact that we had to get to Weymouth before it got dark.  Ann had some mini pork pies for our lunch but she wasn’t very hungry so we didn’t eat them.  We stopped a couple of times so that we could both have a drink.  There weren’t very many streams on this walk for me to drink out of and as I was doing quite a bit of running about I was getting thirsty.

After we’d been walking for a couple of hours we could hear loads of dogs barking.  And then, the next thing we knew, we saw 12-14 beagles running across several fields.  There was no one with them and we couldn’t see anything that they were chasing, but they were running in a pack and quite obviously seemed to know where they were going.  I was desperate to go chasing with them, but Ann said ‘NO’ so I was a good collie and just stuck to the path.  It was strange though – we didn’t know what they were up to.

We got to Osmington Mills at about 2.30pm and there was a very nice pub there called the ‘Smugglers’ with loads of seats outside.  It seemed like a really nice place to stop for a coffee but because we were very conscious that we had to get back to Weymouth by about 4pm-ish we didn’t stop.  Instead we just kept walking and walking and walking.  What was quite nice with this walk was that right from leaving Lulworth Cove we could see Weymouth and Portland so could see where we were aiming for.  We just didn’t know how long it would take us.

However once we got to the last hilly bit of our walk which was just before 4pm, and a built up area where we could see the Weymouth Esplanade, we stopped for a coffee in a very nice cafe called the ‘Lookout’.  Ann tied me to a picnic table while she went inside to order a coffee, but I was so tired I would have lain down even if I hadn’t been tied up.  In fact I didn’t feel very well

After coffee it was about another hours walk along the Esplanade, through the town and back to our B&B.  I kept stopping and trying to eat grass as I was feeling really sick by then.  We got back about 5.10pm and I’m totally exhausted.

I’ve been sick a couple of times since coming back but now I’m just lying asleep in the shower cubicle.  I hope I’ll be well enough to walk round the Portland Island tomorrow.

Abbotsbury to Ferrybridge (Weymouth) - 11 miles

Today we had to be at the bus stop on Weymouth Esplanade by 9.15am to get the X53 bus to Abbotsbury.  It was a big double decker bus that goes from Poole to Exeter.  It cost us £2.70 to get to Abbotsbury – 40p for me and £2.30 for Ann.  It wasn’t a very busy bus so we had a seat to ourselves.  We got to Abbotsbury at about 9.40am.  First, I had to stay on my lead while we walked down a little road until we got to some fields where we saw a coast path sign.  For the first hour or so we were walking through fields which were inland from Chesil Beach.

I was on my lead for most of this time as there were a lot of sheep in the fields and Ann said I couldn’t be trusted not to go chasing.  However, a little deer ran right in front of us, jumped over a fence and went zooming across the sheep field.  I was desperate to chase it, though I have to admit it was so speedy I don’t think I would ever have caught it.  It made all the sheep run together into the corner of their field, but by that time it was almost right at the other side of another field.  Then we met a farmer rounding up some other sheep on his quad bike.  He had three mongrel type dogs sitting on the back of his quad bike.  They weren’t collies and I thought I’d look much better than them sat on a quad bike – I’d have loved a go at that.

After about an hour or so we reached the sea at Chesil Beach and I was allowed off my lead for the rest of the walk.  I was a bit thirsty because I hadn’t had a drink since we left the B&B.  But then I spotted a big deep trough so I jumped in, had a drink and also had a good wallow in the water.  Unfortunately when I came to get out I couldn’t because the sides were too steep so Ann had to help me.

The weather wasn’t that great today.  It wasn’t cold and it didn’t rain but it was quite misty so we couldn’t admire the view.  We didn’t take very many photos.  Chesil Beach would have been lovely if we could have seen all the way to Portland but we only managed to see a little bit of Portland when we got to the end of our walk, and even then, most of it was shrouded in mist.  Also we didn’t meet many people on our walk today.  Every now and again, when we got near a village, we met dog walkers but we didn’t meet anyone else walking as far as we did today.  At least we don’t think we did.

Today’s walk is described on the official SWCP site as being easy – and it was.  Apart from the start, when we had to walk up hilly fields, it was pretty much all on the flat.  However there was absolutely nowhere for us to stop for coffee/lunch etc.  Ann had brought an M&S quiche that she hadn’t eaten last night, for our lunch but because it was so damp and misty we didn’t fancy sitting down anywhere so we just kept walking until we got to the end of our walk which took exactly 4 hours.  After my dip in the trough, I managed to find a couple more places to have a drink so I was OK and Ann had a few drinks of water but she just did that on the go.

We passed several caravan sites and wondered if they had a cafe/pub where we could stop for lunch but they all seemed to be closed for the winter.  We also walked through an area where I had to go back on my lead because there was a sign saying that ‘fast horses’ could be galloping past and there was what looked like a horse racing circuit.  But we couldn’t see anything on our map that indicated this.

The other thing that was really annoying was walking through a military area where apparently we had to keep to the path because there might have been unexploded devices.  Well we always keep to the path.  So, we walked round this area at Tidmoor Point where there is a rifle range, we kept to the path as all the signs said, and then we got to the end of the danger area and found a locked gate.  After consulting our map we realised we only had about another 10 – 15 yards to go.  So we climbed over the gate (which said ‘KEEP OUT’ at the other side but nothing on our side) and then we had to climb over another one.  It all seemed a bit weird – we’d followed all the signs, there were no flags flying to say that anything was happening and yet one weeny, teeny area of the SWCP appeared to be closed off.  Anyway we passed through this area in less than a minute and were on our way again.

We got to Ferrybridge, which was officially the end of our walk, at about 1.40pm and Ann spotted a really classy looking cafe with a lovely outdoor area called the ‘Crab House Cafe’.  We went there and Ann tied me up at a lovely outdoor picnic table, which was under cover, while she went in to ask if she could just have a coffee.  Once inside, Ann realised that it was a very posh fish restaurant.  However, because she’d gone in (looking like a scruffy, bedraggled, walker), she felt she had to say something so she asked if she could just have a coffee.  The ‘chef’ said that as it was so quiet we could.  Ann had a lovely cup of coffee for £1.90 and she gave me a drink of water in my foldable doggie bowl.

After that we had to walk back to our B&B which we did via the Rodwell Trail which is a walkway from Ferrybridge into the centre of Weymouth.  We reckon this added 1 – 2 miles onto our walk, but that’s OK.  Tomorrow when we do a more strenuous walk from Lulworth Cove to Weymouth it will be slightly less than the 14 miles to Ferrybridge.

I’m really tired now.  I’m trying to sleep but there’s fireworks going off and I just don’t know where to  lie so that I don’t hear them.

I’ve had a lovely day but I’m such a tired little collie dog now.

On my hols in Dorset

I am such a little lucky collie dog.  I’m on my holidays.  I’m in Weymouth for four nights and am going to be walking 38 more miles of the SWCP over the next three days.  We’ve never been to Weymouth before and Ann chose Weymouth for our mini break because it’s quite an urban area and with the dark night’s drawing in, we need to finish our walks by about 4pm, or at least be walking through ‘civilisation’ by then.

We left home at about 9.45am and first we had to stop off at M&S so Ann could buy herself some tasty snacks to eat tonight.  She’s ‘googled’ all the dog friendly pubs in Weymouth, where she thought we could eat in the evenings, but then she remembered it’s ‘Bonfire Night’ tomorrow evening and I hate fireworks so she promised we would stay in for most of the evening tonight and tomorrow.

We’ve been in our B&B since about 6.45pm.  We’re staying at the Elwell Guest House on Rodwell Road.  We were hoping to get here by about 5pm but spent forever driving around trying to find it, as there’s loads of road works going on and we kept being diverted so didn’t actually get here until about 5.30pm.  It’s OK here, though our room is very small.  Ann booked a single en-suite room for £40 per night, bed and breakfast (I’m free) but the owner said we were the only people here tonight so we don’t know why we couldn’t have a larger room.  Actually I don’t care.  I’ve been lying in the shower room for most of the night and a couple of times I’ve actually gone into the shower cubicle and lain down in there – it’s lovely and cool.  On the plus side – I’m allowed to go into the breakfast room with Ann tomorrow morning as we’re the only people here.  Apparently I’m not allowed to stay in the bedroom by myself so if other people book in over the weekend I’ll have to be put in the car while Ann has breakfast.

We’ve had a really lovely day en-route here.  We decided that we’d spend the day driving the coastal route to Weymouth because we’ve never been to East Devon/Dorset before, and then on Monday when we go home, we’ll probably go the direct route.  It took us about two and a quarter hours to get to Exmouth (including stopping at M&S). 

I had a lovely play on the beach at Exmouth.  We parked for free right next to the beach.  I got to chase wind surfers, though I couldn’t catch them.  Then we went into the ‘Harbour View Cafe’ for lunch.  There was a big sign on the door saying that doggies were welcome as long as they were on their leads.   It was really busy so we didn’t get a ‘harbour view seat’.  We sat next to lots of squealy toddlers.  I just ignored them and was ever such a good girl when Ann left me alone to order her lunch and go to the loo.   Ann had a black coffee and jacket potato with egg mayonnaise and cheese for lunch (£5.50) but she said it wasn’t very nice.  The jacket potato was teeny weeny and there was too much filling and some of the salad garnish was starting to go a bit brown.  I was happy because I had the doggie water bowl all to myself.  There was only one other doggie there when we arrived but just as we were leaving about three others appeared.

Then we went to Budleigh Salterton.  We drove into a car park by the beach and had a five minute walk around but decided not to stay.  It wasn’t a very nice beach – it was a bit stoney and Ann didn’t think it was worth paying to park the car.

After that we went to Sidmouth.  For some reason we thought Sidmouth was a genteel little seaside town in a relatively flat area.  It’s surrounded by the most massive cliffs we have ever seen, on both sides.  Anyway we had a half hour walk along the promenade and around the town.  It seemed quite nice but was nothing like we’d imagined.

Next we wanted to go to Lyme Regis and went via Seaton because one of the SWCP walks starts/ends there.  We didn’t stop at Seaton but again it’s surrounded by really high cliffs.

Lyme Regis was another place that was nothing like we expected.  It’s a town nestled between two lots of really high cliffs.  We had a 20 min walk here but there were lots of really interesting little shops.  Ann walked to go in some of them and have a look around but she couldn’t because I was with her.  She said I was a very spoilt little dog because most owners would have just left me in the car while they went for a look round the shops.  Ann said she’d planned this holiday because she knew I would enjoy it and she’s promised not to leave me by myself for any longer than is necessary.

The East Devon coastline is very, very high.  The cliffs are enormous.  We think this area of the SWCP is going to be really hard.

After leaving Lyme Regis we drove along the coastal road to Weymouth.  East Devon/Dorset has some really pretty little villages with lots of thatched cottages.

Ann left me in the car while she checked into our B&B and unloaded our luggage and then she took me for a walk into town so that we could check out where to get our bus from tomorrow.  We have to walk to the Esplanade in Weymouth to get our bus.  It took us half an hour to get there and 20 mins to get back.   Weymouth seems lovely but we didn’t start our walk until 5.45pm and by that time it was dark so we couldn’t see much.  Also, I wasn’t a good dog.  Several fireworks went off and I pulled on my lead.  Ann said she would look after me, but I just wanted to get away from them and was constantly pulling, so Ann said our walk wasn’t enjoyable.

Anyway we got back to the B&B about 6.45pm and I’ve been asleep ever since.  I’ve got my duvet here, but I’m lying on the shower room floor because it’s nice and cool.

Tomorrow we’re going to walk from Abbotsbury to Weymouth along the Chesil Beach and I’m so looking forward to it.

Porthcothan to Newquay - 10 miles

Well we've now walked the SWCP all the way from Padstow to Falmouth, that's 169 miles. Impressive or what?

Today we had to leave home at 8am so that we could drive to Newquay in time to get the 9.05am bus to Porthcothan. We parked for free on a road next to the car park which was right next to the bus station and then I was allowed to go for a little walk around Newquay as we had about 15 mins before the bus came. It was very quiet in Newquay at 9am on a Sunday morning. There were three other people waiting for the bus and one of them said I had a really pretty face. I was a bit naughty when the bus came - I barked at it. But that was the only naughty thing I've done on my walk today. Ann says I've been an exceptionally well behaved little collie. The bus was a little green Western Greyhound one so I was free, it cost Ann £3.80.

It was really interesting on the bus. It was the Newquay to Padstow bus and it went to Porthcothan via the airport and lots of very pretty villages that we hadn't been to before. We got off the bus at 9.55am and it was really cold. There was frost on the grass and Ann said she wished she'd brought her gloves. When we were driving to Newquay the ice warning message had popped up in the car. However, by 11.30am it was so hot Ann wished she'd worn her shorts and a vest top!

The minute we got off the bus I was allowed off my lead and we had quite an easy walk along the cliff tops to Mawgan Porth. For the first hour we didn't see anyone but then when we got nearer to Mawgan Porth there were loads of people out and about. The tide was out so we had a lovely walk across the beach there. We got to Mawgan Porth at about 11.30am and the signpost said that Watergate Bay was two and a half miles away so Ann said we'd stop there for lunch. She'd brought a ham roll for lunch but as it was so hot she thought it would be nice if we had a proper stop at a pub/restaurant called the Phoenix which she'd spotted from the bus.

We got to the Phoenix at 12.25pm and Ann tied me to a picnic table while she went to order lunch. The blackboard advertised a beef roast dinner, with yorkshire pudding, cauliflower cheese, roasties & other veg for £8.50 and Ann thought yum, yum. So did I, because normally when we go out for Sunday lunch I get little bits of beef. However, the bimbo behind the bar said lunch didn't start until 12.30pm and she wouldn't let us put a order in and sit and wait. We were really cross. It was lovely and sunny and we would have sat and waited for an hour if need be. Ann bought a diet coke for £1.30 which was mainly ice and by the time she'd got settled at the table and given me a drink there was a huge queue of surfers ordering lunch. And actually we didn't really like it there anyway. Ann felt very old as the place was extremely busy with young, gorgeous, surfers and I didn't like it 'cos nobody paid me any attention. We were sitting on a biggish decking area upstairs and wished we stayed downstairs where we'd met a very nice man selling paintings. Ann had originally tied me up to a picnic table downstairs when we arrived but the downstairs bar wasn't open so she'd asked the man if I was allowed to walk through it to get upstairs. He told us the bar was very dog friendly so we went upstairs. However he also said we could stay where we were and he'd look after me while Ann went upstairs to the bar. We wished we'd done that as he liked me and I think he liked Ann even more?!

Watergate Bay is about 3 miles from Newquay so after a 15min rest we set off again. We had to walk above very high cliffs to Porth. There were loads of people on the beach at Watergate Bay with surf boards but the waves weren't very big. It was a lovely walk to Porth and when we got there Ann let me have a wallow in the stream that ran down through the beach. She was still thinking of having a roast dinner and the bar on the beach there, advertised Sunday lunches and there were seats available outside, but then she decided she wasn't that hungry after all. So we continued walking to Newquay.

When we got to Newquay it was very busy and I had to go on my lead because we were walking through the town. There were masses of people about. We had a look at the menus of a couple of pubs that had beer gardens but decided to give lunch a miss and so got back to the car at 2pm.

I'm not sure if we're going to do any more walks this year. Apparently if we do any more of the SWCP this year we are going to have to stay in B&B's because getting to the start point of our walks, and then walking the walk, have to be done in daylight hours. Logistically, that's not very possible because winter buses don't run very regularly and we've now got a long way to drive to do more sections of the SWCP. ....But I know that Ann has still got a lot of holiday to take from work so I'm hoping we can go away together and spend a few days walking. I'd love that!

Helford to Coverack - 13 miles

Today our walk was supposed to be 13 miles but I think I've walked more like 16-17 miles. I'm a very tired little collie dog.

We met Bev & Doug & Dave at Coverack car park and then Ann drove us all to the car park at Helford so we could start our walk at 10am. It cost us £2.30 to park all day there but we were the only car in the car park. And do traffic wardens ever patrol these areas? Ann decided not to risk it.

This section of the walk was lovely. For the first hour or so we were walking through loads of 'woody' areas. It was really beautiful as the leaves were a lovely colour and the path was littered with acorns, conkers, leaves, etc. When we first left the car park we went in the wrong direction. We walked down the hill into Helford village and crossed the ford/bridge. That was lovely. I had a good old wallow in the river. And then Ann decided that we were going the wrong way.

Fortunately we met a lady with a massive grey dog (he was almost as big as a pony) who told us that the start of the coastal path was at the other side of the car park.

The first hour of our walk was really lovely - we were walking through loads of woods. Then we came out of the woods and had to walk through fields to 'Dennis Head'. Well that was a waste of time. The path twisted round so that we'd walked in a circle and came back to the field that we'd walked through when we came out of the woods. Ann reckoned that had added at least a mile to our walk.

After that I had to go back on my lead as we walked down a road into St Antony and then I had to stay on my lead as we walked along a little country road around the edge of Gillan Creek. We only saw about two cars but Ann said I had to stay on my lead just to be on the 'safe side'. The tide was in. Apparently if the tide had been out we could have gone across stepping stones which would have saved us walking about 2 miles. Though there was no mention of that on the official SWCP website.

The walk alongside St Antony & Gillan Creek was lovely. The leaves on the trees were a lovely red colour and it was so peaceful and beautiful. I have to admit I like to run around but because I'd had at least an hour 'off lead' I was quite happy to go back on my lead and trot along next to Ann. Dave had been on his extendable lead for the whole walk - he's naughty, he runs away if he's allowed 'off lead'. Doug was OK. He gets to run free. But because we were on a little road Ann thought it was best if we all went back on lead.

Anyway, once we'd walked round Gillan Creek and then down a private road to a beach at Gillan I was allowed off lead again. So was Doug. Dave was allowed off his lead for about 2 secs, then Bev saw that there were chickens and ducks in a garden by the beach so he had to go back on his lead incase he killed them. Dave's a bit naughty. He does stuff like killing seagulls, so chickens & hens would be easy prey for him.

Once we'd passed 'Nare Point' Bev started complaining that her toes were hurting. Ann tried to pacify her by saying it wasn't much further. All Bev wanted to do was take her shoes off. At this point Ann offered to take Dave's lead. Dave was being a naughty boy, and was pulling on his lead which was resulting in Bev's arm being pulled out of it's socket- not literally?! In all fairness Dave was a good boy once Ann had him.

However, once we rounded 'Nare Head' and could see 'Porthallow' we thought it would be plain sailing. At 1.05pm we met a couple who said they'd left the pub in Porthallow at about 12.35pm. I was so happy. We thought 'whoopee doo' - we'll be at the pub at 1.30pm.

And then disaster struck - Bev fell off the path into a load of ferns. If it hadn't been so serious it would have been funny. There she was screaming and lying face down in a bed of ferns, saying that her ankle was in agony. The path was very narrow at this point so she stayed sitting down while we complemplated what to do. Us doggies were happy because while she was sitting there she gave us some treats out of her bag. Then she decided to take some pain killers and hobble to the pub. Well it was either that or call out the air ambulance. And there wasn't anywhere for that to land so they would have had to winch down someone to rescue her. Anyway she managed to hobble to the pub and we got there at 1.55pm just as they were stopping serving lunches.

Ann ordered cheesey chips and a sandwich for her and Bev and then she gave us doggies a drink in my foldable doggie bowl. We'd had quite a few drinks on the walk but we were all really thirsty again. I had to wait for my drink because Doug & Dave immediately stuck their faces in the bowl and gulped up all the water as soon as Ann put it down. Then I think they must have chewed a hole in it because as soon as Ann put some more water in it for me it started leaking. I had to drink ever so quickly before it all disappeared. We were all tired doggies so we all behaved ourselves in the pub and had a little sleep.

After lunch Ann told me that Doug & Dave were going to stay at Porthallow and look after Bev and we were going to walk another 4 - 5 miles to Coverack to get Bevs car. It was lovely and sunny when we came out of the pub. For the first half hour or so I was on my lead for some of the time because the coast path goes inland for some of the way and we had to walk on little country roads. Then it went down to the sea again and I got to go of lead all the way back to Coverack. We left the pub at 2.45pm and got to Coverack at 4.30pm.

There was hardly any other people doing this walk which we thought was a bit unusal because we normally see loads of people walking on a Sunday. The website described this section of the walk as 'moderate' and it was a fairly easy walk apart from a few bits where we had to go up and down. It was certainly quite nice to be doing this walk in October because the trees were really pretty and it was a lot less bleak then some of our walks.

Ann drove Bev's car back to Porthallow and we got there at about 4.40pm and found Bev hobbling around outside the pub with Doug & Dave because the pub had shut for the afternoon. Apparently she'd sat on the bench outside the pub for a while but thought she looked like an old wino so had a wander around. Fortunately Bev could drive so we went back to Helford to get Ann's car and then came home so that I could have a nice long sleep.

We've had a lovely walk today but I bet Bevs ankle will be hurting even more tomorrow.

Newquay to Perranporth - 13 miles

I was in a really energetic mood today. I've done so much running I've worn myself out!

Today we walked from Newquay to Perranporth. We left the house at about 9.15am and got to Perranporth just after 10am. It cost us £3.50 to park in the Beach Car Park all day. The bus stop was right next to the car park and the 587 bus arrived right on time at 10.15am. It cost Ann £1.80 to get to Newquay. I was free because it was a Western Greyhound Bus. It was one of the little green buses that I normally don't like. I was a little bit scared when it stopped and opened its doors because they made a whoosing noise but I didn't bark. When we got on the bus there was only one other person on it so we sat down near the front. It's only 8-9 miles to Newquay from Perranporth via the main road but the bus seemed to tootle around to every little village and caravan site it could find. It took us an hour to get to Newquay by which time the bus was completely full and the girl that was sat behind us kept putting her feet on my tail. I didn't moan though - I just accepted that because the bus was full everyone was a bit squashed. Ann had a really smelly woman sat next to her and she didn't moan.

We started our walk at exactly 11.15am and got back to the car at exactly 3.15pm. First we had to walk through Newquay to get to Fistral Beach where all the surfers were. It was really busy in Newquay and I had to stay on my lead while we walked past loads of busy cafes and pubs. Newquay is quite tacky and there were loads of evil looking dogs with chavs. I just walked properly next to Ann and didn't make eye contact with any of them.

When we got to Fistral Beach I was allowed off my lead. Ann wasn't sure if I was allowed on this beach and we couldn't see any other doggies playing, so we walked on the footpath that runs alongside the beach and the golf course. I would have liked to have gone on the beach because chasing surfers into the water is one of my favourite games but Ann said I could go on the beach when we got to Perranporth.

As it turned out I got to play on loads of beaches today. The tide was right out which meant that every beach we came to had masses of space for me to play. This walk was supposed to be 13 miles long but Ann doesn't think we've walked that far. At the end of Fistral Beach we had three choices:

1) Walk to the headland at Pentire and then get the ferry across the 'Gannel'.

2) Walk through the middle of Pentire, down to the 'Gannel' and cross it using the bridge.

3) Walk back towards Newquay, onto the main road for a while until we could go through fields and join up with the coastal path.

Ann decided that option 2 was best because the tide was right out and she thought we'd be able to use the bridge which is only available at low tide. She was correct, but we think that choosing this option probably meant we were walking a couple of miles less than what the website stated. Also the website said that this section of the walk was 'moderate to strenuous' but we didn't find any of it strenuous. But again this is probably because we walked on all the beaches (apart from Fistral Beach) instead of on the path on the top of the sand dunes.

I had such fun playing on the sands in the 'Gannel'. There were loads of people walking their dogs and I got to run around and play with them, splash in the water, roll in the sand & chase birds. In fact for the first two hours of our walk I didn't stop running. I was just in such an energetic mode. Ann told me I had to pace myself but I knew I had energy to keep going for however long our walk was.

Once we'd crossed over the Gannel and were walking on the other side from Newquay, Ann could see all the houses in Pentire, and she was amazed at how posh they were. We've walked around Pentire before but thought it was full of cheap hotels. The houses that are built on the edge of the Gannel are lovely.

There wasn't many people walking on the coastal path today but there was still quite a lot of people on the beaches and the lifeguards were still about. Ann had thought we could stop for lunch at either Crantock Bay or Hollywell Bay but apart from passing through the grounds of the Crantock Bay Hotel (which looked too posh for us) there was no where for lunch until we got back to Perranporth. Ann had brought three quarters of a litre of water for us but she didn't drink any and I had plenty of streams to drink out of. Also although it was warm (Ann just had a Tshirt and cut offs on) it was very overcast and cloudy so I didn't feel as if I was in desperate need for water.

Once we got to the 'Gannel' I was allowed off my lead for most of the walk. I would have been allowed off my lead all the way to Perranporth but I did three naughty things which resulted in me being put back on my lead for a little while:

Firstly - There was a large section of the coastal path, just before we got to the big beach at Perranporth, that belonged to the MOD. There were signs up all over telling us to keep to the path, not to touch anything strange that we might find, and also that there were adders about. I was naughty. I deviated off the path, I went underneath fencing where MOD stuff was and I went rooting around in the undergrowth. Ann gave me a warning which I ignored so when I was disobedient again I had to go back on my lead.

Secondly - I was allowed off my lead when we got to the big huge beach at Perranporth. But then I spotted a life guard on his quad bike and decided to see if I could catch him. I ran as fast as I could & then I heard a strange whistle so I stopped. It was another lifeguard in the 'lifeguard lookout' whistling at me. I looked at him and then decided that chasing was more fun so I ran after the quad bike again. Unfortunately the quad bike was going too fast so I thought I might as well go back to Ann. When I got back to her she put me on my lead for a while. She also had to shout an apology to the lifeguard in the lookout and told me I was a naughty dog for disobeying orders.

The third naughty thing I did was try and steal a pasty from a couple with a big fat black labrador called Cloey. Both of them were sitting on the beach stuffing pasties into their mouths. They smelt really delicious and big fat Cloey was just sat there drooling. She'd obviously been fed masses of pasties before because she was really podgy. Anyway I thought I'd show her how it was done, so I went up to the couple, nudged them and then sat and gave them my 'appealing look'. The woman said, 'Aren't you gorgeous' and she was just about to give me a big bit when Ann came up, apologised for me being so greedy and said that I wasn't allowed pastry. At which point the man said, 'Good girl Cloey', and she got the huge bit of pasty I was just about to get. And then I had to go back on my lead - it really wasn't fair.

Because we hadn't found anywhere to have lunch en-route Ann said we'd pop into the 'Watering Hole' on Perranporth Beach before we went back to the car. We got there about 2.45pm. The first thing Ann did when we got there was take me to one of the dog water bowls but I didn't want any. I love the 'Watering Hole' - we've been there loads of times, there's always plenty of water for doggies & there's usually people who give me little titbits. Then, she tied me up at one of the picnic tables while she went to order a coffee and a bowl of cheesey chips! When she came out I was sitting, doing my appealing look, on top of the picnic table. All the other people there thought I was cute, but Ann pulled me off and made me lie under the table. She said I was 6 years old and should know how to behave. However she did fill my foldable doggie water bowl with water for me which made all the other doggies jealous cos they had to drink out of the communal dog water bowls. I wolfed down all my water just incase Ann made me share it and then I put my wet, soggy head on Ann's leg to see if she would give me any cheesey chips. The lady who was sat at the next table said, 'Aah, doesn't your dog love you?' to which Ann replied, 'Not as much as cheesey chips?' However, I did get three cheesey chips.

Then it was a quick stroll over the remainder of the beach, I was allowed a final wallow in the stream and I was back in the car by 3.15pm.

Ann tells me we have two more sections of the SWCP that she'd like to complete in the next couple of weeks. Helford to Coverack & Porthcothan to Newquay. Once we've done both of these we'll have walked all the way from Padstow to Falmouth. Just how impressive is that?!!

Zennor to St Ives - 6 miles

Today I've been for a really lovely walk with my friends Doug & Dave, the Jack Russells, and Ann's friend Bev. Ann drove us to Zennor for the start of our walk. She thought she was being quite clever to do it this way round. Doug & Dave are a bit naughty in the car and jump around all over the place so Ann thought it was better if they did jumping around when they were clean. Bev drove us back to Zennor at the end of our walk so Ann could pick up her car. As usual I was extremely well behaved in the car.

It was a hard walk today. At least it was hard for the humans - us doggies had such fun. I was allowed off my lead straight away and I didn't have to go back on it until we got to St Ives. Dave had to stay on his lead while we walked down a little lane to the start of our walk 'cos he can sometimes be a bit disobedient and go running off. Ann was busy chatting to Bev and telling her what a good girl I was and how I would never go running off so that I got completely lost. Dave was giving me the 'evils' as if to say 'what a goody twoshoes you are'. So I decided I'd show him just how rebellious I could be. We were walking past a big house with a pond in the garden so I ran in, jumped in the pond and had a good old wallow about. Ann was shouting at me but I ignored her. I emerged covered in green algae stuff. There were loads of people about and they all laughed at me. But I didn't care. I'd shown Dave just how naughty I could be and I think he respected me a bit more after that.

We started our walk at 12pm and got back to St Ives at about 3.30pm. Ann and Bev were really pleased 'cos they'd thought it would take more than 4 hours. There were loads of people out walking today, probably as it was such a lovely day. However, we did have a very irritating couple of spaniels following us for the first part of our walk. One of them was continually barking, for absolutely no reason which disturbed the peace and beauty of the dramatic scenery. Fortunately when we stopped for lunch at about 1.30pm they passed us and we didn't see them again.

Our lunch stop was great. We stopped by a little stream so that we could have a play. Ann had made big egg mayonnaise baguettes for lunch so I went and sat beside Bev. I love Bev because when we go to the pub she buys us packets of crisps and if we go out for the day she normally brings 'mystery bags' for us. 'Mystery bags' usually have little cocktail sausages in them. Ann doesn't give me anywhere near the number of treats Doug & Dave get so I thought I'd get loads if I sat by Bev. I did get a little bit but Bev was cross with me 'cos I was wet and smelly and was constantly nudging her. Ann said I was a greedy fatty and I should have eaten my breakfast. But then I think Ann felt a bit sorry for me so she gave me the last bit of her baguette but it fell down a hole under a rock and I couldn't get it out.

This section of the coastal path is one of the hardest sections of the entire walk. We had to clamber over loads of rocks, the path went down and up loads of times and in places it was also very muddy. Having said that we met one woman who was dressed in a skirt and sandals and another that had her handbag with her. I bet the rescue services get really annoyed when they get called out to help people who clearly have not thought about being equipped and dressed appropriately.

There was loads of streams for us doggies to drink out of today. There was also at least three lots of mud for me to wallow in. Bev thought it was really funny the way I can stiff out all the mud that is suitable for wallowing in. At least she did until Ann pointed out we were going back to Zennor in her car! But there was also loads of lovely streams for me to get clean in and Ann knew that when we got to Clodgy just before St Ives I would go in the rock pools to get clean. Doug rolled in something (we don't know what) and he absolutely stunk!

Todays walk has been great. I've had such a good time with my friends. Now I've had my dinner and am having a snooze. Ann thinks she will ache tomorrow because we've done so much clambering over big rocks and walking up and down. But what a lovely way to spend a Sunday - much better than watching the omnibus of East Enders?! I can't wait to do another section of the SWCP. I think we might be doing Newquay to Perranporth next.

Coverack to The Lizard - 10 miles

Today I went for a walk with Ann's sister, Sue, her nephews Dan & Jack, and neice, Emma. We walked from Coverack to The Lizard and it took us a very long time and now I am a very tired little collie dog.

I went in Ann's car to The Lizard with Jack & Emma. We parked on the green and Sue took us to Coverack for the start of our walk. We got to Coverack car park at 10.50am but we didn't actually start our walk until 11am. I was allowed out of the car but then I had to stand and wait in the car park while the 'humans' organised their rucksacks, put their walking shoes on and went to the toilet. When it's just me and Ann she goes to the toilet, organises her rucksack and puts her shoes on before she leaves home so when we arrive at the start of our walk we can just get on with it.

This walk was only 10 miles long so Ann thought it would take us 4-5 hours. In fact it took us almost 7?! This was because we kept stopping. We'd only been walking about 15 mins when Sue asked what time we were stopping for coffee. Stopping for coffee? We never stop for coffee. We always walk for at least 2 hours before we stop for a rest. Today we managed to walk for 35 mins before the humans wanted to stop for a drink of water. Then after another 35 mins we stopped again - this time for coffee and a snack. We never take snacks on our walks. Sometimes we don't even take lunch. After that Ann managed to persuade the other humans that we had to walk to Kennack Sands before we could stop for lunch. Emma was being a bit whingey on this part of the walk. She kept asking when we were stopping for coffee, how long it was to the end of the walk, how long it was until lunch, how far had we walked, how far had we to go, etc, etc.

Kennack Sands was lovely. I got to have a little rest and a few titbits. In fact Sue gave me loads of titbits. Ann never gives me any treats when we're on our walks. I did loads of swimming at lunchtime. Dan kept throwing stones into the sea for me to chase. I did quite a lot of swimming out of my depth. Normally I don't go out of my depth but I was having such fun with Dan.

The first part of this walk was actually quite hard. It was quite up and down and we also had to scrabble over a lot of rocks in certain parts. It was about 5 miles to Kennack Sands from Coverack and it was about 1.40pm when we stopped for lunch.

After lunch Ann told the other humans that we would walk to Cadgworth and stop there for a rest and ice cream. She thought that would be incentive for them to walk more than half an hour at a time. Having said that they still wanted to stop to drink water. We never stop to drink water. We just do that en-route. Talking of water - there was hardly any streams for me to drink out of today. And then one of the times when we stopped Ann didn't look as if she was going to give me a drink and I was really thirsty. Fortunately Sue gave me loads. I had my little grey foldable doggie bowl with me. Sue didn't think that was very good. She said you can get much better ones at 'Fat Face'. She said she might buy me one.

In the section of the walk between Cadgworth and The Lizard I did something really naughty. I spotted a big quarry type pit with some mud at the bottom which looked suitable for wallowing in, so I jumped in, intending to go for a good old wallow. Unfortunately the mud was too dry for me to wallow in and then, what was even worse, I couldn't get out. Ann had to jump down, lift me out and then when she was climbing out she hurt her back - fortunately not too badly. The second naughty thing that I did on this walk was that I wallowed in a muddy ditch and emerged looking like a completely black dog. Ann wasn't too cross with me because she knew I was really hot and needed to cool down. However Sue said she was glad I wasn't going home in her car. When we got to Church Cove, just before The Lizard, Dan took me down to the sea so that I could have a swim to get clean. I tried my hardest to get clean but my face is still very dirty. Ann says she will take me swimming tomorrow on my morning walk but if I don't manage to clean my face I'm going to have to have a shower.

On the last section of the walk Emma was in 'speedy' mode. Her and Dan were walking loads faster than Ann, Sue and Jack. I just didn't know who to walk with. I like to be at the front of the walk but I also like to keep running back to check that the rest of the group are keeping up. However because Emma was being so positive, speedy and just wanted to get to the end of the walk I decided I'd just walk with her and Dan. Also I was getting tired and couldn't be bothered to keep running back to check on the others. We arrived back at the car much earlier than Ann, Jack & Sue and Dan & Emma let me have a little rest while I waited for them.

I've had an absolutely lovely day on my walk today but we didn't get home until 7pm so I've had no sleep time at all. I'm shattered and am looking forward to a good nights sleep.

Padstow to Porthcothan - 14 miles

We've walked 14 miles today and discovered absolutely loads of lovely big beaches that doggies can play on all the year round. I've had such fun and met lots of other dogs, including masses of collies - but none were as pretty as me!

It took us about an hour and a quarter to drive to 'Porthcothan' where we paid £4.80 to park in an almost empty car park. It was raining but Ann said as we hadn't done a walk for ages we were going to do one whatever the weather. We only had to wait about 5 mins for the 11.54am bus which took us to 'Padstow'. It was the little green bus and I usually bark at those ones but I didn't today. I just waited until it stopped, then I jumped on and immediately lay down under the seat. It cost £3 for Ann to go from Porthcothan to Padstow and I was 'free'. It took us about half an hour to get to Padstow.

Padstow was very, very busy and I didn't like it. We had to walk from the bus station through the town to the coastal path. I was on my lead and all I could see were zillions of pairs of legs coming towards me. I was really happy when we reached the coastal path and I was allowed to go off lead. In fact on this walk I was off lead for the whole of the walk apart from about 2mins when Ann saw a field of sheep in the distance and put me back on my lead so she could double check that I couldn't get to them. I hadn't even noticed them - I was far too busy having fun running around on the coast path and peering over cliff edges. Ann doesn't like me peering over cliff edges. She knows I'm sensible and know my limitations but it still worries her when she sees me near the edge.

Todays walk was relatively easy. It took us just under 5 hours but the worst thing about it was that the coast path went round lots of 'headlands'. It was 14 miles long but almost half of that was probably because the coast is very wiggly and we walked two sides of a triangle on several ocassions.

The other thing that wasn't good today, was it was raining for a lot of the time. The rain stopped after we'd walked about half an hour from Padstow. It was dry for an hour and then it rained for about another hour. But at about 3pm-ish the rain stopped and it didn't rain again until we got back in the car at 5.15pm. However even though it was raining there were people on all the beaches. A lot of them were surfing but just as many were sitting huddled inside their beach tents as only the great British public do. They've come on a seaside holiday and spend a day at the seaside they will do, come rain or shine?! As mentioned above there are lots of wonderful beaches along this section of the SWCP. There are also masses of caravan/camping sites. We had no idea what this area is like 'cos we've never spent any time here. We've been to Padstow a few times but didn't realise there was such a huge 'holiday community' between Padstow & Newquay.

However, what was lacking on this walk was little beach cafes. We hadn't brought any lunch with us because Ann had nothing in the house to make lunch with, so she said we could stop somewhere en-route. We didn't find anywhere. Most of the beaches had ice cream vans parked on them, we saw a burger van in a car park & passed a pub near one of the beaches. And then at the last beach before we got to Porthcothan there was a sign for a cafe at the Youth Hostel. Ann was really happy and said we'd stop for a coffee and a rest, as there was seats outside and it wasn't raining. But, when we got closer we saw a sign that said it closed at 4pm and it was almost 4.30pm so that was the end of that. Ann had water with her but she didn't drink that until she got back to the car and I was OK for drinks 'cos most of the beaches had streams running into them.

Anyway I've had a lovely day. I've had such a nice play on loads of new beaches and when I wasn't on beaches I was trotting along the coastal route which was mainly very well defined paths on top of low lying cliffs. It's always nice when I go to new places and apart from the town of Padstow I hadn't been to any of the SWCP that we walked today.

I've had fun, fun, fun and I'm looking forward to walking from Porthcothan to Newquay so that I can experience more of the North Coast of Cornwall.