Hayle to St Ives - 6 miles

We weren't going to walk any more of the SWCP today because it was a bit overcast and dull and we thought it might rain. However,Uncle Christian, my dog sitter, phoned to ask if I'd enjoyed my walk on Wednesday and he said he was going to 'Hayle' this afternoon so I asked him if we could have a lift. Ann said she didn't want to walk too far 'cos she'd already swam 50 lengths of the swimming pool as well as taking me out for my morning walk. I knew she would take me somewhere in the afternoon but I managed to persuade her (by sitting by her feet and gazing at her with my big brown eyes) that six miles from Hayle to St Ives wasn't really very far. Uncle Christian said he would pick us up at 1.30pm. Ann said it would only be a couple of hours walk so we didn't need to take any snacks or water. Also she hasn't bought me a fold able water bowl yet.

Then at 1pm - disaster. Uncle Christian phoned and said he couldn't give us a lift after all. I was so disappointed. Ann said we could go and play on the beach instead as today is the last day that doggies are allowed on St Ives beaches until October. Again I tried my 'persuasive technique' and sat in front of her looking all sad and miserable. It worked! She said we could get the bus from St Ives to Hayle at 1.53pm and walk back. I was so happy I ran to the front door.

However I was not a very well behaved collie at the bus station. Firstly, the man who directs the buses into the bus station tried to make friends with me. I wasn't having any of it - I thought he was scary though Ann said that he liked me. I cowered away from him when he tried to stroke me and then when he went into the waiting room I barked at him. Secondly, our bus was 10 mins late so it arrived with another bus and I went mad. I started pulling on my lead 'cos I just wanted to get away from those horrible big buses. Somehow I escaped out of my collar and ran into the road. I was so surprised that I just stood there so that Ann could capture me and put my collar back on. There were loads of people in the bus station watching me. Some laughed at me, some thought I was a badly behaved dog and some thought I was really frightened. Ann made me sit down and then she cuddled me until everyone else had got on the buses. Once I got onto the bus I was the most perfect pooch ever. I immediately lay down under the seat and stayed there until we got off, even when someone came and sat next to us I didn't move. It cost us £3.65 to go from St Ives to Hayle. £3.00 for Ann and 65p for a 'Dog Day Rider' ticket for me. I think that means I can travel around on 'First Devon & Cornwall' buses all day for 65p - bargain.

So, we eventually got to start our walk from Hayle at 2.20pm. First, I had to stay on my lead because we were walking by the main road. However when we got to the 'South Quay' I was allowed to go off lead, run & swim. I stayed off my lead until we got to the 'Tempest' building. Walking along the 'Causeway' on the pavement wasn't very exciting because loads of cars were whizzing past us. And then from the 'Quay Inn' to 'Scarlets' we had to walk on the road 'cos there was no pavement. It wasn't very far (I think only 3 cars passed us) but Ann kept telling me to stay close. She said she didn't want me to end up squashed but the cars were giving us a really wide berth. We walked through the housing estate at the 'Saltings' to get to the Park & Ride car park. The houses there seemed really nice though Ann said she could remember seeing the whole of that area flooded and she said there was no way she would buy a house there. From there we walked through 'Lelant' on a tiny road by the train track, across the golf course (the most westerly in Britain) and down onto 'Porth Kidney Sands'.

I love 'Porth Kidney Sands'. It's one of my favourite beaches and doggies can go on it all the year round. I've been there loads of times. Today the tide was out so we were able to walk right to the end and then climb up some rocks & steps and onto the coastal path to 'Carbis Bay'. I did a bit of swimming at the beginning in the 'Hayle Estuary' but when we got onto the main beach we were the only people there. It was fab. How many other doggies can say they have a whole massive beach all to themselves?

On the cliff path from 'Porth Kidney Sands' to 'Carbis Bay', a girl was jogging behind us with a 'Jack Russell'. When she saw me, she put him on his lead because she said he wasn't very friendly. I wasn't very interested in him anyway. I just let him pass & then chased him for a bit. Then he turned round and barked at me so I decided to do the mature thing and ignore him. Within minutes they were quite a distance away. Ann doesn't do jogging so I have to keep at her pace!

From 'Carbis Bay' to the 'Island in St Ives' I was on my lead again. Ann said this is probably one of the most 'built up' areas of the coastal trail. There again, we've not done Falmouth, Newquay or anywhere in Devon & Dorset yet. When I got to the end of 'Hain Walk' (just before going onto 'Porthminster Beach') Ann let me jump in the trough to cool down and have a drink. I love this trough. Every time I pass it I jump in and wallow.

We walked along the 'Wharf' which was quite busy with people and dogs and then I was allowed off my lead when we got to the 'Island'. From the 'Island' it was down onto 'Porthmeor Beach' (the last day I can play here until October) where I met the cutest puppy retiever (Ann said his owner wasn't too bad either). I had a really nice play with him. He was very speedy so I kept going into the sea to escape. His owner said he only went into to sea with him, so because he was so fast I kept going into the sea to 'recharge my batteries'. I can't remember what his name was but he was gorgeous! Though at only 5 months old I guess he's a bit young for me. He was very well behaved though. His owner was teaching him to respond to whistles.

So, after 'Porthmeor Beach' it was up the hill and home.

Our walk from Hayle took us 2 hours & 40 mins. Why it took us that long when a 12 mile trek from Hayle to Porthreath only took us 4 hours I don't know. But I've had a lovely afternoon. I've had my dinner and now I'm having a snooze in my bed.

I'm looking forward to whichever part of the South West Coastal Path we will be doing next.

Hayle to Portreath - 12 miles

Well we did it - we walked from Hayle to Portreath. We started off from Hayle at 8.30am. Ann was so pleased with me 'cos I had the most enormous poo just before we went on the beach. She was able to pick it up and throw it in the bin. Much, much better than having to put it in the rucksack with our sandwiches?! We started our walk with a trek along 3 miles of beach. Ann told me we were walking for 12 miles so I had to pace myself but I didn't understand what she meant. So I went running off to chase surfers, wind surfers and birds. I went swimming, I played with other dogs, I sniffed around in the dunes for rabbits & I had a lovely time.

By 10.30am we were on the cliffs at Godrevy. I was a naughtly little collie dog cos I was running near the edge of the cliffs. Ann told me that if I didn't walk beside her she'd put me on my lead. But I have a very good sense of height and I knew I wasn't going to fall over. We saw loads of seals on a beach at the bottom of the cliffs. I was really tempted to chase them but I knew they were too far down for me to get to them.

We thought about stopping at the 'Hells Mouth' cafe for a cup of coffee but Ann said we'd find a seat soon and stop there - we didn't find a seat? We walked for about another hour and didn't find anywhere to sit down so eventually we sat on a stile and I had a drink of water. Ann has promised me she will buy me a proper foldable dog bowl for the next time we go walking. I had to drink out of this stupid plastic thing that she had brought for me. I finished my drink and it blew away in the wind, Ann stepped on it to stop it blowing away and cracked it so then it wouldn't hold any more water and I was really thirsty. Fortunately we had come to a part of the walk where we had to go down two very steep hills and up the other side and there were streams at the bottom of both of them. I wallowed in both & had a drink - it was such fun!

Ann put me on my lead for part of the walk after 'Hells Mouth'. She said she could hear sheep baa-ing and I couldn't be trusted. The sheep were miles away, they weren't running & I wasn't interested in them cos by that time I was tired. Ann let me off my lead when we were passing the last field of sheep to see if I behaved myself. I did. I looked at them and decided that my walk was more exciting than trying to chase them. Ann was very, very pleased with me and told me I was the best collie ever.

We arrived in Portreath at 12.30pm and Ann was really pleased. She said we could have our picnic and then get the bus home just after 1pm. I got a couple of bits of tuna fish sandwich - I knew Ann would give me some titbits. Unfortunately Ann had read the bus timetable wrong - the buses home run every couple of hours but miss out the lunchtime service so we had to wait until 3pm for our bus. The shops in Portreath close for lunch so we couldn't buy any magazines and I wasn't allowed on the beach. Fortunately it was sunny so we lay on a bench above the beach like an old tramp. Ann kept asking me if we should go to one of the many pubs - at least three in such a tiny village?? - for a glass of wine but we decided against it. Then she said she'd have a tub of ice cream from the ice cream van so that she could use the tub to put some water in for me - but the ice cream van only sold cones. However she did take me to the stream and let me have a fantastic wallow in it and a drink.

Unfortunately when I got on the bus I was a bit wet and smelly. It was scarey getting on the bus but Ann didn't have to pay for me as apparently dogs travel free & there was only two other people sitting downstairs. One was a very nice girl in her 20's who told me I was cute, the other was an old hippy man with a massive rucksack. Strangely I quite liked the hippy but when he asked Ann to join him for a drink in St Ives she declined.

So we arrived home within about half an hour (I'm sure the bus wasn't sticking to it's timetable), I've had dinner & have been asleep on the sun terrace for the last couple of hours and Ann's had a shower and is now drinking a large glass of white wine.

We've had a lovely day & I'm looking forward to doing more of the South West Coastal Path.

I can walk 20 miles?!!

Ann phoned my dog sitter to see if he could take me to Hayle tomorrow. He's picking us up at 8.10am. But now Ann has told me that we might as well walk from St Ives to Hayle, before going on to Portreath. That's about another 6 miles. I'm going to be an exhausted little collie dog. Ann said it's going to be a nice day tomorrow so we have to make the most of it. A 20 mile trek??? I love walking but I'm worried that I'll get tired & won't be able to keep up. I'm going to bed now.

It's all happening tomorrow?!

I'm Molly, the gorgeous collie, and Ann, my owner, has told me that our summer project is to walk as much of the 'South West Coastal Path' as we can. I'm excited. Apparently I have my own 'blog' but I'm not really sure what a blog is? Ann says she's going to take loads of photos of me on our walks and post them on my blog. Unfortunately Ann isn't quite sure how to do this - she's not the most computer literate person that I know.

Anyway it's all happening tomorrow. Ann is going to ask my dog sitter to give us a lift to Hayle ('cos he works there) and then we're going to walk from Hayle to Portreath. I'm really looking forward to it. Ann has told me that I'll get to play on the beach, chase rabbits on the dunes and I might even see other animals. We're taking a packed lunch. Ann says I don't need anything to eat (I know she'll give me a few titbits) but she's going to take some water for me incase I can't find any streams to drink out of.

We're going to walk 12 miles and we have to get a bus back to St Ives from Portreath. I don't like buses - I woof at them. Ann says I'm a silly little collie dog and she's going to swop me for a well behaved dog but I know she doesn't mean it. I am so excited to be going on such a long walk.

This is going to be such a great summer. I'm going to be going on so many new and exciting walks and I just can't wait.

What a lucky little collie dog I am.