The Lizard to Porthleven - 14 miles

Today we went on our longest walk ever - 14 miles from 'The Lizard' to 'Porthleven'. Ann's friend Jane picked us up at Porthleven at 10.45am and took us to the Lizard lighthouse so we started our walk at 11.15am. It's great when we can arrange for someone to take us to the start of our walk, it's so much easier than hanging around waiting for buses. We also found somewhere free to park in Porthleven so that was an added bonus as we didn't know how long we would be.

It was very, very hot today and there were a lot of people around at the start of our walk. I had to stay on my lead to begin with because we were in a car park and then on a little road down to Lizard Point. However, once we reached Lizard Point, where the old lifeboat station is, I was allowed to go off lead. I immediately did the most massive poo that I've ever done in my life right in the middle of the coastal path. The path was really busy and no-one could get past me so everyone had to wait until I'd finished. It was so big that Ann was worried that it wouldn't all fit into one of my little poo bags. Anyway she managed to scoop it all up and then she trebled bagged it and put it in her rucksack because she knew we wouldn't find a bin until Kynance Cove. I don't think she was very pleased with me - she muttered something about not understanding why it was so big and being pleased that we didn't have any lunch with us. She didn't tell me off. Though I bet if there hadn't been loads of people around she would have done.

I spent the first half hour of the walk having a really good time. I ran up hill and down dale, I rolled on the grass, I wallowed in mud & streams, I tried my 'appealing' look on people who were eating (but it didn't work?) and I just generally had a very nice time. Ann kept telling me to slow down because we were going a long way but it was such a lovely day and I was so excited about going somewhere new. I'd walked the first part of this walk before but I'd never been past Kynance Cove so I was very excited. I met quite a few other dogs on the first section of the walk and I was very well behaved with all of them. Lots of people told me how pretty I was and lots said, 'He likes the water doesn't he?' Why people always assume I'm a boy I don't know?

We got to Kynance Cove at about midday. It is so, so pretty. Ann said she had never been right down to the Cove before so we took the lower route so we could have a good look. There was a very tiny part of the beach that we had to walk across so I had to go back on my lead. Doggies aren't allowed on the actual beach at this time of the year but because it's part of the coast path we could walk across it. Some doggies were being carried and some were off their leads. I had to go on my lead because Ann said she couldn't trust me not to go swimming. The sea looked lovely. It was turquoise and there were loads of people swimming. Ann was right. If I hadn't been on my lead I would have been right in there.

After Kynance Cove it was like all the people had been abducted by aliens. There was absolutely nobody about. After we'd climbed the steep ascent from the Cove the coastal path was very flat and easy walking as we were on the top of cliffs. I think we only saw a couple of people in a whole hour. At one point we had to walk past a big herd of cows and calves. I'm a very good girl when I walk past cows but Ann said I had to go on my lead because the cows had babies and she was a little bit worried that I might go into chase mode. No way. Why on earth would I want to chase cows. Anyway I was only on my lead for about 2 mins and then I was allowed off lead until we got to Mullion Cove.

Ann had arranged to meet her old boss, Clive, for lunch at the 'Old Inn' in Mullion at 1.15pm however by 1pm we realised we still had a long way to go so we phoned him and changed the time to 1.45pm. And in actual fact didn't make it to the pub until just after 2pm. This part of the walk was really easy, most of it was flat and there was only a couple of up and down bits. The scenery was stunning and it was really easy walking. The only trouble was, it was still a long way to Mullion and also there wasn't too many streams for me to get cool in. I did manage to have a few drinks along the way but because it has been so dry for so long the streams didn't really have much water in so I couldn't do a lot of wallowing. However, I did quite a lot of rolling around on the grass instead to keep cool.

Once we got to Mullion Cove I had to go back on my lead because we had to walk inland along the road into the village to the 'Old Inn'. Clive was waiting for us on the picnic tables outside and while he went to get Ann a drink I was allowed some of Ann's water in a little plastic container that she'd brought for me. (She still hasn't been able to buy me a foldable doggie water bowl, though she has been trying). I was ever so thirsty - I drank it all, so Ann gave me some more but then I decided I'd better go into well behaved collie mode as Clive had never met me before so I just lay down under the table and had a little sleep. Ann decided she didn't want any lunch 'cos it was too hot so she just had a couple of diet cokes. We stayed there for just over an hour and I was glad of the rest.

Once we left the pub we got a bit lost. We had to walk through a load of houses to get on to the path that took us down to Polurrian Cove and we wasted time by walking to the end of two cul-de-sacs. We eventually found the correct route and I was allowed off lead again. Because I'd had a rest I was in energetic mode again so I did a bit of running and rolling about on the grass. There were a few people on the beach at Polurrian Cove and loads on the beach at Poldhu Cove. Ann said Poldhu Cove was busy because there is a car park nearby and anyone who wants to go to Polurrian Cove has to walk. I was desperate to go onto the beach and have a swim in the sea but doggies aren't allowed on either of those beaches so I couldn't. Also I had to go back on my lead just before Poldhu Cove as we had to walk down the road that goes from an old peoples home, then we had to walk on the main road past the beach and I had to stay on my lead as we had to walk up a little road at the other side of the beach. However, once we got about halfway up the hill the road joined the coastal path so I was allowed off lead again. I stayed off lead until we got to Church Cove when I had to go back on my lead.

Church Cove is another beach that doggies aren't allowed on but we had to walk over a tiny bit of it. It was really busy so I had to go back on my lead and we'd been walking for almost an hour and I hadn't had a drink since the pub so I was getting very thirsty 'cos it was really hot. However, Ann spotted a stream so she let me off my lead so I could go for a swim, wallow and drink. It was great. But then it was back on my lead as we were walking on a road from the car park and it was quite busy. Ann said she must have missed the turning for the coastal path but the only route we'd seen was through a farmers field and there had been no signage. Sometimes it is really difficult to know where the coastal path is going. We must have walked about a mile along the road up to Gunwalloe before we found an opening onto the coastal path. This took us down to the beach at Gunwalloe. Surprisingly this beach was really empty. There were a couple of people walking their dogs and a couple of families sitting there. The tide was going out and as it was a dog friendly beach we considered walking along it to get back to Porthleven. I would have preferred this because I was hot and just wanted to go in the water to cool down. Ann had different ideas though. She said her feet were getting sore and walking along the coastal path would be easier. She said I could have a swim at Loe Bar.

So, from Gunwalloe to Loe Bar we walked along the coastal path which Ann did not like at all. It was really narrow and really high up above the cliffs with a sheer drop to the beach. It was scarey. I just trotted along like a well behaved collie - at least I did until I saw a rabbit and then I went into chase mode. Ann went mad at me when she saw me running towards the cliff edge. But I'm a sensible collie - I know my limitations. However Ann did apologise to me and said we should have walked along the beach instead of the scarey cliff path.

When we got to Loe Bar I was so happy. I just wanted to get in the water so Ann allowed me to deviate from our route and go for a swim. She was walking towards the last part of our walk which was along a track from Loe Bar, so she had trusted me to go swimming by myself. I had a swim, a wallow and a drink and was just about to speed back to Ann when I spotted a Jack Russell dog playing with an orange ball. He hadn't been speedy enough to get it so I thought I'd have a play. I stole the ball, had a little run around, had a swim, had another little run around, at which point Ann was coming towards me looking cross. I heard her say to the Jack Russell's owner, 'I can't believe she's being so naughty, she's just walked from the Lizard so she shouldn't have any energy left?' To be honest I didn't really want the ball. It wasn't a bouncy ball, it was all squashed - but I'd been walking since 11.15am & although I was geting tired, I hadn't had a play. Anyway the lady said if I gave it back she would give me a treat. So I did. I gave it back, gobbled up the treat and then stole it again. Then I got another treat when I gave it back again. But then the lady put it in her bag - so that was the end of that game. Ann was a little bit disappointed with me because she said, apart from my massive poo, I'd been the most perfect pooch, up to that point.

After that we had to walk about another mile into Porthleven. I stayed off my lead until we got onto a proper road. Then I had to go on my lead for the last 5 - 10 mins. until we got back to the car. Even though I'd had such a nice walk and just wanted to go home to sleep Ann had to lift me into the car. She gave me some more water but I couldn't be bothered to even look at it.

I have had such a lovely day. I've come home, had my dinner and have been snoozing on the sun terrace for ages. I'm such a tired little collie dog. But I do like my walks along the SWCP.

Lamorna to Penzance - 6 miles

I always enjoy my walks along the SWCP but this walk was one of my least favourites so far because I was only allowed off my lead for 45 mins and the walk took us 3 hours.

We paid £5.30 to park the car all day in Penzance as we didn't know how long our walk would take. Then we had to get a bus from Penzance to Lamorna - £3.20 for Ann this time. I was ever such a good girl at the bus station. We had to wait about 20 mins and I just sat patiently watching the buses coming and going. I didn't bark at them and there were loads of people waiting who kept looking at me. I could tell they thought I was a perfect pooch and Ann was really proud of me.

When we got to Lamorna we had to walk down the same little road that we had when we walked to Sennen Cove. I had a poo in exactly the same spot as I did the last time and Ann was pleased with me because she knew there was a bin at the start of our walk. She likes it when I have a poo near a bin. She says one of the most unpleasant aspects of our walk is when I have a poo right in the middle of the coastal path and then she ends up carrying it for miles!

Once we reached Lamorna Cove I was allowed off my lead. This part of the coastal path was quite rocky and for 45 mins I had great fun - I wallowed in rock pools, there were a couple of streams for me to splash in and have a drink out of, I rolled in long grass and I trotted along the path admiring the view. However just as I was thinking what a lovely time I was having, the coastal path met a little road which took us down into Mousehole and I had to go back on my lead. From there all the way back to Penzance I had to stay on my lead because we were walking along the road for most of the way. We walked through Newlyn which was quite interesting because we saw lots of lovely shops selling fresh fish. When we got to Penzance we walked along the promenade and I was desperate to go off my lead and play with some of the other doggies who were having a walk. Ann said she wasn't sure if she could trust me. The road was on one side of the prom and she thought I might chase buses if I was off my lead and the sea was at the other side and as dogs aren't allowed on the beach she said she couldn't trust me not to go swimming.

We didn't meet many people on our walk today. There were a lot of people sitting on seats along the promenade in Penzance because it was a lovely sunny day but between Lamorna & Mousehole we hardly saw anyone.

We had lunch at a little cafe in Mousehole. It was quite busy and Ann told me I had to be on my best behaviour. I immediately lay down under a seat while Ann went inside to get a cheese & onion pasty for her lunch. She was so pleased with me that she let me have a little bit of the filling. She said I couldn't have any of the pastry because pastry is bad for doggies. It smelt very yummy though.

Our walk today was only 6 miles and it only took us 3 hours from getting off the bus till we got back to the car, including stopping for lunch but I'm still quite a tired little collie dog now. However I think I've got enough energy left to go to the pub with Ann. She says we're off to meet the girlies now for a few glasses of wine in the sunshine. I can't wait!!

Lamorna to Sennen Cove - 12 miles

Today we walked our longest and wettest walk ever! It was a lovely sunny morning in St Ives so after checking the bus timetable we decided to park at Sennen Cove, get the first bus to Lamorna at 11.13am and walk the 12 miles back. Even though I knew I was going on a lovely walk I wasn't that keen on the length of time it took us to get to the start of our walk. Firstly I had to go in the car to Sennen Cove and that took about 45 mins then I had to go on the bus for almost an hour. I'm ever so good on the bus but I still get very frightened when the bus opens its doors. They make a really loud whooshing noise and I hide behind Ann's legs. However I know that if I want to walk the South West Coast Path sometimes I must go on buses.

The bus dropped us on the main road at about 12.10pm and we had to walk a mile down a little narrow road to Lamorna Cove to get to the start of our walk. That took us about 20 mins and I had to stay on my lead in case any cars came. It was a really pretty walk through woods and bluebells. The sun was shining and Ann had to take her fleece off.

When we got to the start of our walk I was allowed off my lead. In fact the only time on this walk when I had to go back on my lead was when we got to the Minnack Theatre and we had to walk through their car park and when we got back to Sennen Cove and we had to walk along the road back to the car park.

The start of our walk was lovely, the sea was turquoise, the sun was shining, the scenery was amazing and there were loads of other people and dogs about for me to talk to. I love meeting people when I'm out walking. Usually they tell me what a pretty girl I am. We had to climb over quite a few stiles today and we met a lady who asked Ann if she had to lift me over. Lift me over? What planet is she on? Just to prove how agile I am I jumped over straight away. The lady was ever so impressed. I also met a little girl who was crying because she didn't like dogs and I was following her along the path. She wanted her dad to pick her up but I decided to show her how lovely I am. I sat down and gave her my 'appealing look'. Ann told her dad I was friendly and liked children and the dad was really hostile and said, 'that's what they all say!' However the sister of the crying girl stroked me and once the other kid saw how gentle I was she stroked me as well. Then the dad actually said that his daughter had a real phobia of dogs and he thought if his daughter spent time with me she might overcome it. He asked Ann if he could borrow me. Fortunately I don't think he was being serious - I'm not going on loan to anyone?!

The first part of the walk was quite difficult. We had to clamber over loads of boulders and rocks and because there were so many people about we had to keep waiting for them to pass. The website guide said that this walk was moderate to strenuous. There was a lot of easy peasy sections but there was also a lot of up and down sections. I bet our legs will be sore by tomorrow.

Because we didn't start walking until after 12 noon Ann said we would have our lunch about 2pm-ish 'cos she thought that would be about half way through our walk. However at 2pm we couldn't find anywhere suitable to have our lunch and then it started to drizzle. Ann put on her anorak and then took it off again, put it on, took it off. This continued until we got to the Minnack Theatre at 3.10pm when it was actually raining quite hard and we still hadn't had our lunch!

After the Minnack Theatre we had to walk along loads of the coastal path that was really overgrown with nettles. Because it was raining we got very wet. I was absolutely soaked through by this stage, Ann's feet and legs were filthy, her shorts were soaked through, as was her anorak. Then we had to stop because she was worried that everything in her rucksack would get waterlogged and she wanted to put her phone and camera into one of my poo bags. That was OK with me because I'd had a big massive poo on the road down to Lamorna Cove which she was able to pick up and throw in a bin.

However, our walk from the Minnack Theatre onwards was not pleasant. It turned really foggy and misty and we couldn't see anything. Also there wasn't anyone else about. It was eerie and we were a bit scared. We could only see a few feet in front of us and we still had about 5 miles to go. At one stage the mist and rain stopped and for about half an hour and we dried out a bit. We also ate half of our sandwich but we didn't stop - we ate it on the go.

By the time we got to Lands End at 5.15pm the rain was quite heavy and the fog was even worse. We'd planned to take a lot of photos but there was no point. We couldn't see anything, the camera was in my poo bag and all we wanted to do at this stage was get to the end of the walk. When Ann saw the sign at Lands End that said that Sennen Cove was only a mile away she was so happy. We've done this part of the walk before so know it's not difficult. We got back to the car at about 5.50pm.

Ann towel dried me because I was absolutely drenched and I was also exhausted. I don't think I've ever in my life walked for almost 6 hours without stopping for a rest. There's been plenty of places for me to have a drink on this walk and on a few occasions the path has gone near the sea so I've been able to wallow in rock pools. Even though it's been raining it's also been hot today.

I've had a lovely day but I'm absolutely shattered now and am lying flaked out.

Tomorrow we were thinking of walking from Lamorna to Penzance but Ann says we have to check the weather forecast first. We were planning on getting the 9.35am bus from Penzance to Lamorna and walking back. Ann thought we'd be home by mid afternoon as we're meeting her friend Jane for a drink at 5pm. However we've walked for almost 6 hours without a rest today, Ann has recorded 30,071 steps on her pedometer, so we're actually thinking that we might have to rest tomorrow.

Even though I'm an exhausted little collie dog I'm loving our summer project of walking the South West Coast Path.

Helford to Falmouth - 10 miles

Our walks along the SWCP are so much easier when we don't have to rely on public transport. Today we drove to Falmouth because we were meeting Ann's friend, Angela. Ann hasn't seen Angela for more than 10 years and I've never met her so I was given strict instructions to be on my very best behaviour and show Angela what an absolutely fantastic collie I am. Angela was visiting Cornwall for the weekend and staying somewhere near Truro, she likes walking so was happy to walk part of the SWCP with us. We met in the Falmouth Maratime Museum car park just after 10am. We didn't have to pay anything to park because we'd left our car just outside the car park on the single yellow lines which is fine on a Sunday. Ann had already told Angela that we would go in her car to the start of our walk and then in ours on the way back. She said this was because I would be lovely and clean when I got into Angela's car but the chances were I'd be wet, smelly and dirty at the end of our walk. Ann was right!

Angela drove us to the start of our walk at the Ferryboat Inn at Helford Passage. Officially we were supposed to start our walk in the village of Helford which is across the water from where we were, but Ann said that logistically that was too difficult to organise and travelling via a ferry for the first half a mile doesn't count as walking! It cost Angela £1 to park so that was as cheap as the Zennor car park.

Our walk today was easy peasy. The website describes this section of the SWCP as 'moderate' but we thought it should be described as easy - there weren't any hard bits. It is a really pretty section of the SWCP. We passed through loads of woody bits that had masses of bluebells in them, in fact we saw loads of different flowers along this route. We even saw some orchids growing wild. For the most part, the path was really well defined too. We didn't have to scramble over any rocks or walk in any boggy bits.

Unfortunately the weather wasn't the best today. We set off at 10.45am and although very overcast and misty it was warm so Ann & Angela had to strip off to their Tshirts. Our walk took us past a few small beaches so I was allowed to go and have a little wallow and swim. Most of them had streams running into them so I was OK for drinks.

At 1pm we reached the Maenporth Beach Cafe so stopped for lunch. We'd just got there when it started to rain. A group of people were leaving so we managed to get a seat under the gazebbo bit. We were really pleased 'cos sitting at the picnic tables would not have been pleasurable. Ann & Angela both had fish & chips and a coffee - only £6.20 each. I wasn't allowed anything. I tried my sorrowful look on a man that was eating an ice cream but he didn't give me anything, so I tried putting my wet, smelly head on Angela's lap but that didn't work either. So I lay down to show everyone how good I was. We stayed there for about an hour hoping that the rain would stop but it didn't.

At about 2pm we set off again in waterproofs but after about 15mins the rain had stopped so Ann & Angela had to take off their waterproofs. However, for the rest of our walk we kept going through short showers so Ann had her anorak on and off more times than I could count. She gave up with the waterproof trousers saying that the trousers that she had on would dry quickly.

We met loads of people and dogs on our walk today. Angela was really impressed at how good & well behaved I was. I only had one naughty moment - I was on my lead for the last part of the walk and was walking around the Pendennis Castle peninsular when I spotted one of those horrid green buses coming towards me. Naturally I went a bit crazy at it because I don't like buses. I pulled on my lead and barked at it. Ann said I'd let myself down, because up to that point Angela thought I was a 'perfect pooch'. Actually, I think Angela still thinks I'm a perfect pooch because when she said goodbye to me she told me that she thought I was really good considering the bad start I had in life!

We got back to the car at about 4pm. Ann tried to give me some water because from Maenporth Beach to Falmouth there hadn't been any streams for me to have a drink out of, but I don't like drinking water in the car. However Ann drove us back to Angela's car and they went and had a coffee in the Ferryboat Inn. While we were there Ann gave me some water from her water bottle in a little plastic container which was yummy!

I've had a lovely day today but I'm very tired. I've been out of the house from about 9am - 6pm so I've had no sleep time. Now I'm curled up on the sofa fast asleep and absolutely exhausted.

Penzance to Marazion - 3 miles

Today we were going to walk from Zennor to St Ives but it was raining this morning and Ann said there was absolutely no way she was going to walk one of the hardest sections of the SWCP in the rain. I was a bit disappointed but I knew I wouldn't be able to persuade her so I didn't even try.

This afternoon she said we could go shopping for my foldable doggie water bowl in Penzance and then we could do the Penzance to Marazion section which is only about 3 miles. This section, according to the website, should really be walked from Lamorna to Marazion but as there's no direct buses between these two places Ann said we could do a short walk this afternoon and then when we do the walk to Lamorna we can get a bus from Penzance and walk back. I didn't really care where we were going - I was just happy I was getting a long walk!

We parked in the car park by the station at Penzance and Ann paid £1.70 for two hours. I had to stay in the car while she ran into town to buy my foldable dog bowl. She tried three shops - Dogs Boutique, Poundstretcher and Poundland and none of them had any, though Dogs Boutique said they were on order and would probably be in at the end of next week. To be honest I'm not bothered about having a foldable dog bowl any more. Apart from our first walk, there's been loads of streams that I've been able to have drinks out of. Ann was also going to buy a whistle (so that we could attract attention in an emergency) but then she remembered she already had one. She went through a phase of trying to teach me to respond to whistle commands when I was younger. I wasn't very good at that. Anyway she says she'll keep the whistle in our walking rucksack.

I've walked this section of the coastal path loads of times before but Ann said we had to do it again so that we could add it to my blog and take photos. It must be the easiest part of the whole SWCP. The entire walk is on the flat and is along a cycle trail, most of which runs alongside the railway line. Normally when we walk this section we either go Long Rock to Marazion & back or Long Rock to Penzance & back.

It's an OK walk but Ann always makes me go on my extendable lead on the cycle path. She says this is because I can't be trusted to get out of the way of cyclists quick enough. Today we walked from Penzance to Marazion and back again which we think must be about 6 miles but it only took us one and a half hours. From the Tesco roundabout to Long Rock doggies can go on the beach all the year round so I was allowed to go off lead and have a play both going to Marazion and coming back. However, I wasn't really feeling very energetic today so I didn't bother to do any running or bird chasing. I did a little bit of swimming but for most of my time on the beach I just trotted alongside Ann. There were loads of other dogs playing and normally I would go and join in but today I didn't feel like it. Ann was a bit worried about me. She hadn't brought my ball and normally when she doesn't bring my ball to the beach I just steal someone elses 'cos I'm much faster than most other dogs.

It wasn't until we were coming back and I had to come off the beach to walk the short distance along the cycle trail back to the car park that Ann realised what was wrong. Two trains had passed us earlier and I'd been really scared. I was on my lead and I had no escape. I'd tried to run away but I couldn't. It wasn't so much the trains that scared me but the noise that the train tracks made when a train was on its way.

Ann was a bit cross with me and kept shouting at me to hurry up but I thought if I stayed on the beach she'd eventually come and get me and take me somewhere else. She didn't. She just walked off and left me so I ran along the beach until I couldn't go any further then I had to scramble up some rocks to get to her. She told me I was a good girl for coming back and then put me on my lead. I was pulling really hard because I did not want to see any more trains but everytime I pulled Ann stopped and waited for me to return to her side. She had me on a really short lead and kept telling me that the walk was not very enjoyable when she had to keep stopping. Finally, I realised that I would not get back to the car any quicker if I pulled, so for the last 5 mins of our walk I just trotted sensibly by Ann's side and fortunately we didn't see any more trains.

However, I'm mentally exhausted! I've never liked trains - I chase them, but that's when I'm on the beach & know I can't really catch up with them. Ann is convinced it was the high pitched noise the wet train tracks were making as the train approached that freaked me out because I'm not normally this paranoid on this section of the SWCP.

I'm asleep outside on the sun terrace now and have been for the last hour. Ann says on Sunday we're going to walk from Helford to Falmouth. I'm really looking forward to that walk 'cos I've never been there before and apparently we won't be going anywhere near a train track!

Pendeen to Zennor - 8 miles

The hardest thing about our summer project is the logistics of it all. It is so difficult to work out how we are going to get to the start of our walk and how we are going to get home at the end. Today we went in the car to 'Zennor'. Very cheap parking there - we only had to put £1 in the honesty box! However we couldn't remember how long it would take us to drive to Zennor so we got there at 11am and the first bus to Pendeen didn't leave until 11.31am.

I was allowed to go for a little walk along a lane while we were waiting and I found some straw to roll in. When I got onto the very busy, open topped bus, Ann was a little bit embarassed because she said I smelt like a farmyard dog. Fortunately no-one sat next to us, but I'm a good girl on the bus anyway. I immediately lay down underneath the seat and all the foreign tourists on the bus said what a good dog I was. Actually I don't know if that's what they said because I don't speak German but they were looking at me and smiling. It cost Ann £3.65 to go to Pendeen from Zennor and 65p for my normal doggie day rider ticket.



When we got to Pendeen the bus driver forgot to stop his bus so we ended up having to go to Geevor Tin Mine. That was much better for me because it meant that I could go 'off lead' for the whole of our walk. If we had got off the bus in Pendeen I would have been made to stay on my lead while we walked down little country roads to the Pendeen Lighthouse which was at the start of our walk. I think that would have taken us about 20 mins. It took us 25 mins to walk from Geevor Tin Mine to the start of our walk so I suppose there wasn't much difference time wise.



We are trying to do the walks as described on the 'South West Coast Path Website' so really we should have been walking 14 miles today from Pendeen to St Ives. We got to the Geevor Tin Mine at 12 noon (that was the earliest we could get a bus). Ann said she thought it would take us 3-4 hours to walk to Zennor but if we got there by 2pm we'd carry on to St Ives and then ask someone to drive us back to Zennor to get the car.



Needless to say we didn't get back to Zennor until 4pm!



It was a really, hard walk today. There were a few parts that were easy, peasy, but a lot of the paths were very narrow, very steep, very rocky and very boggy. It had said on the website that this is one of the hardest sections of the entire coastal path but we thought that meant the Zennor to St Ives part. Ann has been wearing her trainers for our walks and while they're really comfortable to walk in, she has discovered they're not waterproof when walking through bogs. She thinks she might now have 'trench foot'?!



When we started our walk it was really hot and sunny. Ann had to take off her fleece and roll up her trousers. I was OK 'cos there were lots of streams and boggy bits that I could wallow in to keep me cool. Ann was moaning about carrying her rucksack - she said it makes her back all sweaty! However, just as we stopped for our lunch it started to drizzle a tiny bit and got a bit cold. Ann had to put her fleece back on although she didn't have to get her anorak out until we were almost back to Zennor. I was a little bit upset at lunchtime - because I didn't get any! It was beef sandwiches today and Ann said I couldn't have any because they had mustard on them and she said I didn't like mustard - I'm not so sure about that!



On the website it had said that this was one of the most remote parts of the SWCP. There was no cafes, toilets, etc unless we went a long way inland. There wasn't really too many other people doing this walk either. We passed a huge group of German school kids going in the opposite direction to us and we also saw two lots of rock climbers perched on two lots of rocks/cliffs with ropes - that looked a bit scarey! Also when we were treking through a particularly boggy bit which was taking us ages (well it was taking Ann ages, I was quite quick!), a gorgeous, hunky looking guy appeared out of nowhere behind us. For the second time today, Ann looked a bit embarassed 'cos she'd been yelling at me to get out the way so she could navigate the stones & turfts of grass while trying to avoid getting her feet too wet. Anyway she had a bit of a chat with 'Mr Hunk', who obviously had no interest in her whatsoever. He'd already walked from Gurnards Head earlier, done a bit of rock climbing, and now was on his way back. She tried to impress him by saying she'd walked from Pendeen and was on her way to Zennor but he just said, 'Have a nice walk' and was about a mile in front within 10 mins!! That was after we'd stopped on a rock to have lunch and because it was getting a bit cold and drizzly she hadn't bothered to reapply her lipstick. She asked me if she thought that would have made a difference? As if I'd know? He was probably about 20 years younger than her anyway?! - so no - if she wants an honest answer I doubt it. I actually walked a few yards with him 'cos I quite liked him and he was nice to me. But then I realised that Ann was being really slow and was struggling over the boggy bits and stoney bits so I knew thatI had to go back and support her.



However, although there wasn't really too many people on this section of the walk, everyone we met was really friendly. We only met one other dog today - one of those pointy faced collies! I was loads prettier than it, though I have to say it was a lot cleaner than me. Ann asked its owner how she managed to keep it so clean and she said they hadn't gone through any boggy bits! We thought that was a lie because we went through loads of boggy bits after we'd met it. I ended up really, really dirty today. I didn't do anything naughty but it's just so difficult to stay clean when one has to walk through several sections of boggy coastal path. Ann said she would let me have a wallow in the stream beside the car park at Zennor when we finished our walk. However, just before we got to the track that leads back into the village of Zennor we had to cross a stream and I had a really good swim and wallow. Ann was so pleased with me. She said that even though I was still a bit stinky, at least I was clean so all she had to do with me when we got back to the car was towel dry me and then I was happy to jump into the boot.

We did have one scarey experience today - Ann tripped over a gorse bush root, fell down and hurt her right hand and left foot. I didn't know what to do so I just stood and stared at her. It made us realise that accidents can happen at any time. Fortunately she was OK and we had mobile reception in that area but Ann says we have to buy a whistle (to attract attention if there's no mobile reception) and also buy some cleansing wipes to keep us clean.



Our walk today was lovely although now that I've had my dinner, I'm a very, very tired little collie dog and I'm lying at Ann's feet while dicating my blog for the day!



Even though we should have walked 14 miles today Ann says we can do the Zennor to St Ives section of the SWCP on Friday. She thinks this will take at least 4 hours and she's going to check out the bus timetables now to see what time we can start.

Our walk today was lovely - the scenery was very dramatic and Ann has taken lots of photos. Unfortunately, she hasn't yet worked out how to upload more than one photo to each blog. She says it's a learning experience and by the time we've walked the full 630 miles of the SWCP we'll be experienced in everything!

I don't care. I've had a lovely day and I'm having a little snooze in my bed now!

Porthleven to Marazion - 11 miles

Today, Ann's friend Jane, picked us up in Marazion car park and drove us to Porthleven for the start of our walk. That was really kind of her 'cos it was so much better than getting on one of those big horrible buses. It cost us £5.30 to park at Marazion. That was for an all day ticket because we didn't know how long our walk would take.

We started our walk at 11.30am and we got back to the car at 4.10pm. It was a reasonably easy walk today but in a lot of places the path was very narrow so I couldn't deviate off it too much. For the first hour or so of our walk there were loads of furry caterpillars on the path. I didn't really take much notice of them but Ann said that soon the coastal path would be full of butterfles.

After we'd been walking for about half an hour I did something really naughty and made Ann cross - I wallowed in a black, sticky, muddy ditch. It was such fun but when I came out I didn't look like a black and white collie anymore, I just looked like a completely black dog. Ann was furious with me. She said if I didn't find some clean water quickly the mud would dry and it would be almost impossible to get me clean because it was embedded in my hair. I have to admit I didn't actually feel very comfortable. I tried rolling around on the grass to clean myself but that didn't work. And Ann was right - as it started to dry I could feel, that it was indeed, embedded in my hair. Ann had already told me that if a shower didn't clean me when we got home that I might have to have a haircut and I didn't like the sound of that. I've never had a haircut but somebody coming at me with a pair of scissors - no thanks. Fortunately after about another half an hour of walking I found a small pond. I wallowed and swam in it and all the mud disappeared. I was just about to come out and show Ann how clean I was when a couple with a toddler spotted me. I heard the lady say to the little kid, 'Look at that lovely dog, he's having a lot of fun isn't he?' I was a bit cross that she thought I was a boy but decided to show off a bit. I swam from one side of the pond to the other, then I did a circuit of the pond jumping in and out of the water and finished off with one final big wallow where I even put my head under the water. After that I went bounding back to Ann. I could hear the couple saying what a great dog I was and Ann was pleased with me because I was completely clean again. Though she did say I was a bit stinky!

There were a few tin mine towers along the first part of our walk which were really interesting and we also had really good views of Penzance and out towards Lands End in one direction and the Lizard Peninsular in the other direction. There was a lot of people out walking today. We weren't sure if it was because it was a popular section of the walk or if it was because it was a Sunday and more people had time off work.

Some parts of the walk went close to cliffs. I like to go right up to the edge and have a look over. Ann likes me to keep to the path. However the only time I had to go on my lead was when we got to Praa Sands. I love Praa Sands - it's a really long beach. Unfortunately dogs can't go on it between Easter Day and October so we had to walk on a little road past some houses. There weren't any cars around but Ann said just to be on the safe side I had to go back on my lead. The only other time I had to go on my lead was when we got to Marazion and had to walk all the way along the main road to get back to the car park.

It took us about two hours to get to the beach cafe/shop at Praa Sands. Ann was worried that we didn't have enough water with us so she tied me up by the path down to the beach while she went to get some more. I so wanted to go for a play on the beach. There were loads of people doing different activities. Praa Sands has about three cafe/pubs and Ann said the menus looked quite nice. She says that we might try and organise some of our other walks so that we can have a proper lunch and sit down at picnic tables. That would be good. When we got to Praa Sands she said that we'd have lunch at the next suitable stopping point. The trouble with the coastal path is that there's not many seats and on this walk there weren't many rocks either. We eventually stopped at 2.15pm and sat on a rock while we ate our tuna fish sandwiches.

When we got to Cudden Point we had a really good view of St Michaels Mount, Penzance, Marazion and Perranuthnoe. By this time we didn't think it would take us very long to get back to the car. It was 2.30pm and it took us another 1 hour & 40 mins! However, it was a really easy walk from there with lovely views. We saw twelve kayaks that had been in the water since before Praa Sands.

The weather wasn't too bad today. When I went out for my morning walk it was very cold for May but when we started our walk at Porthleven, Ann had to take her fleece off, though for the last couple of hours of our walk she had to put it back on again. However we were amazed at the number of people that weren't properly equipped for walking. We only take a tiny rucksack with us, but in that we have anorak & waterproof trousers for Ann, a foil sheet (that Ann got when she did the Great North Swim last year) - she says this is incase either of us gets hurt and we have to stay in one place for some time, water, mobile phone, map, plasters, tissues & poo bags. And these are just our essentials. We also have other stuff like camera, pen & paper, snacks and lipstick.

Today we actually saw women walking the coastal path with their handbags and others in totally unsuitable shoes?? Mad, mad, mad!

Anyway it was lovely to get back to the car and not have to wait for a bus. Ann says we've walked 28,318 steps today (including our morning walk). At least she says that's how many she's walked. She thinks I've probably walked more. She's going to have a look on the internet now to see if she can buy me a doggie pedometer. I don't hold out much hope - she's not even bought me my foldable doggie drinking bowl yet and she promised me that after the first SWCP walk we did. But I don't really care. There's been loads of streams on our walk today so I didn't need to share Ann's water.

Now I'm lying flaked out on the living room floor. I've had my dinner and I probably won't budge from here until Ann wakes me up to take me for my wee before bedtime. Our summer project to walk as much of the South West Coastal Path as we can is fab. I'm such a lucky little dog.