Coast challenge update week 3

Week three of my expedition along the coastline of Devon has passed, with me succesfully completing the next stage between the holiday resorts of Combe Martin and Ilfracombe and thus inching that bit further towards the end. Unfortunately, the word 'inching' is particularly appropriate to today's run, which has left me feeling a little frustrated and also dismayed by the stretch of miles I still have to go. You see, the distance between my chosen start and end points today turned out to be significantly less than I'd calculated on my Ordnance Survey map, meaning I arrived unexpectedly soon in Ilfracombe (incidentally, and perhaps cruelly, dubbed 'filth and gloom' by a friend of mine) and can now only add 7 miles along the coast to my total when I had been aiming for at least 11.

I had an inkling that the numbers weren't adding up when I left Combe Martin and saw a signpost saying 'Ilfracombe 6 miles', but since the signs often seem to give the distance as the crow flies rather than the wriggly sea-hugging route, decided to ignore it. But then I reached Hele within 70 minutes of setting out and realised that unless I'd miraculously become Paula Radcliffe I hadn't covered as much ground as I should have, and when I recalled how close to the end Hele Bay had looked on the map I knew for sure things weren't going to plan.

Still, every mile counts and today's run included some quality ones scenery-wise. The first part was very muddy terrain and steep hills with lots of long series of steps built into the cliffs, but in the middle of the run the ground levelled out slightly and there were some nice grassy fields to bounce through, scaring all the sheep, and a good straight path around some campsites (where some delightfully optimistic people were erecting tents, not sure if they knew about the storms forecast for the South West this evening...). I got momentarily lost in the harbour around Watermouth and had to ask a man (who may well have been the Harbour Master- I've no idea what such a person should look like, but he was standing outside the Harbour Master's hut and had a grey beard...) for directions, and then the rest of the route was plain sailing.

Ilfracombe was quiet and grey-looking, huddled under a cloud of drizzle, but despite the off-season gloom and the town's premature arrival on my horizon, actually provided a very welcome sight, like a friend who makes you smile even when you've had a bad day. It has a slightly mystical charm that seems to belong back in the days of old (as Van Morrison might say) and I was satisfied to finish the run there because it felt like a significant spot on this journey.

Route week 3:

Started in Combe Martin High Street- up to Challacombe- Little Hangman- back to Combe Martin Bay- Watermouth Castle- Widmouth Head- Rillage Point- Hele Bay- Beacon Point- Ilfracombe. 8.5 miles in total, approx 7 on Coast Path.

Distance on Coast Path:

22 miles to date.

Map:

Pictures from week 2

Lots of opportunities for weather photos


Comprehensive signposting on the Coast Path..

Steeps hills to Martinhoe

The end point


So muddy! Should not have worn trousers, they weighed a tonne.

Coast challenge update week 2

Accomplished the second stage of my Coast Path mission this morning and am typing this while the mud is still wet on my abused trainers. Today I ran a point-to-point route instead of having to loop back to get the car so managed to clock up a decent number of miles which looks like a satisfying wedge on the map and has left me feeling extremely positive about the challenge, which is good because I know have my sponsorship page set up on Just Giving and have started collecting money so there is no turning back now! My sponsorship page can be found here.

Today the weather was great, which also helped me enjoy the run and made for some pretty photo opportunities. In fact, it was easy to get too carried away with taking pictures and I had to make myself stop because the view was getting better with every turn and I was spending more time getting my phone out than actually running. For the most part the Coast Path clung to the cliffs in this section, making it much easier to follow because as long as the sea was on my right hand side I was going the right way! The first part was particularly gorgeous, leading up to the Valley of Rocks and Mother Meldrum's Cave and other romantically named beauty spots, and inhabited by baby wild goats and sweet Exmoor ponies. In fact I didn't see another human from leaving Lynton until I passed a lone farmer with his dogs at Heddon's Mouth. It was blissful!

The biggest challenge this time was not losing the path or negotiating the hills, but the amount of mud when I had to cross the moors in the National Trust section of the path near the end. It was so slippery that I kept sliding and almost going head first into the black mud and had to take the hills extremely cautiously to avoid ending up on my butt. My trainers quickly became soaked through and never got the chance to dry out, and my trousers became heavy with mud. It was interesting how the colours of the scenery changed so much in this part, with the deep black earth and straw yellow bracken lining the hills instead of the reddy-brown woodland along previous parts of the route. It made the sea look less blue and more grey, threatening. There was still snow on some parts of Exmoor too, which didn't help the slipperyness but did make it more interesting. The miles pass really quickly when you are having to focus on where you are treading and maintaining your balance, so that's another good thing about doing scenic runs rather than just pounding the pavements around town. Guess I'm already looking forward to running the next part!


Route week 2:

Dropped off in Lynton- Watersway- Valley of Rocks- Lee Bay- Woody Bay- Martinhoe- Heddon's Mouth- Trentishoe- Holdstone Down (National Trust park)- Stony Corner (Combe Martin) to be picked up again. 12.5 miles in total.

Distance on Coast Path:

15 miles to date.

Map:

Pictures from first week of coast challenge

Looking towards Lynton and Lynmouth from Foreland.













Me on route!

















Start and finish point at Watersmeet on Exmoor.

Coasting to the Lakes challenge!

Last year I wrote on here about running several sections of the South West Coast Path during my training for the London Marathon, and how it would be quite an achievement to run the whole distance of the path through North Devon before I leave this beautiful part of the world. Well, I did some research and discovered it would actually be a BIG challenge, with steep hills like you wouldn't believe and difficult terrain, not to mention biting coastal winds, and the elusive nature of the paths themselves on google maps... I swiftly put the idea to rest, but didn't completely forget about it and sometimes found myself returning to the Coast Path and daydreaming about how far I could follow it. Well now I have resurrected this ambition with a new goal: to complete the challenge this year in my training for the Lake Windermere Marathon and do it all to raise money for Brathay, the marathon's organising charity. The marathon is billed as the UK's most scenic marathon, so it seems fitting to attempt what is possibly the UK's most scenic training program on my journey getting there! More details on Brathay and how you can sponsor me will be forthcoming.

For now, the plan; my aim is to run the length of the path from the Foreland on the edge of Exmoor, all the way along Devon's coastline to Bude in Cornwall. The total distance is over 150 miles, but will be broken up into sections ranging from 5 to 20 miles to allow me to complete the entire length over the next 14 weeks of training. In theory anyway! Looking at the complete distance it seems a bit daunting, and I will welcome any assistance, support, or company if anyone fancies joining me for part (or all!) of this mega run. Hello, anyone?!

I'll try to record my progress on here using maps and as many photos as I can take whilst running (so they may be rather blurry!). This weekend I attempted the first part, really to assess the feasibility of the project more than anything, but after successfully navigating the Coast Path between Barna Barrow and Lynmouth on this sunny Valentine's day, and feeling inspired all over again by the dramatic views and sheer spectacle of the path, I feel ready to face up to the challenge and officially declare my crazy scheme started!


South West Coast Path Week 1
Route so far:

Foreland Point - Wind Hill- Point Perilous (just love that name!)- Lynmouth/Lynton Cliff Railway- Watersmeet (had to double-back at end to where I'd parked the car). 8 miles in total.

Distance on Coast Path:

4 miles, Foreland to Lynmouth. It was a shame I had to double-back so couldn't do more of the actual route, but hopefully as the weeks go on I'll be able to do more point-to-point runs and make more of a dent in all those miles. Only 149 to go!

Map:

Running in circles

I got lost today, trying to follow a 10 mile route which on the map looked like a straightforward loop on minor roads outside my town. I feel like a bit of a failure as a Running Explorer- particularly since I also got lost yesterday, when a wrong turn into an unfamiliar housing estate meant scrambling down a bramble-covered bank onto a main road so that I could get my bearings again.

It's been eighteen months since we moved to Barnstaple, and I thought I was getting to know the surrounding area pretty well. I worked out recently that I've clocked up over 1300 miles of running around North Devon but this weekend my sense of direction has gone totally AWOL.

OK, it's hardly a big deal becoming disorientated in the passive British countryside; on both days the most awkward outcome has been that I've found myself emerging somewhere in town unexpectedly soon and had to add on a few circles round the block to make up my required mileage for the run, but the experience is disconcerting. Today when I emerged blinking at a busy local roundabout I was disappointed that my scenic run had been cut short and that the choices left open to me were retracing my steps, risking going further astray and repeating the unpleasant hills I'd just so proudly conquered, or admitting defeat and following the boring main road for the second time in two days, but the worst thing was that I couldn't work out where I'd gone wrong. I felt like the earth must have shifted underneath me, so sure had I been that I was taking all the available left turns which should have led me to the east side of my starting point, not the roundabout in the west... It was all too confusing for a tired body and Sunday-morning brain to figure out.

So I made the dull choice and did the circles to make up for it, and pored over the maps again as soon as I got home. But then, as soon as I saw the route on the page I realised what had happened and had that satisfying epiphany as the flat lines merged with the pictures of the reality in my head, and I was reminded of what being a Running Explorer is all about. I remembered how getting lost can actually be fun, and realised I hadn't been getting lost often enough lately. Maybe I have become complacent in thinking I knew this area well enough to have discovered some brilliant running routes, and was happy to keep repeating them without seeking out new territories. Perhaps this has been the push I needed to get out of this rut and put my expedition hat back on. Next week, somewhere new....