Mother and daughter duo walk a whopping 296 miles for charity!
Gail Ward and Anne Pemberton walk the coast of Cornwall raising money for various charities, including an incredible four hundred and ten pounds Positive Bones.
They tackled the walk in bite-size pieces, week-by-week, starting on the Devon/Cornwall border just north of Bude and gradually working their way round to Plymouth on the south coast. It was a tough walk with some challenging sections with the pair covering about 8-12 miles each walk but at the end Gail commented that upon flicking through the best of the pictures she truly realised how blessed they had been to have had the opportunity to make the journey together, and how lucky they are to live in such a special little corner of the world.
Gail shared the details of their final walk in a social media post:
What a beautiful September day for the final walk of this challenge. The sky was blue with a smattering of wispy cloud, there was still heat in the sun and yet the beginnings of an Autumn crispness in the air. Perfect walking weather. We set off from the car park leaving Kim to enjoy his coffee and Sunday paper with a panoramic view over Whitsand Bay.
It was a gentle stroll to Rame Head, which is topped by a tiny chapel where medieval monks kept a light burning to warn sailors of the rocks beneath. A short rocky climb brings you to the top and you are rewarded with a fabulous far-reaching view of the coast in both directions. We had the place to ourselves and felt very much drawn to perch and linger.
After Rame came the quaint coastal villages of Cawsand and Kingsand with the hustle and bustle of September visitors enjoying the beach and the sea and the little cafes on the seafront. By now the walk was largely through woodland with glimpses of the estuary through the leafy trees. We soon found ourselves within the boundaries of the Deer Park and then the gardens of Mount Edgcumbe, which extend over 7 acres and represent layers of gardening history from the 16th century to the modern day.
Kim (Gails husband) joined us for a leisurely picnic lunch on the beach at the bottom of the gardens, looking across the Sound to Drake’s Island, and Plymouth beyond. Just around the corner is Cremyll Quay, one of several gateways to Cornwall and the point that would mark the end of this year long challenge. It was just a short stroll through the Italian Garden and out of the Park Gates, and we were both oblivious to the greeting we were about to encounter. My brother, Bods, and his wife, Claire, had made the drive up to the border to applaud us to the finish and we were greeted by little Demelza holding two lovely bouquets of flowers. What a wonderful finish to a truly fulfilling challenge. We drank bubbles, ate chocolates and even Tash got to enjoy a congratulatory doggy chew! Thank you Bods, Claire and Demelza for orchestrating such a special welcome to the finish point.
An even bigger thank you goes to Kim for patiently driving us to and from sometimes obscure and remote points on the Cornish coast. We could not have accomplished this challenge without our faithful driver – thank you Kimbo – you're the best.
Finally we would like to thank all of our generous donors and supporters who have followed this 296 mile walk around the coast of our beautiful county. Thank you for your support, and hopefully we have inspired you to explore some of the many creeks, coves, beaches, hamlets and villages that we have passed through on what have been 33 glorious and very memorable walks.
What an incredible achievement for them both, a huge thanks from Positive Bones for all the effort that went into completing and organising this challenge!
