Greetings from Porthallow

Hello Everyone,

Apologies again for the lack of blogs since the last. I am officially a complete arse when it comes to blogging!!

Well....

I'm at Porthallow and officially half-way the South West Coast Path!! So, I've done 315 miles... phew! Time for a minor celebration me thinks. Although overall it was great approaching and going round Lands End, I did have some mixed feelings. Some of the coastline from Cape Cornwall to Porthcurno was the best yet. But, Lands End as a place was a bit of a disappointment. I also felt like I was going to miss the North Coast. Through all the many ups and downs I had experienced (mainly ups I must say), I felt very attached to the North Coast, rugged high cliffs, the Atlantic swell, the beautiful coves and the people I met. I had my photo taken with Little George though, although someone at the time did think that Little George looked like a girl!!

It was great to hook-up with Neil & Anna Osborne and young Thomas & Emma at St.Ives. We all had lunch and ice-cream but Anna & I had ours stolen for our grasp by swooping seagulls! I've never experienced 'attacking' seagulls before. They are really very canny and I've got to say highly skilled... albeit also quite aggressive. Next time though.....!

I'm off to Falmouth tomorrow. It's quite a long hop but looking forward to it. Still hoping to see some basking sharks.

Thanks again for the communications and encouragement. Some are really funny and make me laugh a lot. Keep them coming please.

Take care and have a good day. Will post again soon.

Cheers

George

Bring it On!!! The challenge starts now!

Hi Everyone,

Just a short update from the depths of North Cornwall. I'm currently at Pendeen about to go around Lands End! I started this morning here.

Two weeks ago it seemed such a long way away but it's arrived so quickly. I'm really excited about turning the corner. The walk since my last blog has been great. I've come all the way from Portreath to here. The coastline has been some of the most gorgeous yet, the cliffs are really rugged. The wind has been pretty strong which had whipped up a good swell in the Atlantic.
The waves on the coastline had looked spectacular. It must be great to see in the winter.

Thanks again for all the support and encouragement. Well.....Lands End here I come!!

Will post soon, take care all

George
:-)

George is now officially undertaking his walk in the hope of raising funds for the AECC - he's already achieved almost 50% of his sponsorship goal. Have you sponsored him yet? Just visit www.justgiving.com/georgerix to sponsor him online safely, quickly and securely.

Onwards and Upwards - From Port Isaac to Padstow

Hi Everyone,

I'm walking again today which is a great relief. The blister is doing OK so no time to lose. Will miss the folks I met at Port Isaac though - they were so friendly and helpful. The hotel owner used to be the drummer & lyricist for Dexy's Midnight runners - ahh......good ol' 80's music! Brings back lots of great memories! He was really interesting to talk to - really nice fella.

Walked from Port Isaac to Padstow with Maria Browning today - it was to great to have such good company. We made great time & the weather was gorgeous - got the legs out today as well! - didn't frighten any wildlife with them which was good! Some of the coves today were the best I've seen yet - the water was really clear & looked so inviting. I was so tempted to dip in.

Padstow was packed when I arrived. Had some Rick Stein take away fish & chips, they were fab, chips were genuinely the best I've ever had.

Thanks to all for the texts, e-mails & other messages of support - really love getting them so much. Had some from people I've met along the way which is great. Some from Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Norway & Sweden!

Next stop is Mawgan Porth. It's about 18 miles but not a hard leg in terms of hills and valleys. Jen Julian & her Mum are joining me for part of the leg - looking forward to meeting up with them.

Well.....Have a good day all. Will post again soon:-)

Remember: George is walking all this way in the hope he will raise £10,000 to undertake important neurological research at the AECC. The research will hopefully help to shape and develop chiroopractic knowledge in this area, so it would make a massive difference to George and to the chiropractic profession if you were to sponsor him.

You can sponsor George quickly and easily online by visiting www.justgiving.com/georgerix so please please please show him your support! Remember, every little bit helps, so any pennies you can find will really help George and his quest!

Thank You.

Resting in Port Isaac - Poorly Foot!!!

Hi Again Everyone,

Really sorry it's been a while since I updated my blog. I don't have a good excuse so please don't ask me to come up with a bad one!! Joking apart, I've been on such a steep learning curve since starting, had to manage a few foot problems that have slowed me down a wee bit & it's taken me a while to 'settle-in' to things. (see my Blister!!) Anyway....poor excuses aside, I'd really like to thank everyone for their sponsorship & continued support & encouragement. I've been quite overwhelmed by this & it has really made the experience so much more special - so thank you.

I'm currently at Port Isaac, resting my rather problematic large blister on ball of my foot. I'm actually staying at a small hotel (The Bay Hotel) where they filmed a small part of the Doc Martin TV series.

To pass the time, I've started to read the Bill Bryson book, 'Notes from a Small Island'. Writing a blog after reading his really humorous & observant travel tales is pretty daunting!! One thing, I do share with him is a birthday on 8th Dec!

I've had so many great, new and challenging experiences since starting my journey. One thing about travelling alone is that you meet and talk to so many people. I've met such a range of interesting and funny characters. The degree of friendship & generosity shown has been incredible. I've had some marvellous & sometimes quite intense dips into their communities & lives, something I don't think I could have experienced travelling any other way. Several of the people I've met now keep in touch via texts & e-mail!! I've also collected £80 along the way from folks, literally people who have stopped to talk on the path - they love mini George too!

The coastline has been amazing to see. There's been a clear change between Devon and Cornwall. But it also changes from each time you to round a headland or even down and up a valley. Although, I have quite a few miles to cover each day, I really try & live in the moment & absorb what is around me. Three days ago I met two wildlife enthusiasts on a cliff top just before Fire Beacon Point, between Boscastle & Tintagel.

These ol' boys were fabulous. I told them that I hadn't seen any seals yet & they calmy pointed out that there were some on the rocks below!!
I couldn't see them at all with the naked eye so one of the fellas set up his telescope and let me look. There were three seals with pups just basking on the rocks and occasionally playing. He then told me that this was a common place to see Peregrine falcons & promptly focused his telescope on a cliff ledge. "There you go" he said, it was falcon perched on ledge seemingly passing the time. This experience just made my day.

I've done 153 miles now of the 630 total. I'm a little behind schedule but will make it up!

For me, this has been an amazing physical & indeed mental & emotional challenge so far. At times I've had to dig deep, particularly on the real up & down parts when it's been really windy & wet & when I've been tired & had a lot pain from the foot problems.

You find out a lot about yourself - and realise how important your support is! One quote that really helped me was passed on by Aaron Coode - it's from Lance Armstrong "Pain is temporary, it may last a minute, an hour, a day or even a year but eventually it will subside & something else will take it's place. If I quit, however, it lasts for ever".

Well...I'll sign off now. I will try to update each day from now on.

Don't forget if you want to you can keep in touch using facebook www.facebook.com/drgeorgerix or using on this blogsite or by google mail rixbigramble@googlemail.com - I'd love to hear from you.

Take care all :-)

George

My First Weekend A Rambling - 21miles down!

Hello!

I'm now 3 days into my training, and boy I realise now I need it! I knew my ramble would be hard work, but never thought it would be THIS much hard work! There is also a distint lack of mobile phone coverage along the path, so I'm sorry if I don't keep you as informed as I want to!

I have now walked from Minehead, via Porlock Weir and am currently having a rest stop in Lynmouth! I've walked just over 21 miles in total now.

Yesterday was VERY hard work! I walked from Porlock Weir to Lynmouth (12.3 miles/19.8km) It took me 9 hours and I didn't see a soul the entire time I was walking! The rain was relentless, and I was soaking for the entire leg! Each corner I turned there seemed to be another hill, each one bigger than the last, and it was really difficult to keep going and maintain any levels of motivation!

It was the first time I'd walked with the full weight of my bag on my back, and obviously with that being wet too it made it even more difficult! I didn't realise just how heavy all my stuff would be.

Other than the rain though everything is going well so far! My legs are now aching and I seemed to have hurt my achillies tendon this morning, but it's nothing too serious at the moment. Having said that, does anyone know any chiropractors close to me that could possibly come to help me out if necessary?!

I hope I reach that £10,000 target - that might help this be a lot more worthwhile! If you feel sorry for me, please sponsor me - www.justgiving.com/georgerix

Thank you!!

If you want to see where I am on my map, just visit here: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=102404412113164124273.00046f3940148620ec4d4&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=9 I'll try to update my location daily.

Tomorrow I'll be walking from Lynmouth to Ilfracombe which is another 18miles (30km!) I'm not sure I'll make it that far! I might have to pitch my tent along the way to rest for a bit!

Thanks in advance for all you sponsorship/encouragement! It looks as though I'm really going to need it!

George :-)

Welcome to Rix's Rambling On...

It's only 3 days now until I leave for the unofficial start of my summer ramble! To warm up for my 620km walk from Land's End to Parkwood Road, I have decided to start at Minhead and do the ENTIRE South West Coast Path.

This was a challenge I couldn't stay away from, I felt I had the opportunity to undertake the walk, and I should sieze that with both hands!

I hope the weather isn't torrential rain for the next 8 weeks though! I'll be walking along some of the most stunning coastline in the UK, so good weather will be a real bonus!

As you're all hopefully aware, I am doing the walk in the hope of raising money for chiropractic related clinical research in the field of neurology and clinical neuroscience. I want to undertake the research at the AECC and really try to help move this area of the profession forwards. We want the research to be taken seriously, and with your help towards the funding, I am sure it will be!

Remember - visit www.justgiving.com/georgerix to sponsor me online.

I'm actually doing this now... no time left to get nervous! All the preparation and hard work will hopefully make sure I achieve this challenge completely in-tact!

Thanks in advance for all your donations and support!