Big Walk Leg 2
Big Walk to Little Schools Leg 2
Mawgan Porth to Bude, Cornwall c.65 miles
“It was an absolute pleasure to welcome you to our school. The children were fully engaged and left buzzing with enthusiasm and curiosity after your sessions. Your passion for our planet and the stories you tell truly left a lasting impact”
Setting off where I left off in Mawgan Porth in hot sun… back on the stunning South West Coast Path via the YHA in Treyarnon Bay, Padstow (stopping by the lovely Padstow Bookseller supplying my books to schools) and the Camel Trail (great to cycle if you like a flat path but dull to walk…) to Wadebridge. And then inland for the first time, following the End to End Trail (Hiiker) north to Port Isaac and on to Tintagel. I will follow the End to End path all the way to Scotland.
My first event was in Wadebridge Library with classes from St Breock School, organised by Andrew Varker of Cornwall Libraries, who has so efficiently set up all of my events so far - and took a surprising lead in drawing pink river dolphins! I shared WATER: Protect freshwater to save life on Earth which sparked a lively hour of conversation about wildlife that children watched in wonder from their coast to biodiversity in the Amazon and origins of the first water on Earth. A quick lunch before driving on to answer questions in an assembly at St Minver School nearby. Andrew kindly dropped me back to the trail at Tintagel and I set off to walk to Crackington Haven… that was a challenge and a long day!
Two events in Bude Library the next day with Bude Juniors before heading backwards (not literally, but the logistics of this venture are beyond endless explanation here…) towards Crackington Haven keeping the sea on my right for a change! Anyway, section completed and back to Bude on my final day for a lovely assembly with different year groups and the school therapy Labrador at Bude Primary Academy Juniors. Felt so welcome and met with such enthusiasm, interest and questions about nature stories and the children’s own wild experiences in nature that they loved. From celebrating sleet rain (I loved that!) to swimming with seals, spotting dolphins and most recently watching the rare Cornish sighting of a humpback whale, they shared their loves of a wild life.
Walking into Crackington Haven from Tintagel, Cornwall