Day 22 — Walking People Out of Poverty

September 1, 2015

Depart Worth Matravers | Arrive South Haven Point, Accommodations: SOUTH HAVEN POINT, JOURNEYS END!!

Distance: 24.3KM | Cumulative Distance: 528.9KM | Grade - Moderate

Ascent: 1,195 ft | Cumulative Ascent: 52,710 ft.

Cumulative Distance (both walks): 992.9 KM | Cumulative Ascent (both walks): 114,415 ft.

WE DID IT!!!!

Or as my good friend Steve Riggott is fond of saying, JD - Job done.

I had a wide range of emotions during the day, and a million thoughts racing through my head as I faced closure on what has been an amazing journey. I think what we have achieved, as a group, is simply incredible and before I give you a rundown of the day I think it only appropriate to hand out a few accolades to some very deserving people.

I would like to begin with the incredible team at The Downtown Sports Clinics because without their technical expertise and know how none of this would have happened. I was having major doubts about my ability to start the walk let alone finish it, but my fantastic physio, Carolyn Hiles, displayed a quiet confidence that all would be well on the big day and so it proved. So Carolyn, Julie, Siobhan, Cynthia, Sonia and Marla I send a huge bouquet of thanks for everything you have done.

Next I would like to acknowledge my 2nd sponsor, Icebreaker for providing the tee shirts and lightweight top, all of which got extensive wear. The Icebreaker product is made up of Merino Wool, and it is extremely hardy and durable. The neat thing about the product is that is comfortable to wear on hot days, but it really performs when the weather turns ugly, and a number of times I was soaked right through but remained warm thanks to the superior product that is Icebreaker. I cannot recommend this product enough if you are an avid outdoor enthusiast. So thank you Icebreaker and the Chinook team of Adelle, Steven and Larry for your support.

I would also like to say a huge thank you to Opportunity International's Andrew MacDonald who performed heroics in ensuring my blog was posted almost immediately I had completed it. We had a system that I thought worked very well and I would certainly have been lost with out Andrews support. It would be remiss if I didn't mention Opportunity's Jamie Hubrick who set the Blog up last year and which Andrew tweaked a little this year. Andrew was also instrumental in tracking all of the donations that came in this year so Andrew thank you for all of your help and dedication.

3 weeks ago, although it seems a lifetime away, I was ambushed in Coverack by Opportunity's CEO, President or whatever title Dale Patterson runs under, and his charming wife Joan. Ambushed may be a little strong, as I did have advance warning that they would be there. But I was truly honored that Dale and Joan would go out of there way, (they were en route to Santorini for their vacation), to go through the trouble of hiring a car to drive to a remote part of Cornwall to join me for a couple of days and then actually walk with me for a short while on the day the walk started. In my eyes this demonstrates great leadership and I believe Opportunities fortunes are only going to improve significantly under Dales leadership.

My good buddy Steve Riggott deserves a double mention, first for agreeing to meet me at Heathrow and driving me down to the start of the walk, and joining with Dale and Joan to see me off. Secondly, Steve surprised me when he and Helen stalked me just East of Seaton shortly after I had summited Golden Cap, the highest point on the South Coast of England. I then met Steve and Helen the following evening in Portland and they took me into Falmouth and brought me dinner. So if you don't mind Steve, (and I know you won't), I'm going to include Helen when I say thank you to you both, for all of the emotional support you provided, it was gratefully received and I look forward to seeing you both in Vegas in October.

Doris Olafsen is next up for a huge thank you, and everyone needs to know that Doris has been my biggest champion when making suggestions for fund raising. A few years ago I suggested we bring Immaculee Ilibagiza in to be a guest speaker at a Gala Dinner for Opportunity International, and through Doris's drive and determination we made it happen. When I had the idea to turn my vacation last year into a fund raiser Doris was all over it like a fat kid on a smartie, (thank you Fred Clemens for your contribution), and so was born Walking People out of Poverty. I don't think for one minute either of us would have expected that we would raise almost $230,000.00, (at last count I think we were like around $227k). It is worth pointing out that the poor, whom we serve at Opportunity International, could have no bigger supporter in their corner than Doris, who eats, breathes and sleeps what the organization is all about. It wouldn't be right if I didn't mention Jo-Anne Morris, who is the trusty PA to Doris, and who often gets over-looked but trust me when I say these ladies are dynamic together. Your emotional support is greatly appreciated and I want you to both know how much you mean to not only myself but also Liz, so thank you for being there for us both,

Today's blog was titled WE DID IT! and as mentioned previously I had a million thoughts running through my head today, and I kept coming back to all of you very special people who supported this cause with your well earned dollars. I knew, after last years success, when we raised $60,000.00, that we could get to $100,000.00, but then Calgary's economy took a nose dive and I was not as optimistic as I had been originally. But in typical fashion, all of you came through in spectacular fashion, and not only did we reach our goal but we burned down the building to the tune of about $167k, truly remarkable. Over the course of the walk, a number of people have stopped me and enquires about the charity, and they too have been amazed when I told them the number. You are all incredibly special people and on behalf of everyone at Opportunity International I want to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for supporting this amazing charity. We all enjoy a life that is rich and bountiful, but those in 3rd World Countries do not have the same luxuries purely because of where they are born. But today, through your donations, we are going to change the lives of a substantial number of people as they begin their journey to a better life. So please, pat yourselves on the back, take a bow and raise a glass to toast your achievements this evening, I know I did earlier.

Last but not least I wanted to save the best until last and thank my beloved Liz for everything she has given to me. She wasn't happy with me for undertaking this venture, especially after experiencing the path for one week last year, as she understands how lonely and dangerous it can be. There were many nights during the winter when Liz expressed her concerns, and each time I reassured her I would be careful, but truthfully all it takes is one mistake, especially in some of the situations I found myself. I know however that I could not have undertaken this endeavour without Liz providing her backing and support and she had done that in spades. It was incredibly reassuring to receive her emails of support each day, and her words of encouragement kept me going. Liz is a very special person, as those who know her will testify, and so I want to thank her for everything she had given to me in order for this walk to be the success it has become. So Lizzie thank you for all that you have given me, know that I love you dearly.

Now I guess I'd better get back to the business of the blog.

Before I start I should apologize for the wording towards the end of the blog and certainly around the pictures, but there is a reason behind it. After dinner I offered to take my wonderful hosts, David and Ann out to the pub, the famous, (well my friend Bruce thinks it is)! Square and Compass for a drink. I was rushing to get completed in time as we had set 8-30 pm as the time of departure, and there was also a young German guest, Christian, who was going to join us. Anyhow it was about 8-45 by the time I was finished so that's why there were errors. One example was a picture of my muddy boots and gaiters, which was titled "My boys and gaiters". Anyhow, sorry for the gaffe.

So we end up going to the pub, and there were no tables but a fellow who looked to be in his early 60's was occupying a table for 6 so Ann asked if we could him and he was more than happy for us to do so. Anyhow we are sitting there sharing all manner of stories, mainly to do with travel, and of course Mrs. Whitehouse, who I mentioned in an earlier blog, came up along with several others, but David and Ann had a couple from running their B&B and the lone fellow was having a whale of a time listening to all of the funny stories that were going round. Christian, the young German fellow, had probably the best story though as he was telling us about his grandfather. During the 2nd World War, he was stationed in Jersey and was involved in fortifying the island, which would not have been a bad posting as the Channel Islands had no military value to England at all. Anyhow Christian is the only member of his family with any interest in finding out more and consequently is on a mission. Apparently he's had some success and is heading over to Jersey tomorrow for a few days, where he is meeting up with friends he has made on the island during the last few years. We finally decided to call it a night and left the guy, who let us sit with him, with a number of stories he can use if he wants.

I slept much better and after packing my bag I was in bed by about 11pm. I slept really well, apart from two bathroom breaks, it's amazing what all the water intake has on the body, and I awoke at 6 totally refreshed. I then rolled over and the next time I looked at my watch it was 7-10am. It was time to roll as this was my last day, and so I grabbed my gear and got into the bathroom ahead of Christian, as it was a shared arrangement, and washed and cleaned my teeth and then went and finished my packing. When I got down to breakfast there was a card which was from David and Ann which had a picture of the signpost at the start of the walk, and inside was a picture of the sign that I would be seeing today, and which was signed by both David and Ann. They really were terrific hosts and very interesting to talk to because of their travels. Ann is from Hong Kong, and she and David met at an amateur photography class when David was living and working in Hong Kong, David and Ann both "got" what Walking People out of Poverty was all about and donated dinner for one of my two nights, plus they provided me with a packed lunch for both days which was incredibly kind of them. What's interesting, and this is something I shared with David and Ann, is that it's my experience that it is always preferable to stay in a B&B, over a hotel, as B&B owners are more in tune with a walkers needs than a hotel is, plus they devote more time to you. I will certainly be giving Chiltern Lodge a glowing report on Tripadvisor this weekend.

Anyhow, I finally got away at about 8-25am, (wishing I was back there this evening), and set off to retrace my steps from yesterday to remain faithful to the trail, and was not looking forward to the first 20-30 minutes because it meant going back to the muddy morass, but at least I didn't have to go back to the crazy ravine. The first climb of the day, no matter how big or small, is always tough and I faced one now but once up it I was floored by the views. I should add that the weather this morning was incredible, blue skies and sunshine which bode well for a great last day. I was now standing looking across and down on the large flight of stairs I descended before getting bamboozled by the signing for Hill Bottom. I'd mentioned this to David and he agreed that the signage was poor in that area but he would talk to the folks responsible to get them to do something about it.

Shortly after I came to Chapmans Pool which in reality is not a pool but a Bay, and a rather beautiful one at that. I was now on top of the cliffs and had a wonderful view back to where I had travelled yesterday, and how I wish we could have had this weather 24 hours ago. However, as someone correctly pointed out, if you don't get bad days you won't appreciate good ones. How true. A little further on was a memorial garden to Marines who had lost their lives between 1945 and 1990, and it was a tremendously peaceful and reflective spot and I wish my I-pad had not chosen that particular time to act up.

I was now walking along the cliff top and it was epic! I was heading for St. Albums Head when I stopped in my tracks as I looking across at a mammoth flight of stairs leading up, which meant there was another equally mammoth set going down. I stopped to check my gaiters were zipped and fastened, took out the camera and snapped a couple of shots of the stairs and then set off down to the bottom. How I kicked myself half way down as going up I counted 217! At the top I took a well drink of my power drink and then set off. The walking was exhilarating, which matched the weather and I was able to get several neat photos along the way. I had been shaken by all of the stairs, and by that I mean in my head I thought the last day would be like the Tour de France, whereas the leader is automatically given a "free ride" as the race was already run and won. The reason I felt this was because several people had said the last days easy, which obviously it wasn't, so I shelved all thoughts of an easy day and got my mind back into the game. This still didn't stop me having a million thoughts running through my head. What was really funny was I came to a sign, about 90 minutes into the walk, after descending a cliff that had an arrow pointing inland that said Worth Matravers 1 mile. If I'd known that I would have walked to this point last night and my day would have been so much shorter. Christian, who had left after me had gotten in front of me, because his path was a quicker route than mine because he wasn't as committed to the trail as I, plus he was only going as far as Studland, whereas I had a good 5-6 miles further to go. I passed Christian having a break, but eventually caught up to him just after Durlston a Castle where I had stopped for a coffee (which was rubbish) and the Dessert of the Week, which was a Chocolate Gateaux and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. It was very tasty. The area around Durlston Castle was very interesting and dedicated to the sciences, with data on all of the planets and how big they are in comparison to the Sun for example.

Upon leaving the coffee shop I caught up to Christian and we walked together for the next 40 minutes or so where we arrived into Swanage. We dutifully followed the trail into town and who did we bump into but Ann, and I'm not sure who was more surprised. We decided we must have coffee and went to a place that Bruce had suggested and into Brooks Coffee Shop we went. Truth be told the coffee was certainly better than the previous one but nothing compares to the Gallery Cafe in Portland, after 20 minutes or so I had to take my leave and left Ann and Christian enjoying a 2nd cup of tea and set off for Old Harry (a famous rock in the area) which was 3 miles away. The trail took me along the beach and just before the end it took me up a road, through a residential area before spitting me out onto something more resembling of the path. The walking was good now, and the clinging mud of this morning was no longer evident, and I was so glad to have left the dreadful 1 1/2 mile stretch that I encountered just before Durlston.

The path led me up to the cliff top before freeing me onto the grassy descent known as Ballard Down which leads on a gentle downhill slope to Old Harry, where I turned left to go across to the beach at Studland. The path led behind and then through some beach huts where I was faced with a choice of walking the beach or traveling through the sand dunes and I opted for the latter. The trail through the dunes can be very difficult to follow so I opted to go along the dunes but close to the beach but eventually came to regret the decision as the furthest end of the beach is used by Nudists. Some of the sights were not pretty, and after a few minutes I decided to head inland to find the dune trail and shortly after that get out of the dunes altogether to find the road as I only had about 1/2 mile left to the finish. I was joined shortly thereafter bya cyclist who had been out for a 4 hour ride but 1 1/2 hours into it suffered a puncture, and a second one shortly thereafter. Timing is everything because I used him to take my picture before a mad scramble to get onto the ferry which was close to leaving. After 330miles I was still not finished and had a fifty yard sprint to get on the ferry as they were locking the gates, followed by another 50 yard sprint to get the bus.

On reflection the walk is as advertised on the website, it's the adventure of a lifetime and I'm so glad I undertook the quest, and that you were able to come along for the ride. There were some days when I would have loved to have you sitting on my shoulders to witness what I was experiencing. The good days and the bad, the sights and sounds. The food that Dale and Joan witnessed. There are so many things I wish you could have shared with me. It would have been so much fun to have had you along.

I'm now getting ready to return home and if truth be known I'm ready. I've missed Liz and my son Kristian and his family, but I'm going to miss the challenge that this great South West Coast Path throws at you day after day. I'm also going to miss some of the great people I met along the way, as they truly made it a memorable experience with their kindness, generosity and appreciation for what we were trying to achieve with this walk.

If someone asked me if I would do the walk again, I'd tell them I'd do it in a heartbeat without a seconds hesitation, but it would be fun to do it with a group of people and who knows we could maybe raise a million dollars. Here you go Doris, another idea for you!

In closing I do want to thank you all again for your support both monetarily and emotionally. T'is a great thing we have accomplished together. Now for some photos and then I can go to bed. It's now past midnight!

David and Ann, my charming hosts in Worth Matravers.

The above two pictures are of the Square and Compass Pub in Worth Matravers.

Duck Pond at Worth Matravers.

The owners of the Square and Compass have built a replica of Stonehenge out of wood but apparently the Parish Council are not amused and it's due to be demolished shortly.