Having too much fun to notice the rain

It's been a few months since I saw my Aunty Molly, Gran Deme and Great Gran Spice, so being a bank holiday, we all got together for a wonderful woodland walk.  The walk was new to me but Molly (who is my favourite playmate) showed me where all the best places were to explore. 

Molly and I searching for sticks

The woods start at Treslothan Church (near Troon) and run in the direction of Camborne.  These feel like secret woods as they're quite tucked away, making them all the more special.  Being May, the woods were deep in bluebells, wild garlic, whitebells and the trees were lime green with new leaves.  There's a steam meandering through the trees to make this woodland all the more fun. 

Where's Wolly?? Can you see me??

 Of course I was the muddiest first, but it didn't matter because Molly and I were before long splashing in and out of the stream.  Molly searches for sticks in the water and on the river bank, she picks up the best ones, while I wait patiently for her to drop them.  I then swoop in and run off while she chases me. 



Apparently it was raining heavily while we were having our walk but I didn't notice.  I think Great Gran Spice was struggling a little in the rain, taking just a little longer to catch us up than usual.  Great Gran and I have a special bond though as she looked after me when my mum died when I was just a few days old.  My posh show name is 'Santandore Spice's Samson' in her honour.  She's a legend. 

In a few weeks I'm off on my holidays to stay with Molly, Deme and Spice and can't wait for all the adventures we'll have together. 

Great Gran Spice (left) Aunty Molly (back centre) Gran Deme (front centre) Me (right)

Rosemullion - Where bluebell covered hills meet the sea

Walk Length: 30 minutes

Muddy Rating: Winter - Moderate/Summer-Not Very

This extremely pretty circular walk is best in summer on a sunny day, but can also be a dramatic coastal walk in winter.

To start this walk we always park on the church side of the tiny hamlet of Mawnan.  The footpath is down a track beside the last house in the hamlet (church side) and will bring you in a large loop back up past Mawnan Church.  Although it doesn't matter much to me, mum and dad prefer to start the walk from the Mawnan end rather than the church end because of the VERY steep hill. 


The footpath quickly opens up into a field.  Today there were lots of cows but too far away for me to have to go on my lead.  I could charge about to my hearts content.  I love to run really fast down the steep hill towards the sea, and sometimes have a little difficulty stopping.  Mum and Dad take ages walking carefully down the hill so I run up and down, up and down, and get very tired!!

Taking the footpath at the bottom right of the field, you can follow the South West Coast Path towards Mawnan Church.  The path in spring and summer is always full of colour from the wildflowers.  Today the bluebells stretched down the hill to the turquoise sea below, and the hedgerows were full of pink, blue and white. 

 

Once the path enters the wooded area, there is a steep incline and steps up towards the church.  Mawnan Church is pretty and worth a look if you have time.   Follow the road and it brings you back to your starting point. 



This is such a pretty area and there are lots of coves where dogs are allowed and pretty view points to have a picnic on a nice day.



Running with Dad

Dad is something of a sporadic runner.  Sometimes he goes out twice a week, and sometimes he goes out every two months.  When I'm really lucky I get to go running with Dad.  I think he likes me tagging along as it means when I stop to sniff he can stop and catch his breath. 

 

 

Over the past few weeks we've had some lovely weather so Dad and I have been doing what we call 'the circuit' close to our home.  It's mostly off road through fields and down tracks and due to the recent sunshine, all the beautiful flowers have sprung in to bloom. 

 

 



The sweetest smelling daffodils are in full bloom, the blue bells are carpeting the hedgerows and woodlands, and the bees are buzzing in the hawthorn blossom.


There's only one draw back from all this sunshine.....no MUD. Dad and I would usually come home from our run covered in mud but even that has finally dried up.  Oh well - just means I'll need to get dad and mum to take me to the river or sea more often!!

My feline friend

Now I know this is supposed to be a blog about me and my muddy adventures but I just wanted to take a moment to write about my feline friend. 

I've shared my youth and my home with a crazy cat called Leo.  Leo and I have always got on well, despite the fact that he does bully me from time to time and I have to run and hide behind mum for protection. 

In recent weeks, Leo, who's always been a cat of extremes (check out his aerial walking) has this week taken on the extreme sleep spot challenge.  Like most cats, he manages to get shut in the cupboard under the stairs from time to time, or perhaps shut in the toy chest by mistake.  However, it's now at a whole new extreme level!  Extremely odd that is!!

Leo has this week been found sleeping in the bottom of the firewood basket.........



















In the baby carrier backpack.......

 

And in the pushchair........

 

 



The pushchair is especially brave as mum goes mad if there's cat hair anywhere near the little person's things, so to actually get in and release an infinite number of hairs onto the pushchair takes a braver animal than me!!

I do love that crazy cat though! 

Finally it's swimming weather!!

It's been COLD forever!  There's been snow, ice and freezing winds and even I have been trying to stay dry and warm. It is for this reason I've not written my blog for some weeks

This time last year I'd been diving through fields ablaze with daffodils and digging in woods filled with bluebells, revelling in the sunshine.  However, so far this year I've not seen a single bluebell and the daffodils don't know if they're coming or going.

Finally though it seems the thaw has come and I can finally get back to what it is I enjoy best of all.....getting wet and muddy. 

We went down to one of my favourite spots at Loe Pool and despite an angry swan trying to chase me off, nothing was going to stop me swimming for sticks and bounding up and down in the shallows. 

It was so lovely to finally be warm enough to swim again.  Of course this now means that mum and dad have to put up with the smell of wet dog a lot more often, especially as at this time of year it can take me almost all day to dry off. Oh well!!

Fantastic views and a neolithic hut

Walk Length: 30 minutes
Muddy Rating: Not Very/moderate

We've been out Geocaching again and it's introduced us to a new walk.  Located between Laity, Wendron and Hendra, (OS reference SW692309) this walk centres around a monument marked on the Ordnance Survey map as Beacon Hut.  This ancient structure is thought to be either a ruined beehive hut or a neolithic chambered cairn.

     I tried to do some archaeological excavation to discover the truth about the hut by digging a big hole but unfortunately I failed to solve the mystery.  However, we did manage to find one of the three caches to be found on this walk.

 

The walk starts at the mast near beacon hut and takes you on a circular route though a series of fields before returning along a quiet lane to the starting place.  If you are geocaching there are lots to be found along the way, however, the views alone are worth the walk here, taking in much of the south coast from Porthleven to Falmouth.



Our first treasure hunting adventure

Have you ever heard of Geocaching?? Well today mum and I had our first Geocaching experience with great excitement!!

Mums friend, who's a children's book editor and knows about all sorts of weird and wonderful things, told her about the fun that can be had with Geocaching.  For those not in the know, it's a treasure hunt.  All over the world there are these little hidden packages called caches, which can be found using GPS and a few clues left by the person who deposited the cache.  Items inside the cache can be taken home, as long as you leave something of equil or greater value in its place. The clues and GPS coordinates can both be found on the Geocaching website and you can log when you too have found a cache.  Have a look at their website for more info. http://www.geocaching.com/

Anything that gets people outdoors and exploring their countryside is great in my opinion.  And of course us dogs can come too on all the treasure hunts. 

Mum and I looked up what caches were in our local area and to our surprise there are LOTS.  This means we have lots of new adventures to go on, which is so exciting. 

Today we went to one of our regular walking spots down at Porkellis Moor. It's crazy to think I've sniffed all around the moor and explored every nook and cranny, and there hiding amongst the mining remains for the past few years has been a cache with treasure inside.  Mum carefully pieced together clues and I helped by rushing around and digging holes in case it was buried. It didn't take long and mum found the cache.  I enjoyed opening the cache and sniffing what was inside.  There was a comedy sausage toy but I wasn't allowed it.  The little log book showed lots of people had also found the cache, the most recent only three days previously. 

Mum and I are now Geocaching fans and we shall be going on lots of treasure hunts in the future!! It's a great way to explore our local area and take us to places we may never have gone to before. 

Putting our best paw forward for Cystic Fibrosis Trust

We were blessed with a beautiful (cold) sunny Cornish day for my muddy walk for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.  Over thirty people and more than a dozen dogs joined me to walk the short circuit around the River Cober in Helston and together we raised nearly £300. 

Lots of my family joined us for the walk. Even my Great Gran Spice came along but didn't lower herself to the mischief us youngsters got up to in the bogs.  All of us dogs had a great walk and we all got along beautifully.  Perhaps we'll have to get together for another charity walk soon!

 

 

I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who joined me for my muddy walk and for helping raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.  I'd also like to say a big thank you to my buddies Rocco and Archie for bringing their mum who was the inspiration for today's walk.  Mum, Dad and I are keeping fingers and paws crossed that you have your lung transplant soon and we offer you and your family our support whenever you need it.  Which reminds me folks - please please please, if you're in the UK and you've not already done so, please sign up to the organ donation register www.organdonation.nhs.uk It only takes a few moments, it's so easy, and it will be the best gift you ever give.  Please don't be the 65% of people who want to donate their organs but never get around to signing up.  You're never too old or too young to do so.  Thank you. 

First beach picnic of the year

The sun has finally started to shine in Cornwall and we have had three consecutive dry days.  So to make the most of it we packed a picnic and headed off to the beach. 

Despite it being a beautiful day, we were the only ones on the whole beach.  Mum threw the ball for me and the little person played with a bucket and spade.  Despite being a retriever I'm not very good at bringing back balls.  I love to chase them but when it comes to bringing them back I tend to drop them and run off to find something else of interest. 











I never sit still when it comes to eating picnics so I tend to run off and munch on seaweed.  I'm not really allowed to eat seaweed, but when everyone's distracted I spot my opportunity.  It tastes amazing so I forget that it doesn't really agree with me and a few hours later I always end up feeling unwell.  

Lets hope the sun continues to shine for a while longer.  I do love going to the beach!

Reminder about my fundraiser walk

I just wanted to remind you that on Sunday 24th February 2013 at 2.30pm I am having a fundraiser muddy walk in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.  We are meeting in the gravel carpark opposite Helston Boating Lake. 

I know I have many readers who aren't local to Cornwall, so if you can't be there but want to do something to help make a difference, please join the organ donor register if you haven't already done so.  If you are in the UK the web address is:

https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/

It only takes a minute and you could save someones life.

Thank you.

Spooked at Wheal Peevor

Walk Length: 30 minutes
Muddy Rating: Not very

The Coast to Coast trail, which connects Portreath harbour on the North Cornish coast and Devoran on the South coast, has become increasingly popular over the past few years.  A great deal of money has been invested in making the trail paths well signposted and smooth under foot.  Wheal Peevor, near Redruth, has benefited from this investment.  Until 2003 it was largely forgotten and overgrown, but now boasts being one of Cornwall's best preserved mining complexes. 

Like so many mines in this area, Wheal Peevor was first used to extract copper until tin was discovered beneath.  Eventually by 1887 the price of tin had dropped meaning the mine was no longer financially viable and was abandoned. 

If you've never seen Cornish engine houses, Wheal Peevor is a great place to start.  Or if like me you've seen lots of them, this is still worth a visit, because rarely do you see such in tact buildings which give you the opportunity to explore them safely. 

The site benefits from lots of information boards telling you about each of the mine buildings and how they worked. 

Here I am checking out the buddles.  I always wondered what these things were called.  Apparently large circular brushes were pushed over mined sediment to separate the minerals from the worthless rock dust. All I know is that when I've found them on other walks the buddles have usually turned into big muddy puddles that I can get messy in.  Not at Wheal Peevor though which was dry as a bone. 

Mum was keen to explore all the other mine buildings and I never like to miss out so I tried to go with her but.....those viewing platforms are too scary!!!

In several of the buildings the platform is at ground level but I didn't like the look of the metal walk way.  It had little holes in it so I could see the gap underneath and I don't like heights! I stood on the edge and barked at mum to come back in case something terrible happened to her.  Then mum went up the stair case beside one of the bigger buildings.  I tried to be brave and follow but when I got to the top I got so scared my legs went wobbly and I had to rush back down the stairs to the safety of the grass.

 

Finally, just as I was starting to relax again and enjoy the walk, mum went over to look at a covered mine shaft.  The sign said it was over 600 feet deep so naturally I was very nervous going near it.  I barked down the hole and it echoed back at me making me jump backwards and my legs wobble again.  
  
Hopefully now that mum has had a good look around, next time we visit Wheal Peevor we can just go and walk about and not have to visit the scary bits!!