Undeceivable - Moonraker Zen...

Lucky Zen Retreat

Tomorrow I will be settting off for Throssel Hole Buddhist Monastery for a long retreat. Towards the end of my stay there I will also take part in an intensive 4-day retreat. I am nervous because:

a) I've never stayed so long!
b) I've never done an intensive retreat!
c) I'm pretty much always nervous about something!

Having said that, I feel really lucky to be able to live out a dream of mine. Yup, that's right, I dream of sitting still for hours, reading sutras, bowing, cleaning, chopping vegetables, and painting walls.

Simple dreams.

See you in a month.

My Friend is Awesome!

My Japanese friend with whom I played music in studios in Tokyo, went snowboarding with in the Japanese Alps, played Pachinko with (hey, that's not a good thing!), and who did my EP artwork for the bumblebee bats, is officially awesome. Have a read of this interview with Yousuke Yamaguchi.

Sometimes when I read an interview with someone famous, I think to myself, that person can't be that interesting or that cool - it's all just constructed for the interview! But maybe some people are that cool, after all.

Culture Unplugged

A couple of days ago, I found this site...Culture Unplugged.

So far I've watched a documentary about the healing and mind-opening properties of Ayahuasca, a medicinal tea made from vines found in the Peruvian jungle (Stepping into the Fire); a film about teaching death row inmates Vipassana meditation techniques based on the book of the same name (Dhamma Brothers); a surf film about the impact that development is having on the world's best surf spots in Central and Southern America, Hawaii, and Tahiti (Out There); and I'm currently watching a film about the historical life of the Buddha (Life of Buddha).

Now that's the sort of site that makes it worth spending time on t'internet.

Scudo Zen

After 2 years and 2 months, the Devon Moonraker has gone, been sold, is no more. The new owners are a lovely family whose adventures you can follow at Writings from the Wherever.

As for me, I've bought a 1.9 Fiat Scudo (2006). It's pretty cool:




I've spent the last couple of days carpetting the back. There's loads of space for my surfboard (which was the main reason for buying another van) and for me to stretch out and have a sleep (another reason for buying a van). I have my camping stove so it's basically going to be a simpler, (no pop-top, no kitchen, no bed) faster, (I cruised at 70mph today!), cheaper (er...in theory anyway) campervan.

Here's the carpetting job...

Before:


After:


I'm not sure if I'll rename this blog or not. I'm not sure what direction this blog will take either. But for now, rest assured, I have wheels.

Going Away...

I'm off to France tomorrow to help my brother do a couple of loft conversions in his house - Free Range Adventure. He's had a practice run with the loft in the little house, but next it's the big house lofts! Exciting!

*I'm going to have a go at not-blogging for a while, so don't be alarmed if I don't write anything for a few weeks!

Newquay to St.Ives Surf Walk (43 miles in 4 days)

Day 1 Tuesday - Barnstaple to Newquay (train), Newquay to Gannel Estuary (3 miles)

What a lovely way to end my ranger experience - heading off past trees I now know the name of, to walk, camp, whittle, surf, and live a few days in the Great Outdoors.

Running for trains, sitting in carriages on my backpack, window open gazing at the blue sky - I haven't felt this sort of travelling mind for years. It's a very welcome change from van-life, being tied to the roads and car parks.

Saw a few dolphins along the coast at Dawlish Warren...

Made it to Newquay at 5pm and rushed out of the station heading for Fistral beach. From there I thought I'd make it up and round to Crantocks and start my walk into the wild in an hour or so. Unfortunately, and a problem encountered again at Hayle, I had an estuary to go round! And this meant a detour of a few miles...

As I walked along the estuary I spotted a path down closer to the water and then a nice green spot to set up camp. It was simple - I pitched my tent there, without a care in the world.

By 7pm my tent was up, I'd had my soup, and I was shattered and ready to sleep.




Day 2  Wednesday - Gannel Estuary - Cligga Head, nr Perranporth (10 - 12 miles)

Great sleep from 10-4 and then 4-7:30. Lots of wading birds in the estuary late into the night and early morning. Awoke to drizzle, clouds - time to set off.

Along the estuary spotted my first yellow wagtail which was beautiful. Also a little egret.

I'd only packed enough water for a day at a time, so made my way to Crantock village and bought some water, a coke, and a pasty for later.

On my way to Holywell I spotted 2 seals. Sitting on the beach having lunch - a soup - I watched a stoat chasing a rabbit around. I got the bins out to look at the stoat - it was CUTE!

By 1pm I'd been walking for about 4 hours. I didn't feel tired and I'd made it to Perran Sands. This section was meant to take me 2 days, but I'd TOTALLY underestimated how much distance I'd make. Coastal walking is notoriously slow, but not quite as slow as I'd thought. So I was well ahead of schedule. I dropped down onto the sands after watching a kestrel hover for what seemed like ages, and had a surf.

I don't like walking on beaches - the sand makes it really slow going, it's usually windy, and there's basically no (changing) view. This section of beach is 3 miles long!

Shattered, I made it to Perranporth, bought some bread and ham, and carried on up the cliffs looking for a place to camp for the night.

I passed a couple here who were making their way round the entire coast of the British Isles in their motorhome - driving to a spot, walking east and west, and then moving round the coast. I'd see them again at Chapel Porth the next day. They were lovely.
 
I was ready to camp anywhere. Having come to terms with most creepy crawlies in England at least, I wasn't scared of wild camping anymore. And the likelihood of being murdered by a serial killer on the coast path didn't really cross my mind. I walked for an hour or so and then some orange-tipped grass seemed to wave at me. And I found my second camping spot on the edge of the cliffs. There's a real feeling of freedom at just being able to camp anywhere, and the more I did it, the more I enjoyed it.














Day 3 Thursday - Cligga Head - Porthtowan (9 miles)

Very quiet sleep and awoke to not a breath of wind. Misty and cannot see the sea, but can hear the waves crashing at Perranporth behind me.

Left camp spot at 8, lots of remains of mines along the way, a seal in the bay, and made it to St.Agnes by 10. Had a coffee and charged phone in the pub. St.Agnes was lovely!

Had a surf at the beach - shallow beach break but small. Nice old guy out catching lovely waves.

Left St.Agnes at 1pm and view from Tubby's Head was breathtaking with the mist hanging over the cliffs. Met motorhome couple again as I came down to Chapel Porth. Carried on round to Porthtowan to some amazing waves!

Had surf in white water - too big for me - then made my way up the coastal path on the way to Portreath. Met a guy who wished me well. I must have met about 30 people along the way who wished me well and most gave me 10 out of 10 for carrying a surfboard. Not sure why they were scoring me, but they did.

Muggy night. Sandy feet. No lighter, Sandwich for dinner.












Day 4 Friday - Porth Towan - Godrevy (12 miles)

Usual sleeping pattern. Another cloudy and misty day. Left camp spot at 8 and made it to Portreath for 10.

Had a coffee and cake at a nice cafe then stocked up on food and bought MATCHES!

No surf here so carried on...4 seals looking up at me in a bay round the corner. Lovely. Threw them some bread but they didn't like it.

In the distance I can see the lighthouse at Godrevy and behind that, St.Ives in the distance. Found a nice spot to chill and thought I'd spend the day chilling. Met a family who said they'd just walked from Godrevy - it's not that far (4 miles), they said. So I decided to carry on and hopefully get a surf before sunset at Gwithian.

Sun is finally out and it's beautiful. I set off around 1 and make it for 3 along the most stunning section so far...a seal colony with pups, kestrels, peregrine falcon (?), Shetland ponies...And then wonderful St.Ives Bay...in the sun!!!

Had a surf - small - whittled my fish. Wonderful.

Backtracked to camp at Godrevy. Strong winds and very difficult to find shelter. Tent flapping around all night. Noodles at sunset. Truly inspiring evening, though. Don't need much to feel truly alive!














Day 5 Saturday - Godrevy to St.Ives (10 miles)

Clear and cold night. Relieved it's morning and the wind has dropped. Up at 5. No phone battery so no idea what time is. Watched the moon rise from the east and rise overhead. Orion looked nice.

Surfed again at Gwithian. Seal out with us. 3ft peeling waves. Clear blue waters. LUSH.

Had coffee and cake at surf cafe. Had nice chat with owners. Surf picking up tomorrow...

Walk to Hayle nightmare - loooong 3 mile beach again, looong estuary to walk around. Had mushroom soup at organic cafe - delicious.

Left Hayle at 1 and reached St.Ives at 3.

Very sad to have reached my destination and for the adventure to be over...but also very happy to have made it! St. Ives is lush and a great ending place.

This adventure has been totally inspiring.
















The End

Blogging, pictures, writing - nothing really captures it, at least not my blogging, pictures, and writing! It was 43 miles, 4 wild camps, lots of soup and noodles, a few cups of coffee in cafes, countless seals and birds, many friendly walkers, beautiful clear waters, lush surfs, stunning scenery, lots of hills, and many steps...

Loved it.

*I stayed in a backpackers' hotel on Saturday and my surf buddy picked me up the next morning. We had a surf at Porthmeor beach in St.Ives and as we surfed a seal popped out of the water next to us. On our way back to Woolacombe, we surfed at Fistral beach in Newquay. It took us about 30 minutes to do the journey from St.Ives to Newquay, the same journey that had taken me 4 days!

Into the Wild I Go...

...well, Newquay!

I camped in my tent last night at littleroadway up in Woolacombe. It was blowing a gale. It was raining. It was miserable. I awoke to find a slug sitting in my pan...Can I eat that?

With my Exped mattress it was pretty comfy really, but not much to do after dark when it's raining and windy outside, but lie down. I started my next whittling project - a fish - and read a bit of The Alchemist. Ah, yes, I'm adding that book to my backpack.

I'm taking the train to Newquay - Kerry is kindly dropping me off in Barnstaple at the train station.

I'll get to Newquay at 5pm, walk out of the town, and find my first wild camping spot!

I'm ready:


No more Internet till I finish.

My Fundraising Page.

Newquay to St.Ives Surf Walk - The Plan

I quite like walking along the coast path and over the past 6 months I've had to do a lot of it. Last year I met a guy who was walking along the North Devon/Cornwall section with his surfboard on his back - I thought this looked awesome. It's taken a while to get to the stage where I'm up for it, but suddenly a few weeks back, I decided it was time.

I've got a van but it's not really much of a challenge to live in it, walk during the day, and come back to it at night. Besides, it's a thirsty machine, and as pretentious as it sounds, it does distance you from the elements and nature - I'm pretty comfy in there watching stuff on my laptop! I'd prefer to be pushed to sit with the sound of the waves, the wind, the rain, the birds, the spiders, the cows, the...snakes?

So I'm leaving my van up in Woolacombe, taking the train to Newquay, and walking.

On the South West Coast Path website, the route from Newquay to St Ives is split into 4 sections:

Newquay - Perranporth (13 miles)
Perranporth - Portreath (12 miles)
Portreath - Hayle (12 miles)
Hayle - St Ives (6 miles)



I'm hoping to do around 6 miles a day of walking plus a surf, so I'll split the first 3 sections in two and do the last one in a day, so I should get to St Ives on Wednesday the 19th of October having left on Wednesday the 12th of October.

The surf is looking awesome. Maybe too awesome. The weather is looking a bit Autumnal - a mixture of drizzle, clouds, and a bit of sunshine. But cool.

I'm pretty much the most disorganised person in the world so I'm bound to forget something. But here's the list of what I'm taking. Bear in mind, this is just the bare essentials:

Surfboard, wetsuit, and towel
Tent, Exped self-inflating matress, sleeping bag
Waterproofs
Trousers, pants, socks, merino vest, t-shirt, warm jumper, hiking boots.
Notepad and pen for diary
OS map (203)
Knives and wood for whittling
Gas burner, 1 pan, extra gas, matches
Flask
Food (haven't decided what yet!)
Penknife
Torch
Book - Collins Birdwatching book
Binoculars - they're heavy but there's no way I'm missing out on dolphins, sharks, and those passerines and non-passerines!
Wallet
Camera

Things I can't take because they're too big:

MacBook
Guitar

I've debated whether to do it for charity or not - it feels weird to ask people to give money to charity because I'm going for a walk and a surf! Plus, it's not that far. But if people do want to, I've made a fundraising page at JustGiving.com: My Fundraising Page.

*Ticket bought - will arrive at Newquay at 5pm tomorrow by train, camp there, then start my walk on the Wednesday morning. Exciting!

Better to Burn Out than Fade Away*

The 2nd day of my bird ID course was as good, if not better, than the first.

We started with bird calls and song. Birds make noises with their throats mainly but there are also those that use their beaks (woodpeckers), wings (woodpigeon), and feathers (snipes) to make calls. We focused on the calls and songs of those that use their throats. Songs are sung by males and are used to set territories or to attract mates. Calls are used to threaten other birds and show agitation to the rest of the flock. The calls themselves are a bit of a nightmare to learn. It's taken the ornithologist 30 years to learn them all...

After heading out for a walk in the woods to emphasise the importance of hearing in ID'ing birds - we were split into pairs with one wearing ear-protectors and the other without - we headed off for a couple of hours of seawatching.

We set ourselves up down by the quarry at Brixham - we weren't expecting much as the wind was blowing off-shore, but we ended up seeing flippin' loads!! Great skuas (Shetlanders call them bonxies!!) attacking herring gulls, arctic skuas, gannets, cormorants and shags, razorbills, black backed gulls, and then 4 porpoises. Yeah, porpoises aren't birds, but they were an exciting spot. Pretty difficult to see as they don't really jump out of the sea like dolphins and you can barely see their fins.

And that was it. A great couple of days of bird identifaction. With my new bird call and song CD I got given as a leaving present, I am ready to become a bird man.

So that's it. I'm off now staying on Dartmoor in the fog and mist tonight and then up to North Devon tomorrow to get ready for my walk...

*Don't worry, I'm not quoting Kurt Kobain, but Neil Young's 'My My Hey Hey'!

Last Day, First Day

For my last day I brushcut another bank at Coleton, full of ancient ant hills. After cutting it, I raked it then used a power barrow to dump all the cuttings in a big pile out of sight - I had amassed about 15 piles of grass so this stage took a couple of hours. It was a lovely way to spend my last day - maybe a hint of the sort of work I could do in the future. In the evening I went to the senior ranger's house for a cup of tea and cake with him and his wife. They're pretty much the coolest couple I've ever met. We had a lovely chat about all sorts and it reminded me that, in the right company, I can in fact hold a proper conversation...as long as by conversation you mean talking about Neil Young, spiritual stuff, Ghandi, Buddhism, the negative effects of TV, and materialism. I also learnt to play 'Harvest Moon' by Neil Young. Aside from learning lots of outdoor stuff this past 6 months, being properly introduced to Neil Young has been a revelation - soooo good. After tea I returned to the house I've been staying at instead of my van, and we all had 'tarte au citron' and watched TV. I don't hate last days anymore.

For my first day of my bird ID course I learnt about bird topography - the upper and lower mandiviles of the beak, the throat, breast and belly, the flanks, rump, mantle, scapulars, and nape, the supercilium, crown, and eye stripes. Then we went on to the wings with the primaries, secondaries, tertials, coverts, and the alula. Then we learnt how to draw sketches of birds to faciliate making a positive ID - mine looked like a child had drawn them. Then in the afternoon we went into the field - around Berry Head - and put it all into practice. It was awesome! We saw goldcrests, stonechats, guillemots, a peregrine, shags, cormorants, wheaters, cirl buntings, dunnocks (hedge sparrows), gulls, and razorbills. It was really tricky to draw pictures while using binoculars to see the bird, and keep my shades on all at the same time, but I just about managed it.

Day 2 is about bird songs (to mark their territory) and calls (to warn each other about predators, etc).

It's been a fun day, but it's been a long couple of weeks and I'm starting to feel emotionally drained - saying goodbye to nice people is tough.

Maybe I just need a McDonald's!