Well, that is the end of a once-in-a-lifetime fantastic adventure around some of the best coastal scenery in the world. The weather was unbelievably good with only two days being wet for most of the day. I've stayed in a variety of B&Bs, some excellent, most very good and one or two below par. I've had a night in a Youth Hostel, a night with Nigel and Rowena, three nights in a tent and one in a caravan. I watched a disappointing England effort in the World Cup. In the evenings, I consumed 108 pints, one of which was scrumpy, and tasted 47 different brews, mainly from brewers in the area. The only regret is that I didn't have time to stop and look in detail at some very interesting places I've been through so I will have to return, one day, to check them all out. Thanks to the generosity of family, friends and ex-colleagues, I have managed, so far, to raise £765 for Cancer Research UK. I was reminded, en route, of those people I've known that have been struck down by cancer and didn't make it to retirement; some not even making their fiftieth birthday so I feel particularly privileged and fortunate to have made it as an OAP and to have been fit enough to take on the challenge. I dedicate my walk to the memory of those people.

The end of the line. 630 miles and 114,930 feet of ascent.

Old Harry Rocks. I bet he did this weekend as there was a jazz festival in Swanage.

Day 45. Sunday, 18th July. Langton Maltravers to Poole. Weather. Despite a forecast of cloud all day, the sun burst through at noon and stayed out for the rest of the day. It was particularly warm once I had reached Studland, in the lea of any wind.
I was accompanied back to the coast path at Dancing Ledge, from the campsite, by Tom and Helen. We said our goodbyes and I resumed the walk along a fairly easy path around Darlston Point and into the busy town of Swanage. Had a coffee with Tom and Helen who had made the short journey by car and were sitting at a cafe on the front. Repeated our goodbyes and set off for Old Harry's Rocks and then into Studland. Boots off for the walk along the soft sands of Studland. Had a quick final swim and then round Shell Bay, then to be accompanied by my brother, David, for the final 100 triumphal yards. Got the pictures taken and we headed back to Wareham for an overnight stay in his caravan along with his wife, Annette. We all joined Nobby for a celebratory meal in Poole that evening. 11 miles today bringing the final total to 630.

BP's oil field at Kimmeridge. The "nodding donkey" pump produces 80 barrels a day.

Scenery from the MOD firing range area.

Day 44. Saturday, 17th July. Lulworth Cove to Langton Maltravers. Weather. Clear blue sky all day. Still some wind but much less than yesterday. Ideal walking conditions. Returned by car to Lulworth Cove and resumed the walk. Crossed the cliffs above the cove and, as the firing range was open, walked through about 7 miles of MOD land that few people have seen. It's closed during the week and only open at weekends, public holidays and August. Again the scenery was stunning and, being MOD land, was very natural. The section is classified as severe and, with 4500 ft of ascent, was totally justified. Saw Tyneham, the deserted village, and stopped in Kimmeridge Bay for lunch where Nobby was laying in wait. Continued on for a further 7 miles. One area had 180 steps down to a river crossing and 218 up the other side, the record so far. At Dancing Ledge I walked inland to the campsite. Shared an evening with Helen, Tom and Nobby sampling 4 ales from the two village pubs.17 miles. Total now 619. Will I make it to 630 and journey's end?

Nearer to Durdle Door

Chalk cliffs approaching Durdle Door.

Day 43. Friday, 16th July. Weymouth to Lulworth Cove. Weather. A five minute shower at the start preceded an ever-brightening sky. A strong wind off sea kept temperatures cool on the tops but in sheltered spots it was quite warm. I shared today's walk with Tom, on his birthday. Helen dropped us off in Weymouth and within 200 yards we met Nobby. We exchanged news and said goodbye. The path took us to Osmington Mills and then on to Ringstead where, at 90p we had the cheapest coffee of the trail. Later, we ignored a sign for Scratchy Bottom. The walk, now severe, took us over some outstandingly beautiful chalk cliffs to Durdle Door where we met Helen for the final mile to Lulworth Cove.12 miles brings the total to 602 with just 2 days to go.

Portland Bill lighthouse.

Stormy seas off the west of Portland.

Day 42. Thursday, 15th July. Portland. Weather. Very high winds at first becoming more moderate later. Again, despite dire forecasts, the sun shone continuously until 4.30 when it clouded over but it remained dry all day. Today's walk was a circumnavigation of Portland, beginning at Ferrybridge. The walk across the causeway was in the face of the strong southwesterly wind as was the walk to Portland Bill along the high cliffs on the west of the peninsula. Had lunch near the lighthouse and returned to Ferrybridge via the eastern side and the causeway.12 miles. Total 590. Camping for the next three nights with Tom and Helen.

I know it's a grey but lovely pose. I think he's after some nuts.

Natural history today. A Tortoiseshell I believe.

Day 41. Wednesday, 14th July. Abbotsbury to Weymouth. Weather. Despite a dire forecast, today has been totally dry and became progressively warmer and sunnier. Today's walk followed the Fleet, the water behind Chessil Bank, along its entire length, some 10 easy miles to Ferrybridge. I walked into Weymouth and caught the bus back to Abbotsbury, no digs in Weymouth. Met Nobby again last night for dinner and beer at the Swan and then again on the path. He tells me he slept in the church porch. Going to try the Ilchester Arms for dinner tonight. I bet they'll have plenty of cheese dishes.14 miles. Total 578.

The path goes through a field of sweetcorn, or was it a maize?

The view towards Portland Bill from the top of Golden Cap. Impressed?

Day 40. Tuesday, 13th July. Lyme Regis to Abbotsbury. Weather. Overcast with rain threatening all day. Three ten minute showers. Cold wind all day. Another strenuous day to start.3 separate landfall diversions meant some serious inland walking. Walked to Charmouth then scaled Golden Cap, England's highest south coastal point, which was in low cloud with no views, disappointing. On to West Bay for late lunch then on, via Burton Bradstock and West Bexington to Abbotsbury with early views of Chessil Bank.19 miles scheduled. Walked 21 with diversions.total now 564. Met up with Nobby for diner and a few pints in the Swan.

The anchor salvaged from the MSC Napoli

Branscombe Beach

Day 39. Monday, 14th July. Sidmouth to Lyme Regis. Weather. Long sunny periods until 4pm when high cloud appeared. Quite hot in the sun. A strenuous but visually rewarding walk from Sidmouth to Branscombe; made famous by the MSC Napoli which beached here in 2007 leading to much looting by the locals. Further excellent coastal scenery ensued. I went through Beer, as opposed to what normally happens, and stopped for lunch at Seaton. By contrast, the final 7 miles was dull, walking through dense woodland with only occasional glimpses of the sea. Arrived at Lyme Regis at 6.30 pm.17 miles. Total now 545. Total ascent now 102,078. Now just in Dorset.

An interesting natural sculpture in the 400 million year old red sandstone.

Not sure what this lot were up to on a Sunday morning but it made me chuckle.

Day 38. Sunday, 11th July. Exmouth to Sidmouth. Weather. Dry, warm with many sunny periods. Said goodbye to Chris and Ang and walked out of Exmouth along a 2 mile promenade behind golden sand. Carried on to Budleigh Salterton for coffee then on to Sidmouth. Some spectacular Red sandstone scenery marred by giant caravan sites at Sandy Bay and Ladram Bay. A very easy day's walk. Watched Spain win the World Cup in the Anchor.13 miles. Total now 528. Dorset beckons tomorrow.

An express speeds through Dawlish. Can anyone identify the type of train? (Paul get your anorak on)

A contrast to cliff top walking. An interlude in the woods.

Day 37. Saturday, 10th July. Babbacombe to Exmouth. Weather. Mainly cloudy with occasional sunny intervals. Cool. Retraced steps to Babbacombe beach and continued walk. Quite a strenuous 5 miles to Shaldon where I caught the first ferry of the day to Teignmouth. Then basically followed the mainline railway track to Dawlish. Some nasty road walking then took me to Torcross where I caught the 16.10 ferry to Exmouth. Met up with Chris and Ang and had far too many pints, including 2 pints of GK IPA. It was great to see them and to catch up on all the gossip. 14 miles. 515 in total.

A recent landslip at Babbacombe beach. February, 2010.

Excellent colour scheme for 151. Believe me, they weren't all blue and white.

Day 36. Friday, 9th July. Brixham to Babbacombe. Weather. Sunny all day, getting very hot by late afternoon. An easy day's walk from Brixham harbour to Paignton then on to Torquay passing some very nice and popular beaches although, for much of the day, I was always very close to very heavy traffic. Stopped at Broadsands for coffee. Had lunch at Torquay then on, via Thatcher Point (surely that should have been near "The Bitches") , to Babbacombe. Took the cliff railway up from beach where I will resume tomorrow morning. Met Nobby on the way. He's going on further today so may not see him again.13 miles bringing the to 501. A nine dart finish but for me a nine day one.

Evening light over Brixham Harbour.

Early sea mist on the Dart estuary near Dartmouth Castle.

Day 35. Thursday, 8th July. Stoke Fleming to Brixham. Weather. Early morning sea mist gave the Dart estuary a surreal appearance. Becoming sunny and progressively warmer. Great for walking. Left Stoke Fleming by road making for the coast. Passed Dartmouth Castle en-route for Dartmouth proper. Took the ferry to Kingswear and followed a strenuous path to Brixham. Had three pints with Nobby in the Blue Anchor which was offering Abbot and Old Speckled Hen. Avoided both.16 miles. Total now 488. Total ascent now 92,595.

Blackpool Sands. No donkeys, no tower, no ballroom, no shite football ground. much nicer.

A tasty idea, if not a little early in the morning at Salcolmbe.

Day 34. Wednesday, 7th July. Salcombe to Stoke Fleming. Weather. Overcast with very light drizzle for first 15 minutes then low cloud and poor visibility for most of the walk. Getting progressively lighter and warmer. Left Salcombe by the ferry to East Portlemouth. Walked on past Shag Rock to Start Point and then on to Beesands for lunch. A dull walk to Torcross and then even more tedious beach side walking past Slapton Sands. The path took me to a dodgy bit of road walking to Strete. Eventually reached Blackpool Sands and then a long uphill slog to Stoke Fleming. Met Nobby again in the local for three pints. 18 miles.472 now the total.

Not a bad view to have a lunch break.

Hope Cove

Day 33. Tuesday, 6th July. Bigbury on Sea to Salcombe. Weather. Mainly full sun with occasional high cloud making it hazy at times. Warm to hot. Another ferry required, early on, to cross the Avon. Had to summon it by shouting across the estuary. Finally attracted the ferryman's attention with a big shout of "FERRY". Worked better than Nobby's whistles that reverberated around the valleys. Walked on for coffee at the attractive Hope Cove. Some brilliant coastal walking brought me to the environs of Salcombe where I couldn't resist the temptation of a swim in the very calm bay at South Sands. A short road walk brought me to Salcombe proper. Dined at the WiFi enabled Victoria Inn where I've managed to post three days' blogs whilst imbibing copious amounts of Black Prince. Found him at last. Someone please tell Tom C, whose harddrive is knackered, of this momentous fact. 14 miles today which brings the total to 454. Total ascent now 86,132 feet.

The tractor that brings the boys back to the mainland. Not needed today.

Burgh Island, off Bigbury on Sea. Home of The Pilchard Inn, tonight' s watering hole. Access is via the causeway.

Day 32. Monday, 5th July. Wembury to Bigbury On Sea. Weather. Sunny peroids, becoming more sunny as the day went on. Ideal walking weather. Took the ferry to Noss Mayo across the Yealm at the start of the day then on, using easy paths to Mothercombe beach to cross the Erme. This time there was no ferry so had to wade across. This is only possible one hour either side of low tide, which, today was 17.12, so had to sit and wait in hot sun for the tide to recede. Crossed with my new-found walking mate, Nobby from Harwich whose son is a tractor boy. We've been in contact, usually in the pub at night, since Falmouth. The final 5 miles were quite strenuous but crossed some beautiful cliffs now changing to red rock from the now familiar blacks and grays. Had a baguette and four pints on Burgh Island.14 miles. Total 440.

The Mayflower steps. The rest is history.

Sir Francis Drake, looking out for more enemy attacks.

Day 31. Sunday, 4th July. Plymouth to Wembury. Weather. Overcast to start, some sunny intervals then 5 minutes of drizzle. Long enough, just, to put the waterproofs on at about 15.00. Explored the Hoe and the Barbican. Found where Franny was playing bowls on that fateful day and then found the steps where passengers for the Mayflower embarked. Quite apposite, given the date. Many people cheat by taking a ferry to Mount Batten Point but being a purist, I walked the official path which went through some less saluberious areas of Plymouth. Made it out of the conurbation, then on to Wembury. 14 miles. Total now 426.

Plymouth from the ferry.

The last resort, in Cornwall, Cawsands.

Day 30. Saturday, 3rd July. Portwrinkle to Plymouth. Weather. Pretty much warm sun all the way. Having had the biggest breakfast of the entire walk, I staggered out of the digs and made for Plymouth. Firstly beside a golf course, a ball landed about two feet from me, and then onto an army firing range. Thankfully the guns were silent today. Some tedious road walking before reaching Rame Head which marks the start of the Tamar estuary. The walk continued to Cawsand where I stopped for coffee. Didn't need anymore food after that enormous breakfast. Carried on through mainly woodland in Edgecombe Park to Cremyll to catch a ferry across to Plymouth. Had a 50 minute wait so I had to resort to a pint of Tribute at the Edgecombe Arms while I was waiting. Bade farewell to Cornwall as I caught the four o'clock ferry to Plymouth, Devon,and made my way to the B&B on the Hoe. Never slept on a hoe before. 14 miles. Total 412.

Approaching the attractive hamlet of Portwrinkle.

A nice idea but not at 10.30 in the morning with a day's walking ahead of me.

Day 29. Friday, 2nd July. Looe to Portwrinkle. Weather. A little overcast at first then mostly sunny and warm. A very easy day in terms of distance, so had a look around West Looe before setting off. It looked much better in the dry. Walked to Seaton and stopped for coffee. On to Downderry and, as it was such a nice day, spent most of the afternoon with the naturists on the beach. Had a couple of skinny dips in the fairly warm sea. Finally left for the short walk to Portwrinkle. 7 miles only today bringing the total to 398. The answer to yesterday's quiz, as rightly guessed by Chris was, of course, it was a Looe loo.

Now, which Scottish singer might have an interest in this establishment? Answer tomorrow.

Looe harbour. Yes, that is low cloud hence the poor visibility.

Didn't dare ask if they'd got any 'oze. Polperro.

Day 28. Thursday, 1st July. Par to Looe. Weather. It's pay back time. Overcast at first but the forecasted rain arrived at 1 and stayed for the remainder of the day. Nige dropped me off at Par. Beach average, as you'd expect. A decent 6 mile walk brought me to Fowey, pronounced Foy, where I caught the ferry across to Polruan. A beautiful area which would have looked so much better in sunshine. Grabbed a coffee and flapjack and set off for a strenuous walk to Polperro. The rain set in so waterproofs were required. Polperro is yet another delightful place, even in the rain. Had another coffee and a slice of sponge cake in a dry and warm cafe before tackling the final 5 miles to Looe where I arrived, somewhat moist, at 6 p.m. 18 miles, 9 of them wet, bringing the total to 391.

They're having a laugh. I couldn't see it!

One of the three tall ships moored at Charlestown

Day 27. Wednesday, 30th June. Mevagissey to Par. Weather. Cloudy at first, the sun appeared at lunchtime and sunny periods ensued. A breeze from the sea. Quite warm. Walked to Pentewan where I met up with Nigel Fletcher who joined me for the walk to Par. Nige and his wife, Rowena, moved to Cornwall last year and very kindly offered to put me up for the night. We continued to Porthpean beach and then, via a tedious diversion by road due to cliff falls, we arrived in Charlestown where we stopped for lunch. There were three tall ships moored in the harbour. Had my first pasty of the walk. Easier walking brought us to Par where Rowena met us and took us to their new pile. Nige ran me a bath but wasn't that keen to scrub my back. Thanks to the pair of them for their hospitality and good luck with the renovations.12 miles, total now 373.

I arrived in Mevagissey during their Feast Week. The local band playing the Floral Dance. No sign of Wogan.

Spot the footpath. After overnight rain, this section near Portloe was sodden and walking through it was less than pleasant.