Breaking news on http://chefwise.blogspot.com/ Spectacular And Dramatic: Walking The South West Coast Path

David Jones, co-owner of Manna from Devon Cooking School, set off on Sunday (16th December) on his walk around the South West Coast Path to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Having already raised over £3,000 for the charity he has now doubled his initial target, re-setting it at £5,000.

So far the weather has offered perfect walking conditions with clear skies and only some rain. Yesterday, the second day of the walk, was a challenging day with hill climbs of over 8,000 feet in total. Today he is enjoying a more relaxing walk starting at Woolacombe, enjoying the spectacular beaches at Croyde and Saunton, before heading inland to Barnstaple and onwards from there to Instow at the end of the day.

David's brother Greg joined him for the first couple of days. Brenda Birmingham from Food and Drink Devon will be accompanying him between Instow and Westward Ho. When David reaches Bude he will be rewarded with an early dinner at the Red Dog Bakery with Sally and Roger Birt who, like David, are passionate about making artisan bread using traditional methods.  Many others from the South West's thriving food industry, including Observer Food Monthly's restaurant of the year The Seahorse's chef Mitch Tonks, will also be joining him as he walks his way around the four counties. 

Commenting on the walk to date, David says: "I've been lucky with the weather so far which makes a huge difference I think that is about to change!" He continues: "The North Devon coastline is simply stunning.  The walk is giving me a complete comprehension of the beauty of the region. I'm now looking forward to discovering more new places along the way."

The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for 630 miles, running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. This walk is perhaps the ultimate challenge for the long distance hiker.

Speaking on behalf of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Sarah Hampton, regional fundraiser team leader for the South West says: "David has already raised an incredible amount of money for the charity for which we are very grateful.  His energy and drive is to be admired." Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a progressive disease that attacks the motor neurones, or nerves, in the brain and spinal cord. This means messages gradually stop reaching muscles, which leads to weakness and wasting.

David's wife Holly is driving ahead with their other dog Poppy in a Fiat Tribute camper van from South West Camper Hire (www.swcamperhire.com). David is joining Holly in the camper van every evening for dinner and to sleep and then sets off when the sun rises each morning to continue his walk.

It really will be a remarkable achievement especially walking at this time of year. Due to the up and down nature of the path, it takes an average walker seven to eight weeks at a leisurely pace. A very fast walker can achieve the distance in a month.  David is aiming to walk twenty five miles a day every day for twenty five days and the height walked will be the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest four times. Despite this, David is really looking forward to discovering more of the heritage, wildlife, geology and scenery all of which will be truly inspirational.

David will be stopping briefly for Christmas dinner where he and Holly are meeting friends beside Pendeen Lighthouse.

If you would like to make a donation to David's challenge, you can do so on his JustGiving page - http://www.justgiving.com/SWCP25x25.

David and Holly Jones run Manna from Devon Cooking School, which is positioned in an area of outstanding natural beauty in Kingswear. The stylishly decorated, homely kitchen and the outdoors' decking overlook simply stunning views across the Dart estuary to Dartmouth. As well as its cooking classes, Manna from Devon Cooking School produce a selection of delicious double chocolate brownies and sticky puddings (Sticky Toffee, Sticky Chocolate and Walnut, and Sticky Banana and Ginger) which are available at www.mannafromdevon.com. 

You can follow David's walk on a regular basis on Twitter (@mannafromdevon) and facebook http://www.facebook.com/mannafromdevon and on David's blog http://mannafromdevon.com/mannablog/