Looe to Boscastle and back: Ed Buckingham’s 100-mile Cornwall run

Ed Buckingham has paid into helicopter rescue cover more times than he can remember and never once had to call on it. This Saturday and Sunday, 26 and 27 September, he is giving something back the harder way, on foot, over 100 miles of the Cornish coast, for the volunteers who go out when someone else needs rescuing.

A loop of the county, on foot, against the clock

The route starts in Looe and heads north to Boscastle, before picking up the coastal path to Padstow. From there it turns south to Fowey, then follows the coast path back to the start. That is most of Cornwall’s north and south coasts in one continuous effort, run rather than walked.

Ed set out the plan himself on his JustGiving page, and it does not read like a leisurely coastal ramble. He has given himself 39 hours to complete the full 100 miles, with 13 support stops along the way and two river crossings to negotiate en route.

Why he is doing it

Ed’s reasons come back to a gap he has noticed in his own experience. He has taken out helicopter repatriation cover on past trips without ever needing to use it, while, as he puts it on his fundraising page, others do get into distress and need help from local services, many of them charities.

The charity he has picked is East Cornwall Search and Rescue Team, a volunteer group covering Bodmin Moor, Bude and the surrounding area. Search and rescue teams across the county rely almost entirely on public donations to stay operational, and Ed’s target for the weekend is £500.

Support so far

Donations have been coming in on his JustGiving page in the run-up to the attempt, along with a stream of messages that range from proud to plainly worried. “We definitely think you’re mad Ed,” wrote one supporter, Jill Anderson, “but wish you the best of luck and hope you reach your target.”

More about Ed and his previous challenges can be found on his Facebook page, Onecornishman.

📷Ed Buckingham, who is running 100 miles of the Cornish coast this weekend for East Cornwall Search and Rescue Team.