GALE force winds and waterlogged terrain were no match for a student who is determined to walk the whole Cornish coastal path.

Ruby Davidson, who lives in Downderry, has taken on the challenge of hiking all 290 miles from Welcome Mouth, on the border between Devon and Cornwall, to Mount Edgcumbe.

The 12 year old, who plans to complete the walk in stages at weekends and during the holidays, is raising sponsorship for a school World Challenge trip to Malawi in 2021. She’ll be part of a group who will take part in trekking as well as a project to support a community in the South East African country.

If Ruby succeeds, she could well be the first child to walk the whole Cornish coastline. Supporting her along the way are her parents Mark and Claire and her trusty companion Teddy the dog.

Ruby is currently in Year 8 at Saltash Community School, where she has been offered the chance to participate in the educational visit to Africa. By pure coincidence, her mum Claire, a teacher, took a group of students to Malawi with the very same trekking company back in 2003.

Claire’s later work with Ridgeway students to construct dormitories for homeless students in Dzalanyama, Malawi, led to a national teaching award.

’Now, 16 years on, my daughter has come home with a letter from school offering her the same opportunity I had before she was born,’ said Claire.

‘It’s the same country and the same expedition company - an amazing bit of serendipity.’

The first leg of Ruby’s hike could not have started in more testing conditions, with winds of up to 45 mph around the headlands, but she coped amazingly and kept smiling, said Claire.

The youngster has already raised around £600 towards her total - to keep track of her progress and support her efforts, visit www.gofundme.com and search for ‘walking the Cornish coastal path’.