Dani Blackie completes solo South West coast path run

An endurance runner has finished what she believes is the first solo female run of the South West Coast Path.

NHS heart specialist Dani Blackie, from Christchurch, Dorset, said she completed the 630-mile (1,010km) route in 18 days and 15 hours.

The 34-year-old started at Minehead, Somerset, on 14 April and finished near Swanage, Dorset, late on Sunday night.

She said it was "a beast" of a route, adding: "Even if you have a lot of training... it's hard work".

The path runs from the seafront in Minehead, Somerset, around the whole of Devon and Cornwall, and finishes at South Haven Point in Dorset.

Ms Blackie said she ran up to 57 miles (90km) a day, completing a total distance of 682 miles (1,097km), which had included a number of diversions around rockfalls.

The experienced marathon runner took up the challenge to raise money for the South West Coast Path Association and animal welfare charity the Save Me Trust.

She said she took the coast run "one step at a time"

"It's easy to get overwhelmed by the whole thing, but you just concentrate on each stretch," she said.

She said it was "a wonderful coastline" to run along, adding: "The geology is always changing and round every corner, there was something different and beautiful.

"That's what keeps you going."