Falmouth burst into life today with the Tuff-Enuff obstacle course races held along the seafront and on Gyllyngvase beach. Artist John Dyer takes in the fun while walking Digory his sausage dog.

"Digory and I were caught by surprise today - we wrapped up warm and set off for our stroll through the gardens and along Falmouth's glorious seafront on our way to the delightful Swanpool, but we hadn't anticipated that it would be as fun, colourful and busy as a August bank holiday weekend !

The Tuff-Enuff races came to town and with it many hundreds of people carrying sand bags, swimming in the sea, climbing ridiculously high obstacles and ploughing trenches with their hair (that's what we thought anyway) as they struggled under cargo netting on Gyllyngvase beach. 

Part of the course required a quick dip in the sea with the aforementioned sand bags ! What fun !! Along with all the people and sand bags plenty of dogs seem to have arrived too so that cheered Digory up no end. Plenty of sniffing and greeting to be done on our fabulous stroll to Swanpool.

The crisp clear light and brilliant sun have injected a huge splash of colour into the sub-tropical plants. Lime greens set against that perfect blue sky that Cornwall can boast on special days. It is a relief as the day before somebody had turned the colour off in Cornwall with grey flat light. It is an extra treat when colourful days arrive in the winter, but today it really does feel as if spring is nearly baked and ready to take from the oven (as Wilamena my nine year old said). The wild flowers aren't quite out yet and the buds are still tightly shut but it will only be a matter of days before life starts to burst forth, probably sooner than the Tuff-Enuff competitors will thaw out !

A great spectacle and lots of fun on the beach."

John Dyer