LOCATION: Jurassic Shores to Bournemouth
What's happening?
Pleased to say it was all smiles across England today as they secured a victory finishing the game with just 10 men. Nail biting stuff - but meant there was still a spring in @Nigel's step. So happy! Think we are the good luck charms for our guides! Both Morocco and England through to the quarter finals.
A big agenda today for our final push along the South West Coast Path - and it was spectacular- mind you, we did have to work for some it!
We know it's coming to an end - @Nigel is onto his last folder - very sad face here, the tube is empty!
@Mac has been picking @Nigel's brain in relation to road rules and driving and has picked up quite a few tips. The most important are around paying for parking. It seems that every site you visit that has a view, has a pay station attached to it. @Mac is such the expert now, he even helped a couple of the families struggling to make sense of the machines. Guess as long as we don't run out of money on the wise card and data on the eSim, we will be a shoe in when we (well, that means @Mac) do our 6 days of driving.
It was in that space, but rolled back onto the car behind it. Oops
Mentioning carparking here because it was a little "funny" unless of course it was your vehicle. The carpark was on a hill. Person on right hand side must have left their vehicle without the brake properly engaged because
it had rolled backwards and was resting against the bumper of the car on the other side of the alleyway. Someone is going to be very surprised when they return!
The Adventure
It was,all about this stunning coastline today - started with red cliffs - progressed through to black, then white. Always soft and crumbling into the sea. And miles of shingle beaches.
Some of today's highlights.
Sidmouth: first stop of the morning is know as the "retirement village " and has the distinctive red Triassic cliffs. These sandstone cliffs are constantly collapsing and a large stretch of the beach was cordoned off. A definite retirement vibe - a combination of walking, jogging and swimming still ambulant retirees, combined with wheelchairs, walking sticks, wheelie walkers and scooters. They were so prolific in number it was almost comical.
Charmouth Beach: At last, a beach we could drive to and just walk onto without scaling 100 steps down a cliff face. The River Char splits the beach here - you could take the bridge over it or jump/wade through at ths shoreline. The beach backdrop here was the black Lias Shale that turns jet black when wet. It is also prone to collapse and signs were everywhere warning you to stay away from the cliffs. The beach was busy - families and dogs in abundance. The attraction here - puck up any of thw rocks found on the beach and test your fossil hunting skills. It is listed as one of the best fossil beaches in the world.
From red to black cliffs - plenty of people on the beach - guess the only fossils we found ?
Laughing because our next little drive took us through Axminster- home of the carpet. Hilariously - @Mac wanted to head into the factory outlet, try the rum and perhaps buy another rug. Thankfully we vetoed that idea quick smart.
Chesil Beach: This place was wild - not because of the weather, but because of the sea, the shingle barrier and the lake.
We stood on a perfectly sorted pile of stones. It stretches for 29‑km - a natural heaped mound forming a barrier of perfectly sorted shingle, stretching from West Bay to Portland. The wild storms of the winter, act like a giant geological sieve: tiny pebbles at the western end, fist‑sized stones near Portland. The beach is so precisely graded that old smugglers could tell where they’d landed just by feeling the pebbles.
Behind it sits the calm Fleet Lagoon, creating a dramatic contrast between wild surf and still water.
It was hard going walking through the crunch, crunch of the pebbles. But there were beach goers and fisherman here - all perfectly normal for them - but weird and unheard of for us. There was not a grain of sand in sight! It was a 29 km dune stretch of pebbles!
Durdle Door and the adjacent Lulworth Cove: an absolute highlight of the Jurassic coastline and reported as one of the most photographed arches in the world. Portland Limestone makes the remnants of the arch - it is a hard material formed 150 million years ago.
No easy drive to the beach here - it was hard yakka to get to these views - a short, but steep access to the ledges (no protection along the cliff face - so many children walking near the edge) followed by a series of stone cut steps to reach each of the beaced - @Mac counted 158 on his descent to the beach on the door side. There were another 250 steps to reach the second beach.
I was happy perched above with views and the responsibility of photos.
Again, a shingle beach, absolutely clear and calm turquoise water and the both beaches crowded with visitors and plenty of swimmers enjoying the water.
It was a slow, hot trudge back up the hill. There were so many children hauling their gear up after a swim, visitors of all shapes and sizes and ages leaning forward, huffing amd puffing, men carrying strollers on the return journey - it was a one foot in front of the other sort of ordeal.
We are talking 3 o'clock now and it seems a long time since breakfast and a coffee.
@Mac had sussed out his lunch options at the stalls before our trek down to the beach. When he went to order on the return journey, they were "sold out" of sandwiches- the only thing left was a hotdog. Had to fight off the crows today to keep your food - there were two that followed him ready to swoop in at any lack of concentration - those black hoppies were no match for a man who had just scaled the steps to the Durdle Door.
A short swing around the bay and another parking fee, gave access to Lulworth Cove (where the cars were kissing in the carpark). We viewed from above - a narrow worn path that followed the Ridge line again, with sheer drops to the ocean below. We could see the narrow limestone entrance facing the sea and a wide, calm circular bay behind it. Grateful we could take it all in on a calm day awithout being blown off the cliff top. Our adventure was savoured under blue, sunny skies.
These were giddiness heights today. Didnt know i was frightened of heights. But today's walks on ledges which were open and unprotected left me a little shaky at the knees. One little slip, or a bump from someone passing could easily send you tumbling.
Last push was the 90 minute drive to Bournemouth. Broke the journey with one last stop for sweeping views along the coastline and a Whippy ice cream. There was a photographic crew here - taking shots of a newly released car. Their job was to photograph the vehicles in locations with stunning backgrounds. Could appreciate why this little view was part of the shoot.
And just like that, our time with @Nigel was done. Our drop off time was nudging 7 pm and he had a 3 hour trek ahead of him to return to Brixham and reconnect with Amanda and Lenny. Definitely going to miss his enthusiasm and stories. Been a top notch adventure.
Of course, after today's stairs and walking, we should have expected it. @Paul was all smiles to greet us at Hedley House, home for the next two days. "Ah, you have booked the attic." No-one was more surprised than me! Had no idea we had booked the attic. My only query "How many flights?" Five flights and two remnants of flights - of course, no lift!
Spacious and light - two sitting rooms and a fridge added to the comfort but it was a looonnngggg way up. Glad @Mac has been going to gym because he is the pack horse carting gear up. @Paul was like an energiser bunny and he did take the big cases up.
No sooner up - and then it was down again. Had to find food. Took a quick look at the coastline just one block away and settled on a pizza (an absolute winner):from the Italian restaurant and some treats from the corner store including for @Mac a bottle of Kraken. One last scale of the stairs and we settled into the loft grateful there was a metal fan that we were able to run all night at full bore.
A moment 💋 for our vicarious adventurers the @Littlens
Survival Barometer
Steps: 14 854
Weather: 29 degrees - perfect!
Can you believe that?
A little background from Co-Pilot.
The South West Coast Path is 630 miles (1,014 km) long. That’s the full official length from Minehead (Somerset) to Poole Harbour (Dorset), making it the longest waymarked footpath in the UK.
🥾 Quick breakdown of the lengthTotal distance: 630 miles / 1,014 kmElevation gain: ~115,000 ft (≈ climbing Everest four times) If you add in the ATTIC feels like we have done that
Typical completion time: 30–56 days if walked continuously
The connection between The Salt Path and the South West Coast Path is direct and central: the entire memoir is the true story of Raynor Winn and her husband Moth walking the 630‑mile South West Coast Path after losing their home and facing Moth’s terminal diagnosis.
Today's Spot the J clue - there is one
"I bet I could find those fossils."
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