Weymouth and the Portland causeway 23/6/11

It's J's birthday. The plan is to go mackerel fishing from Weymouth harbour. It is a Thursday and on arrival at the quayside the sign says that the next trip will be on Saturday. Plan B involves the hour sightseeing trip around Portland harbour. We take the 50p ferry boat, complete with grumpy rowing guy, crossing to the departure point by the pavilion and get the last 2 places on the first full boat our skipper has had in several weeks. On the course of the voyage we look over at the distant bank of chesil beach linking Portland with Ferrybridge and realise that we have not actually planned to cover the causeway section of the coast path. It has to be done this afternoon or will remain a gap in our logical progression.

But first we enjoy the boat trip, commentary and views out here. Better than being in work. The sun shines and upon returning to port we have a mackerel burger in 'Fritz and Chips' - part of the Fearnley-Whittingstall fish fight campaign that has taken off in the best of the town's chippys. A birthday beer in The Boot Inn then out to the Chesil Beach information centre just over Ferrybridge. Its not that great, and they charge for some leaflets that come free from tourist information.

The short walk is great, however. We take in the view atop the bank before crossing the road to enjoy the splendid wild flower display on the causeway. All sorts going on in the harbour, some of it possibly olympic preparation. We both like this rather unique strip of land.

West Bay - West Bexington. 15/5/11. 5.6 Miles

A has a problem with West Bay, so we don't even make it to the end of the new harbour wall but set off up the distinctive red East Cliff passing the golf course until another pretty grim static caravan park at Burton Freshwater. Here the path heads inland a bit towards the first bridge over the River Bride. We decide on the more adventurous approach by attempting to vault the mouth of the stream as it splays out across the shingle. A pause follows while shoes and  socks are removed and dried. J reminisces about a fun Christmas spent with friends in a nearby cottage in Burton Bradstock many years ago.

We muse on the excellence of Billy Bragg's house and its location and hope a group of Guatemalan miners are enjoying a fraternal visit in the west wing. Maybe see him on stage at the Tolpuddle Festival later this year.

The Hive beach cafe has become very well known. Today we arrive at 3.00pm and are told lunch service is finished for the day. Had a distinctly mixed experience at this place. Certainly the food is very good, the local sourcing and intentions are all good too, but previous experience of queues and scrums for a table at peak time have left a scar. J has stopped going here with visitors at weekends. And today ourselves and other punters hard behind us fall foul of what seems a very old fashioned closing time culture in a setting that seems very modern. We do get a substantial carrot cake and coffee and enjoy a seat in the sun.

Along the low cliffs and then down to Cogden beach we pass a caravan park we actually like! Has a faded eccentric charm quite unlike the eyesores we have moaned about so far. And there is a wonderful change in the flora and scenery as we hit this next section. Huge drifts of thrift, lots of wild cabbage and other attractive beach side plants that we will need to look up. Burton Mere is an attractive small swampy lake with exciting bird noises drifting out of the reed and wild iris beds. The path officially passes to the north but we like the beach atmosphere with its rows of Sunday fishermen adding to the atmosphere until the strain of walking on shingle sends us back to the official path and a close encounter with a heard of Fresians.

West Bexington is in view and we return to the car we originally left here earlier. Sadly the Manor Hotel is closed for refurbishment and this is the only source of refreshment in this village. We have not used as much public transport as we would like so far, largely due to time constraints. As we plan the next few sections we resolve to take some whole days and carry details of the bus services - should be possible as we get further east with Dorchester as the hub, its better connected than Ottery.

A month has to pass before we can hit the trail again and withdrawal symptoms are a factor. We do get to the Bridport Food Festival and after Hugh Fearly-Whittingstall does his thing with mackerel, we get talking to the fine fellows of the National Trust Jurassic Coast team, who tell us about the 'rock around the coast' walking tours.

http://www.jurassiccoast.com/270/jurassic-news-36/latest-news-162/rock-around-the-coast-and-take-a-walk-through-time-622.htmltr


They confirm there is no specific walking guide to the route, and this feeds our fantasy of writing a sort of Devon/Dorset Alfred Wainwright guide. Is there demand out there?

Lyme Regis-West Bay 14/05/11 10.1 miles

We set off on yet another sunny early summer day looking forward to the climb which would today include Golden Cap the highest point on the south coast which stands at 191 metres.

From Lyme we walked across Charmouth beach in search of fossils along the way. We did find an ammonite although you will find many superior specimens in the local dinosaur museums.

We were relieved that the landslide which had closed part of the route did not lead us on a lengthy detour. The climb up Golden Cap was quite a challenge but well worth the effort.  The views here are stunning across Lyme Bay , looking forward with Portland clearly in view today. We shared the summit with several other small groups who also chose this spot to have their picnic. We observed signs of the archaeological dig being undertaken by the National Trust that had been sign posted along the way.

After a hearty homemade sandwich we set off again and descend towards Sea Town, a pretty village with a decent pub  called the Anchor Inn. We sit at a table outside and the endorphins are now flowing and we decide despite our original plan, to carry on as far as West Bay.

 We leave the pub and begin the climb of Dog House Hill which is followed by Thorncombe Beacon . This feels like really hard work and requires real stamina. At Eype we pass a campsite on the cliff edge which enjoys the spectacular views across the Bay. We complete this rather challenging part of the coastal path and eventually arrive at West Bay. It is hard to believe that this town is part of an area of outstanding beauty. It has more fish and chip outlets than I have ever seen in one place. The recent architecture is multi story flatlets with smoked glass and truly an eye sore. Having said that it does have a pretty harbour side. It is close by here that you will  find  the Riverside restaurant  which J recommends. It is here we end our walk for the day but not before we walk up the river into Bridport and stop at the George pub for well earned refreshments. Two glasses of wine here has A as merry as all the  locals we met on the number 31 double decker bus appear to be. We return to Lyme Regis and the Harbour Inn, a pleasant pub with ok food service, and J enjoys the fish pie while A goes for the fishcakes. A good way to end what has been a physically challenging but most enjoyable day. We are well into the Dorset  now and will return tomorrow to pick up the path again at West Bay