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| Lulworth Cove |
This section was a major milestone for me as it was the last section of the coast path that I would walk alone. I had only one section remaining after this - the short and relatively easy section from Swanage to South Haven Point - and that last section would be a celebration with the rest of my family. However, I still had this rather formidable section to complete and I had left it so late principally because of the difficulty of crossing through the Lulworth firing ranges and also the rather difficult public transport arrangements. Both of these factors were solved by the fact that I did this walk on a Sunday when the firing range wasn't in operation and summer bus services were to help me.
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| Lulworth Cove Overview |
I set off early from Worthing to find the parking spot that had served me well at Kingston village only a few weeks before. From here I got the bus and was supposed to change at Wareham. The connection didn't quite work and I faced a lengthy wait at Wareham so I was very pleased to see the Lulworth bus ahead of me at Corfe Castle and managed to switch buses in the nick of time! That quick thinking spared me a lot of hassle later on and also meant that I was able to get going on the walk a lot earlier than I dared hope.
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| Fossil Forest |
It was another very hot day and on a lonely stretch of coastline where I wasn't sure if I would see any refreshment opportunities I made sure to stock up before I left Lulworth. Being a tourist place though the prices were a bit steep so I bought the minimum of stuff and hoped that I would find somewhere else on the way. My first problem was a change of route out of Lulworth due to a cliff fall. It was tempting to merely walk along the beach at the back of Lulworth Cove but I wanted to get a look at the view from the top and so made my way along the diversion which took me inland some distance before striking straight up the side of the hill that is due east of the village. It was the first but no means least of the climbs that I would have to do today.
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| Mupe Bay |
Despite the heat there was quite a nice cooling breeze on the clifftop and this would serve me well during the day. The beachgoers were now far below me and their laughter and screams were barely audible now. I had a fairly level path at the back of the cove and the views were quite special, both back towards Lulworth and onwards to the section of coast that I now had to tackle. It looked a bit daunting but I thought I would take it slow and steady for I had no rush now that I had dealt with the public transport. At the back of the cove the path descended quickly and steeply towards Little Bindon down the side of the army ranges, bound very menacingly with a long barbed wire fence. The red flags were flying but it was supposed to be a non-operational day. I suspect these ones high up on the range are left in situ all the time as a reminder.
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| Mupe Bay |
After dropping all the way down to sea level almost I then had a short climb up to Pepler's Point. This eastern side of Lulworth Cove is named after George Pepler, who was once the tenant of Little Bindon nearby. This house was owned by the Cistercian Abbey of Bindon some distance away at Wool and is now a listed building although given that it is within the army range I doubt that anyone resides there currently. Pepler's view is certainly worthy of the short diversion to get there.
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| Bindon Hill |
I crossed into the army ranges through a very secure looking gate and the next few miles would be through Ministry of Defence land. This is often off limits and coast walkers need to plan when to come for most of the time you can only walk this stretch at the weekend. Almost immediately I dropped down to the viewpoint for the fossil forest. The fossil forest is the remains of an ancient Jurassic forest that was submerged around the time that the limestone was formed. The trunks of the trees are long gone but you can see holes in the rock where the trees would once have been. There was a notice warning people not to walk around on the cliff shelf where you can see the forest but of course there were people that had ignored it and were taking selfies of their exploits. Satisfied with a long range look I walked on along a level cliff for a while. It felt good for now but I could see the cliff at Bindon Hill ahead and knew that a stiff climb was to come.
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| Ex-Tank |
The view out across Mupe and Worbarrow Bays was quite something. I lingered here for a while and was asked by a German couple suggested routes for their walk in the area. When I pointed to where I was walking to way off in the distance they politely accepted my suggested route and walked off in a different direction. I think they were looking for something rather easier and who could blame them? I set off up the hill at a slow and steady pace - I have discovered that really works for me now. I didn't even feel the pressure of another couple coming up behind me at a faster pace - they soon underestimated the steepness of the path and ground to a halt while I plodded to the top without stopping. I was pleased I made it before them as there was a very welcome seat which I made full use of.
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| Flowers Barrow View |
Enjoyment of my newly found height was very short lived as I was soon to plunge all the way down to the beach head at Arish Mell. As I descended I was fascinated by the battlefield off to my left. The army exercises are all played out here and the landscape was littered with spent tanks. They cut rather a forlorn figure in the heathland landscape. Off in the far distance I could also see Lulworth Castle and it looked as if they were having some kind of special event as the grounds were full of marquees. Once I had descended to the beach head I could see that was off limits too - the beach head no doubt serves as a crucial training ground and probably has plenty of redundant miltary stuff hanging around that wouldn't mix with members of the public.
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| Worbarrow Bay |
I now climbed to the top of Flower's Barrow - another stiff test. As I made my way up the hill I joined a group of scouts and soon passed them by as they were mucking about and were clearly feeling the effects of the hot day. The fact that I was at least 30 years older than the oldest of them wasn't lost on me - it made me feel pretty good that I passed them! At the top I sat on the ramparts of the long barrow for some time drinking in the view as well as copious amount of water. In this dry summer it was particularly noticeable how dry and parched everywhere looked. It is an astonishingly good view though - perhaps the best in the whole of Purbeck...
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| Worbarrow Bay |
Once I had gathered my strength once again I crossed to the other side of the barrow where I came upon a huge rambling group and thanked my lucky stars that I hadn't encountered them earlier. Again I didn't really have time to enjoy my new found altitude - it was straight back down a steep slope to the back of Worbarrow Bay. As I descended I saw a runner going in the opposite direction. I was sure whether to marvel at or ridicule his efforts in the hottest of midday temperatures. Either way he was supremely fit and appeared not too troubled by the steepness of the climb.
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| Tyneham Church |
At Worbarrow Bay I had a quick look at the view and back at the two huge hills I had climbed with some satisfaction. The rest of the day wouldn't be quite as tough I thought. I took a detour at Worbarrow Bay for there was a rather special place I wanted to take a look at away from the coast path.
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| Ghost Village |
Tyneham is a village that I visited on a cold February day many years ago. It was deserted and a little eerie, befitting its status as one of the most famous abandoned villages in the UK. This lonely place was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence during World War II to enable troops to carry out training exercises ahead of the D-Day landings. The villagers that were moved out were on a promise that they could return when the war was over. However, in 1948 the Army completed a compulsory purchase order over the village and it was incorporated into the Lulworth Ranges and the villagers never returned. Subsequently the village was battered by shelling and other army exercises and most of the housing is ruined. I was keen to take another look but this time I was a bit disappointed. Much of the village has been tidied up for visitors and somehow the atmosphere was all wrong on this hot and sunny day with dozens of people milling about. I had hoped that the number of people here would bring some refreshment opportunities but sadly not. I had to hope for more opportunity further on.
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| Tyneham Valley |
After having a look around and going inside the school room & some of the houses I returned to the coast path. This section was more level once at the top of the cliffs. I wasn't expecting anything quite as spectacular as before but I was wrong. The underlying geology had changed now - instead of limestone there was now shale and the nature of the cliffs was far different as a result. As I rounded Brandy Bay and Tyneham Cap the geology became more evident as the bedding planes came into view. Looking back along the cliff that I had walked I could also see the land slipping that was characteristic of this rock type. In many respects it was similar to that beyond Lyme Regis although much smaller in scale. I absolutely loved this couple of miles - in many ways it was my favourite part of the day's walk.
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| Tyneham Coast |
At the bottom of the hill I passed through the fence that marked the other end of the military ranges. The military controlling this area is definitely a mixed blessing for while it is awkward to walk across here due to operational timings, the fact is that the landscape is a real haven for nature as largely it has been left alone. Once through the boundary I then passed an unusual sight in England, an operational oil well. The pump has been here for many decades - I remember learning about it in my geography lessons at school in the 1980s.
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| Broad Bench |
I soon came down into Kimmeridge Bay where the busy beach suggested that there might be some refreshments available. Luckily this time I hit the jackpot in the shape of an ice cream van. The ice creams were fairly poor quality but no matter - it was ice cold and went down a treat as I was boiling by now. It set me up nicely for the last few miles starting with the short climb to Clavell Tower. This folly was built in 1830 by Reverend Clavell and is now used as a holiday home. It was moved back from the cliff edge in 2008 in an operation that cost nearly £1m. I imagine that it is quite expensive to stay there in order to recoup that money! There were a couple of people in residence as I wandered by - looked like a relaxing spot although residents must be constantly gawped at by sweaty hikers like me wandering by.
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| Clavell Tower |
The next couple of miles were quite uneventful and relatively easy going apart from a couple of diversions around cliff falls. I had been pre-warned of a large hill at the end of the day though and as I went on I saw it loom ahead of me. In fact what I wasn't totally prepared for was that there were actually two steep hills at the end; the first one was just a taster for the bigger one at the end. They were more than a sting in the tail. I really had quite a hard time getting up both hills, especially the second which was Houns-Tout Cliff, where I knew that once at the top the hard work would be done. I was extremely grateful for the seat at the top, which I shared with a local couple who shuffled up so I could sit with them. We chatted for a few minutes while I got my breath back and drained the rest of my water. As I walked the last mile and a half back along the ridge to Kingston village I reflected on the day and all the days I have been walking this path. It seems amazing to me that I am almost at the end.
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| Clavell Tower and Kimmeridge Bay |
In spite of this being one of the last sections of the walk that I have completed I think I might have a contender for favourite section. The physical challenge is one of the toughest on the whole walk. Some will disagree but I can only think of Hartland Quay to Bude and St Ives to Zennor being tougher. There are at least five significant climbs and a number of smaller ones. The views along the Purbeck coast are staggeringly beautiful though and well worth the effort. Tyneham is an unmissable detour, even if I was slightly disappointed by my second visit. Be aware of the lack of facilities all the way along and ideally don't tackle it on a day as hot as the one I had!
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| Chapman's Pool |
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