Wake up in our little shepherd’s hut by the beach in West Bexington. First things first we put the bed back in the wall and reveal the table and seats for breakfast. Homemade granola, local yogurt, and homemade preserves provided by our host.

The weather isn’t brilliant but we set out to Seatown, just down from Chideock.. I feel I should recognise it from my childhood but I only remember the holiday home by the pub in Chideock. The lady cab driver is extremely chatty, telling us about moving down here forty years ago, house prices etc. At West Bay we grab a hazelnut hot chocolate, pasty, Portuguese custard tart and chocolate twist.

Thankfully the rain seems to have abated so I erect my walking poles and head out of town up the hill passing pretty wildflowers – bluebells (sadly Spanish but nice to see all the same), and samphire.. Nigel is reminded of a story he learnt at school about a husband and wife, she was a bit of a bully and he enticed her to the cliff looking for samphire where she fell off!

As we climb away from West Bay we enjoy glimpses back admiring the pink painted cottage on the quayside. Our route meanders slightly inland around a hollow that looks like a former settlement, we pass yet another caravan park this one equipped with shiny new glamping pods – but nothing like as glam as our West Bexington shepherds hut!

I’d been wondering how the path crosses the tributary at lower Eype and am pleasantly surprised to find stepping stones over a trickling stream. The pebbles on the beach here are somewhat different from the tiny round ones we’ve become used to – they are larger and flatter and greyer and the cliff colour has changed from red to a muddy grey.

The delightful yellow painted Briar Cliff Hut perched precariously on the cliffs brings back memories of Broadchurch and the horrific story line that panned out here.

The hills rollercoaster up and down and we enjoy dodging the mummy sheep and their little lambs, who entertain us with their quaint little jumps and erratically wagging tails as they feed. The gap between the next two cliffs forms a perfect U shape, with the next climb being particularly tough with a welcome bench near the top. Two walkers pass us by, quite rare on this walk – it is a week day in April with inclement weather!

We arrive at the top of Thorncombe Beacon at the same time as an elderly gentleman and admire the view looking in both directions, which despite today’s weather is breath-taking, this sure is a perfect spot for a beacon. He turns out to be a local who walks this way frequently, apparently since Broadchurch more and more visitors have come to this stunning little corner of Dorset.

We meander over the lumps and bumps of Doghouse Hill, opting for the slightly inland route to avoid the incredible gusts coming off the sea. The cute little hamlet of Seatown boasts a warm and friendly inn perfect for an end of walk drink and nibbles before heading back to our little shepherd’s hut to rest our weary legs.