11 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . After a four hour drive we check in at the Ilchester Arms, Abbotsbury, grab a pasty in a local cafe and catch a taxi back to Ferry Bridge. According to the cab driver the Ferry Bridge pub has been closed for many years, oh well, if I win the lottery.. Munching on our pasties we settle into a rhythm walking, not with the sea to our left, but hugging the edge of the Fleet Lagoon – the large stretch of brackish water between us and Chesil Beach. Oh my there are a lot of pill boxes along this stretch [...]

2 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Breakfast at the Crows Nest before we head out for an early morning New Years Day walk. Cannot believe it the weatherman has got it oh so wrong - 2019 is starting off with a glorious sunny day. Picking up where we left off after our yummy meal at the Cove House Inn, we finish walking along the promenade and descend to the beach below. Chesil Beach is a mere 18 miles long – owned by The Crown, Ilchester Estate and the National Trust. Pedestrians are discouraged and often restricted from walking the whole length of the beach due [...]

8.5 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . The local bus takes us back to Easton where we re-trace our steps to Church Ope Cove – oh my what a pretty little cove with oh so many cute beach huts all shut up for the winter. We skim a pebble or two then continue along the South West Coast Path. The walk takes us through disused quarries, skirting the edge of Southwell. Remnants of quarried stone blocks along with disused cranes have us wondering of how this area must have been maybe 100 years ago. We take some time pondering over the workings of the wooden crane [...]

6.5 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Having parked at our holiday cottage on the Isle of Portland we catch the bus back to the mainland and re-trace our steps to Sandsfoot Castle cafe. We taste their pasties again, admire the view from the castle then cross the road and join the Rodwell Trail. Seventy years ago steam trains chuffed along this route from Weymouth to Portland. Today it is a buzz with dog walkers, cyclists, runners and us enjoying the stroll and the views across the harbour. A small estate of houses at the end of the trail lies on the site of the former [...]

6.5 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Breakfast at the Smugglers Inn sets us up for today’s stroll towards Weymouth. We find the coast path a little way out of the village and head up the steps to the cliff top where the path takes us inland around the large undercliff area.. All along this walk there is evidence of the ever-changing coastline with massive cracks in the land suggesting imminent cliff falls, we stay well clear of the edge! We spot a white horse on the cliff –which are later informed by our taxi driver is riden by King George... The path skirts around a [...]

5.5 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Arrive at the Smugglers Inn, Osmington Mills with enough time for a quick drink before our taxi whisks us to Durdle Door. It’s a surprisingly sunny day for late September which has brought out lots of happy smiling families to enjoy this fabulous arch in the rock – some even swimming right through it. Our walk is almost immediately up the extremely steep Swyre Head, thankfully nowhere near as steep as the ones on the Lulworth Ranges but I’m nevertheless pleased I remembered my walking pole. We enjoy the view from the top with a few other adventurous walkers [...]

1 Mile Miles walked since starting. . . Wake up to sunshine in the delightful Lulworth Cove Inn . . .

9 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Feeling refreshed from our night in Church Knowle (I highly recommend the local pub and the Shepherds Hut on the farm) we call our local taxi lady who takes us to the cafe above Kimmeridge Bay – owned by her sister and waitressed by her daughter. Breakfast is very good, we are joined in the cafe by what we believe are local fisherman and bomb disposal experts! I guess we are about to walk across the Lulworth Ranges. The weather is somewhat disappointing – cold and misty! A fingerpost tells us we have a 6 ¼ mile walk to [...]

8  Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Our adventure today commences with a train journey from Tunbridge Wells. Alighting at the Dorset market town of Wareham we immediately feel like we’re on holiday – we grab a hot handmade pasty from ‘The Salt Pig’ which we devour whilst watching the boats mooring alongside the quay in the sunshine. The number 40 bus takes us towards Swanage passed Corfe Castle, with the Swanage Railway steam train puffing along beside us. It’s a bit of a walk from the main road through the quaint village of Worth Matrevers to Seacombe Cliff where I left off a couple of [...]

5.5 Miles Miles walked since starting. . . Having been kept awake for some of the night followed by the early morning dawn chorus I am pleased when dawn finally breaks at the Purbeck Hotel. Breakfast is served in the conservatory from where the view of the garden draws us out to admire the yew columns, amazing weeping willow tree and interesting artefacts. After grabbing provisions from the local co op we wander down to the seafront, passed the gardens where we reminisce the days of young children on a camping holiday maybe 20 years ago? We walk round the headland onto the grassy cliff top towards [...]