I walk down from Cogden car park to the shore, where I stand and look back along the shingle strip. This leads in an unbroken sweep, first hugging the shore and then separating to form the bank of Chesil Beach, all the way back to Portland, three days walking behind me.
At Cogden Beach the pebbles end and sand begins.
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East Fleet is a tiny village but it has both a ‘New Church’ and a ‘Old Church’. I start my walk from the ‘Old Church’, a delightful little chapel set just back from the coastline.
I stop in the churchyard to take photos and, in this deserted setting, I nearly have a heart attack when a woman walks through the gate carrying polished brass candlesticks. My surprise is only matched by hers.
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We drive from Weymouth towards Portland where we are booked into the Queen Anne for bed and breakfast. The car in front has a sticker in the rear window that reads “Keep Portland weird”. I sympathise with the sentiment. Continue reading
There is a number 210 bus that goes from Dorchester all the way to the tip of Portland (but not quite as far as Portland Bill). A man at the bus stop tells me (in a Dorset accent) that he always takes the 210 because it is cheaper than the number 1. I ask him if he is going to Portland too – but he is only going into Weymouth town centre.
“Here it comes,” says my friendly bus stop neighbour. It is just as well he is guiding me. I expected an express coach. The bus is old and I would have missed the small card with the number “210” pasted at the bottom of the front windscreen. Continue reading
I walk along the promenade, through Weymouth. The sun is shining and it promises to be another hot March day. It is a Monday morning and the beach is comparatively empty.
Lulworth Cove – Tim Baynes painting
I catch the train from Weymouth to Wool. This is the nearest I can get to Lulworth Cove by public transport in the winter. By chance, there is a taxi waiting at the station. It costs me 16 quid but there is no alternative. Continue reading
I start my walk from the abandoned village of Tyneham. There is a long track – nearly a mile – from the car park at Tyneham to the coast of Worbarrow Bay.
Yesterday, I saw the steep hill that leads up from Worbarrow Bay and today I have come prepared. My husband found me a stout stick. The wood is rough, but I have padded it by slipping a pair of socks over the end to create a softer hand grip. (You can see my new walking stick, leaning against the stile, in the photograph.)
I am glad there is nobody about to see me as I huff and puff my way up the slope. The steepest bit is at the top. Continue reading
Today I will be walking from Chapman’s Pool to just beyond Kimmeridge. You can only walk this section at the weekend, as the path crosses through land owned by the Ministry of Defence, the Lulworth Ranges.
I start my walk at Worth Matravers and head down to Hill Bottom. The first thing I see is an ominous sign warning of unstable cliffs. This adds to my sense of unease. Continue reading
My husband drops me off at Durlston Country Park. We were planning to have breakfast in the Visitor Centre cafe but it is not open yet and I am too impatient to wait. With no village or pub on the route today, I have brought a snack for lunch. I will eat it for breakfast instead.
I head down the track towards the Anvil Point light house.
I pass some old quarry workings, complete with a truck on a rail track and with the pulley system used to haul up the Purbeck stone. Many of these quarries were mined by the families who owned the land and dug out the stone with pickaxes. Everybody, including children, was expected to help in these dangerous family businesses. Continue reading
Today I plan a short walk before setting off for my long car journey back home. I park at the Visitor’s Centre in Durlston Country Park. Then I walk back towards Swanage. This is what I call ‘wasted walking’ – that is: walking in the wrong direction and not making progress along the coast. But, without any convenient public transport, I have no choice.
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Ceredigion Llanrhystud (21 day emergency closure from 15 October 2026) Presence of dangerous cattle on the path near Tregynan, Llanrhystud. en until 05-11-2026 Above is the detail given for the emergency closure of a section of the coast path in Wales. The decision was taken by Ceredigion County Council according to press reports, but there […]
Incident No: 1319Date: 14.08.26Site: 51.6221725, -2.5476959 Near Thornbury, South Gloucestershire1 cow, 1 walker, no dogDescription: “I was going to walk across the field, it was open with no warning signs. A cow was staring at me, I didn’t think much about it and just kept my distance. It took a few steps towards me so […]
ncident No: 1318Date: 13.10.26Site: Timberscombe Common, Timberscombe near Minehead, Somerset1 horse, 1 pony and rider. Group of cows. Sophie’s Report : “I was hacking my horse back along the bridleway across the centre of the common towards the village, when the cows saw me and charged at me. My horse and the pony I was […]
