Take a short break – I

My holidays were cancelled this year but I decided I still needed a break when I wouldn’t have to make meals or do shopping or think about anything much, so I booked 4 nights “Self-guided Walking” at Lulworth Cove. As book-in time was not until 4.0 p.m. on the Monday, I decided to go earlier and have a stroll from the carpark.

Arriving at around 1.15, I payed the £5 for 5 hours parking (not possible to do less) and then walked down to the cove to eat my picnic lunch. It wasn’t too busy so fairly easy to be 2m away from everyone else.

View from lunch at Lulworth Cove.

Having had lunch I then headed for Durdle Door – up the steep path.

Path from Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door
Durdle Door

I got slower as I went up…..There were lots of other people going the same way – over the top and down the other side.

Having had a good look, but decided not to go down to the beach – more hill – it was time to walk back.

Path from Durdle Door to Lulworth Cove
View of Lulworth Cove from path from Durdle Door

It is much less steep going back and there is a good view of Lulworth Cove from the top.

There was then time to get an ice-cream (mango flavour, by choice) before moving the car nearer to the hotel and going to book in. After dinner there was time to discuss with the walk leader possible routes for the next day.

So on the Tuesday I drove to Worth Matravers and parked the car – only £2 and an “honesty box” to take the money. After taking 2 wrong turnings I managed to get onto the “Priests Way”.

Looking back at Worth Matravers from one of my wrong turnings!
Area containing the dinosaur footprints.

Walking along that path there was a gate labelled “To dinosaur footprints” – which is what I was looking for. After passing through a field one reaches the area. So I studied the board with the information about them.

Information board

The area was part of Keates Quarry and it is amazing that the quarry men realised what they were looking at – a few dents in the stone makes dinosaur footprints. They think it might have been a watering hole all those millions of years ago – hence the number of footprints. There were really quite a lot.

A few of the footprints – at least 3 in the photo

Having had elevenses, I then continued along the Priest’s Way before turning off to go down to Dancing Ledge. It was on this path – or rather just off it – that my foot got caught in a bramble and I fell onto my backside, hurting my back and leg. Having picked myself up, I continued down towards the sea.

Dancing Ledge
Coastal path and lunch spot

I didn’t actually go down to Dancing Ledge – more hill – but continued along the Coastal Path. I actually sat and had my lunch at the side of the path, with a sea view.

I continued along the path, but the views backwards were better!

View back along the Coastal Path
One of the flowers – any ideas for identification?

There were loads of flowers beside the path and small brown butterflies with red or yellow marks.

Continuing along the path I eventually took the second path back up to Worth Matravers. In doing so I could see two different lots of “Strip Lynchets”.

One of the Strip Lynchets

These are apparently part of the Mediaeval Strip farming system, which were ploughed in such a way as to make the terraces and so increase the amount of farming land.

The path back up to Worth Matravers seemed very long and very steep (I was quite tired by then and had fallen earlier!) so I was quite glad to get back there.

Worth Matravers village pond

It was then back to the car and then driving back to the hotel, where I was quite glad to sit down and rest before dinner.

(To be continued…..)

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