The South West Coast Path - Dorset: A review

Background

We started the 630 mile South West Coast Path in January 2011, having recently bought a holiday flat in Poole. We decided we would approach it as a series of circular walks, so as to also get to know the interior. At the start we thought we might eventually reach Weymouth or perhaps even Lyme Regis.


What happened is that we have gathered momentum as time has gone on, and we have finished 2011 having already reached Weymouth and then gone on to complete the circuit of the Isle of Portland and push on to Lyme Regis. As we approached Weymouth, we decided to shift to doing linear walks and used a combination of train and taxi to do so - which of course greatly accelerated our progress along the coast. We are now thinking that perhaps we can do the whole thing over the next several years. In a nutshell, we have been hooked! 

The total distance we have walked so far - which is of course also the official length of the coast path in Dorset - is 86 miles.

Reflections

We had previously done next to no walking along the coast, just one memorable walk in Crosby and others on holiday in Cap Ferrat and the Costa Brava (Llafranc to Cap Roig and to Golfet). At first there was the novelty of a few miles along the beach to Studland and then the already-familiar area around Old Harry Rocks and Ballard Down. After the interesting town of Swanage comes Durleston and what feels like the beginning of the Coast Path proper. Certainly one of the striking things is that there is very little development actually on the coast - Weymouth and Lyme are the only major settlements. So one of our abiding impressions is how quiet and rural it is.

From about Dancing Ledge onwards the coast becomes much more dramatic with the spectacular chalk cliffs that extend as far as White Nothe - where there is a dramatic change to red sandstone to Weymouth and then Portland Stone around the gigantic quarry that is Portland.  Towards the end you climb Golden Cap, the highest point on the south coast, although not by much. The climbs and descents of the chalk cliffs will live in the memory. And there is no doubt that we are fitter as a result and more confident of our ability to tackle anything else that the Coast Path may have in store.

We were pleasantly surprised that for the most part the Coast Path is not crowded. The section between the car park at Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door is the only real exception, but even here as soon as you pass Durdle Door things quieten down straight away.

Wildlife sightings were relatively limited, but quite interesting. Fulmars, a Short Toed lark, a Serrin, a Clouded Yellow butterfly and a common seal were the highlights.

There was a noticeable theme of war: from the castles built by Henry VIII when he feared attack by the Spanish, to the pillboxes, radar research and preparations for D-Day 500 hundred years later.

There was also constant evidence of erosion of the coastline and several places where the path had been temporarily or permanently moved inland. The most dramatic example was the Clavell Tower which had been moved 80ft inland in 2005. I suppose walking the Coast Path must increase the rate of erosion, but as both erosion and walking are fundamentally natural processes, I think this is acceptable.

The stages in which we did the walk are listed below. Flowers Barrow to Lulworth Cove was the most demanding and Lulworth Cove to White Nothe probably the most pleasing.

Stages

1 South Haven Point to Studland Bay

2 Studland Bay to New Swanage

3 Swanage to Anvil Point

4 Anvil Point to Dancing Ledge

5 Dancing Ledge to Winspit

6 Winspit to Chapman's Pool

7 Chapman's Pool to Rope Lake Head

8 Rope Lake Head to Kimmeridge Bay

9 Kimmeridge Bay to Flower's Barrow

10 Flower's Barrow to Lulworth Cove

11 Lulworth Cove to White Nothe

12 White Nothe to Osmington Mills

13 Osmington Mills to Ferry Bridge

14 Ferry Bridge to Portland Bill

15 Portland Bill to Ferry Bridge

16 Ferry Bridge to Langton Herring

17 Langton Herring to West Bexington

18 West Bexington to Eype Mouth

19 Eype Mouth - Golden Cap - Charmouth

20 Charmouth to Lyme Regis