We are Dorset this week, leaving behind the beautiful SW coastal path now, here is what we did, enjoy!
Monday 21st January – day 86
Hurray, it is not raining this morning, it is a little windy, but we can work with that, so a good day for a return visit to Lul
worth Cove, to walk over to Durdle Door and beyond - as long as the weather holds. We arrived in sunshine, (and what a difference a little sunshine makes) but we put on our waterproofs just in case!!! But today it was not rain that was the challenge, but indeed it was the wind (no comments please)
The walk up, over and along to Durdle Door, was fabulous, with breath taking views, but after a while the wind was battering so we turned and made a circular walk back over the downs.
We had one of those magical half
hours as we returned to Lulworth. Every other sensible person had retreated in doors to protect themselves from the elements, but we went down to sit by the watery frilly edges of the waves as they lapped the shore. The round cove is protected from the wind by the high hills that surround it, and the sea is calmed as it enters the bay, so we sat in quiet solitude watching the movement of the water as it rushed up the pebbles, and the light of the day faded.
Tuesday 22nd January - day 87
Guess what, we actually woke to sunshine this morning, I could get used to this! Tour planned to visit Cerne Abbas, Sherbourne and Shaftesbury, so picnic packed and promptish departure made.
First stop Cerne Abbas, and after coffee, we set out to look for the Cerne Giant. There were plenty of signposts, but none of them mentioned the 1 in 3 incline or the need for STOUT footwear, so off we went, a couple of innocents believing that we were off for a half mile stroll, we did not even think to put our boots on. All I can say is that it is a miracle that one of us did not land on our bottoms as it was SO slippy, and for all our efforts - getting there, AND getting back – we could not make out much of the outline of the Giant. We did however make it back safely to the car, and it had definitely been good exercise for us! As we left Cerne we did (more or less) see the Giants outline, but he was a little du
ll as he had not been buffed up yet for the new season,
On then to lovely Sherbourne, this really pretty town was quite a surprise, with a beautiful Abbey apparently inspired by the same St Aldhelm that is linked to Malmesbury. We lingered there rather longer than anticipated and didn’t reach Shaftesbury in the light. It was quite good fun walking down Gold Hill (Hovis advert) in the dark, but it is really a lot shorter than pictures suggest. We walked round the town, but both agreed the time in Sherbourne had been much better spent.
Wednesday 23rd January – day 88
Not raining today either, but very still and very grey. We spent some time searching out the next caravan sites in West Sussex and Kent, then set off to take a tour of Purbeck. We did not start well, with a picnic lunch at Kimmeridge, a rather dull grey looking wide muddy bay, though there were
interesting rock formations, and it is a rich source of fossils we understand. Unfortunately it failed to inspire us on this grey day so we set off for romantic Corfe Castle, where we had much more fun. We walked up and around this historically interesting castle, which has dominated the local landscape since the 11th century, even after it was partly blown up during the civil war in the 17th century (can you tell that we read all the posters) and as a treat (yes, yet another one!) we popped into the National Truss tea rooms for refreshment. Only in the NT tea rooms can you ask for, be understood, and receive the perfect pot of tea – 2 tea bags of Earl Grey, and 1 tea bag of Lapsang Souchong (we first encountered this delight at Nick and Liesel’s) - joy, so well mannered they did not lift an eyebrow or look bemused, that’s the standard, well done National Truss! 
As dusk was approaching we departed for Swanage, and a walk along the beach. The pier looked very pretty as we parked up, but we could not make a close inspection as it was locked.
We walked the long length of the bay, running round or climbing over the groins (wooden walls that break up the beach to protect sand movement) as we went. The beach was fab, with hard damp sand that stayed on the ground rather than slide into the shoe, and we only terminated our evening stroll as the dinner bell was beginning to sound!
Thursday 24th January – day 89
A wonderfully warm sunny day, could believe that spring is on the way! Especially as in recent days we have seen a whole host of harbingers – snowdrops, lambs, primroses and catkins!
Off to walk the last few miles of the coastal path today. Drove through Poole to take the ferry, rather than driving through Wareham and had to go through Sandbanks, apparently the most expensive area in England, s
o there were some spectacular houses on show, but the real show stoppers were the kite surfers. These wetsuit clad enthusiasts balanced on short boards that were being pulled at great speed across the shallow waters of Sandbanks, by huge brightly coloured semi circular kite structures. It was exciting to watch, so what it must felt like to be pulled along, goodness only knows, we stayed a fair while watching their progress before we went on to catch the ferry that links Bournemouth and Poole with the Purbeck peninsular. We parked up by the Bankes Arms at Studland, and walked the whole length of the bay to the ferry point. After all the weeks of miserable weather it was such a joy to be out in the bright sunshine, the air was clear and bright and we could see the Isle of Wight cliffs quite clearly. The walking was easy as the sand was damp and hard, and the wa
ter lapped gently along the wide shallow bay.
We ambled back along the beach looking for interesting shells until dusk fell, returned to the car via a lovely pint of Old Rosie/Purbeck Wrecker and decided to stay in Bournemouth and find a cinema. But a phone call to Tim to check arrangements for Sunday, only to find that he wanted to come down this evening, changed everything. After some map searching we met up for a curry in Blandford Forum. The fun and games did not end there though! The battery light on Tim’s old banger (given to him until he goes to Argentina by one of dad’s friends) came on as Tim neared Blandford, and by the time we returned to the cars after the meal there was no life in the car at all until we applied the jump leads!
We got ¾ the way home, watching Tim’s headlights go increasingly duller, in our rear view mirror, until finally he stopped and we had to tow him on to the camp site!! Phone call to the AA tomorrow I think!
Friday 25th January – day 90
Hurray, it is not raining this morning, it is a little windy, but we can work with that, so a good day for a return visit to Lul
worth Cove, to walk over to Durdle Door and beyond - as long as the weather holds. We arrived in sunshine, (and what a difference a little sunshine makes) but we put on our waterproofs just in case!!! But today it was not rain that was the challenge, but indeed it was the wind (no comments please)The walk up, over and along to Durdle Door, was fabulous, with breath taking views, but after a while the wind was battering so we turned and made a circular walk back over the downs.
We had one of those magical half
hours as we returned to Lulworth. Every other sensible person had retreated in doors to protect themselves from the elements, but we went down to sit by the watery frilly edges of the waves as they lapped the shore. The round cove is protected from the wind by the high hills that surround it, and the sea is calmed as it enters the bay, so we sat in quiet solitude watching the movement of the water as it rushed up the pebbles, and the light of the day faded.Tuesday 22nd January - day 87
Guess what, we actually woke to sunshine this morning, I could get used to this! Tour planned to visit Cerne Abbas, Sherbourne and Shaftesbury, so picnic packed and promptish departure made.
First stop Cerne Abbas, and after coffee, we set out to look for the Cerne Giant. There were plenty of signposts, but none of them mentioned the 1 in 3 incline or the need for STOUT footwear, so off we went, a couple of innocents believing that we were off for a half mile stroll, we did not even think to put our boots on. All I can say is that it is a miracle that one of us did not land on our bottoms as it was SO slippy, and for all our efforts - getting there, AND getting back – we could not make out much of the outline of the Giant. We did however make it back safely to the car, and it had definitely been good exercise for us! As we left Cerne we did (more or less) see the Giants outline, but he was a little du
ll as he had not been buffed up yet for the new season,On then to lovely Sherbourne, this really pretty town was quite a surprise, with a beautiful Abbey apparently inspired by the same St Aldhelm that is linked to Malmesbury. We lingered there rather longer than anticipated and didn’t reach Shaftesbury in the light. It was quite good fun walking down Gold Hill (Hovis advert) in the dark, but it is really a lot shorter than pictures suggest. We walked round the town, but both agreed the time in Sherbourne had been much better spent.
Wednesday 23rd January – day 88
Not raining today either, but very still and very grey. We spent some time searching out the next caravan sites in West Sussex and Kent, then set off to take a tour of Purbeck. We did not start well, with a picnic lunch at Kimmeridge, a rather dull grey looking wide muddy bay, though there were
interesting rock formations, and it is a rich source of fossils we understand. Unfortunately it failed to inspire us on this grey day so we set off for romantic Corfe Castle, where we had much more fun. We walked up and around this historically interesting castle, which has dominated the local landscape since the 11th century, even after it was partly blown up during the civil war in the 17th century (can you tell that we read all the posters) and as a treat (yes, yet another one!) we popped into the National Truss tea rooms for refreshment. Only in the NT tea rooms can you ask for, be understood, and receive the perfect pot of tea – 2 tea bags of Earl Grey, and 1 tea bag of Lapsang Souchong (we first encountered this delight at Nick and Liesel’s) - joy, so well mannered they did not lift an eyebrow or look bemused, that’s the standard, well done National Truss! 
As dusk was approaching we departed for Swanage, and a walk along the beach. The pier looked very pretty as we parked up, but we could not make a close inspection as it was locked.
We walked the long length of the bay, running round or climbing over the groins (wooden walls that break up the beach to protect sand movement) as we went. The beach was fab, with hard damp sand that stayed on the ground rather than slide into the shoe, and we only terminated our evening stroll as the dinner bell was beginning to sound!
Thursday 24th January – day 89
A wonderfully warm sunny day, could believe that spring is on the way! Especially as in recent days we have seen a whole host of harbingers – snowdrops, lambs, primroses and catkins!
Off to walk the last few miles of the coastal path today. Drove through Poole to take the ferry, rather than driving through Wareham and had to go through Sandbanks, apparently the most expensive area in England, s
o there were some spectacular houses on show, but the real show stoppers were the kite surfers. These wetsuit clad enthusiasts balanced on short boards that were being pulled at great speed across the shallow waters of Sandbanks, by huge brightly coloured semi circular kite structures. It was exciting to watch, so what it must felt like to be pulled along, goodness only knows, we stayed a fair while watching their progress before we went on to catch the ferry that links Bournemouth and Poole with the Purbeck peninsular. We parked up by the Bankes Arms at Studland, and walked the whole length of the bay to the ferry point. After all the weeks of miserable weather it was such a joy to be out in the bright sunshine, the air was clear and bright and we could see the Isle of Wight cliffs quite clearly. The walking was easy as the sand was damp and hard, and the wa
ter lapped gently along the wide shallow bay.We ambled back along the beach looking for interesting shells until dusk fell, returned to the car via a lovely pint of Old Rosie/Purbeck Wrecker and decided to stay in Bournemouth and find a cinema. But a phone call to Tim to check arrangements for Sunday, only to find that he wanted to come down this evening, changed everything. After some map searching we met up for a curry in Blandford Forum. The fun and games did not end there though! The battery light on Tim’s old banger (given to him until he goes to Argentina by one of dad’s friends) came on as Tim neared Blandford, and by the time we returned to the cars after the meal there was no life in the car at all until we applied the jump leads!
We got ¾ the way home, watching Tim’s headlights go increasingly duller, in our rear view mirror, until finally he stopped and we had to tow him on to the camp site!! Phone call to the AA tomorrow I think!
Friday 25th January – day 90
Another gloriously sunny day, feeling a little spoilt as there are still high winds and floods in the north. Supposed to be going to show Tim Southampton but the morning was spent sorting out Tim’s car! After a short wait for the AA man and an even shorter “fix it” time we set off,with a new alternator fan belt, back to the camp site to pick up Helen and off we all go to Southampton. On arrival we located the Solent University, more by luck than hunting, and drove around looking at the faculty buildings. All very modern with some interesting artwork on the banners outside on flagpoles giving a very trendy feel to it all. Leaving the University area behind us we headed into the centre of town, parking by the old city wall, which was available to walk on (where it is still in place) right round the old city centre. With no more thought we mounted the wall for a short run which led into an open market and lots of single shops either side. This led on up to the newer and more developed shopping experience of which we are not fond. Here the
malls have taken over with all the usual high street chains. Enough already, get us out of here!! We had a quick bite to eat, then a return to Ringwood to pick up Tim’s car and send him on his way back to Malmesbury.Saturday 26th January – day 91
We frittered away a beautiful morning doing admin, but in the afternoon we drove to the New Forest for a walk, via Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst. We decided to stop at
one of the roadside pull ins’ (Clay Hill) and walk along the pathways into the forest itself. The paths, although broad and easily definable were very boggy so we found ourselves caught mostly in the margins in order to make any progress. We twisted and turned for a while and decided not to pursue further paths as we did not want to lose our sense of direction for the return. On turning back we were met by 4 or 5 dogs that looked as if they had been out on a hunt, but had lost their pack. They appeared to follow us for a while but then moved off together. We were a little concerned as to their welfare, as were others walkers, but there was no sign of a hunt, and the RSPCA was shut, so all we could do was look out for concerned faces. As there were none to be seen we moved off to drive on to Brockenhurst for tea, but after a drive through, decided that there would be a better chance of a cuppa back at Lyndhurst, so a quick return before the shops shut for that well earned drink.Sunday 27th January – day 92
Well, instead of seeing Tim today, as was originally planned, we saw Will! Having shown Tim around Southampton, as it is one of his university choices, we offered the same to Will – only this time it was Portsmouth, but for the same reason.
As we waited for him to join us, Helen had a look around the beautiful Cathedral, one of the simplest yet effective buildings seen as yet.Once all together we walked into the old harbour area to find lunch at the Bridge Tavern, an atmospheric eatery, which served excellent fish and chips, yum! A long and comfortable while later we set off for Gunwharf Quay (shopping centre) where Will went after a pair of jeans, and we carried on in search of old ships.
We were rewarded, with fine views of HMS’s Warrior and Victory. Had we paid, we could have seen the Mary Rose also, as they were all berthed in the Maritime museum which is located in a working naval dockyard. They were all fabulous and colourful to see, sitting there amidst the dull grey of the Navy’s present day mine sweepers, frigates and fleet auxiliary supply ships. All too soon we had to depart to rejoin Will for a trip up the Spinnaker Tower. As you can see from the picture, dad needed a little support and encouragement to part with the £6.20 for the price of a ticket each to get to the top!
We arrived at the top just as the sun was beginning to set on this clear and bright day, and we had magnificent panoramic views of the spread of the harbour, the Isle of Wight and the further coastline beyond. We were supposed to be able to see the spire of Chichester Cathedral but I could not spot it! The light was fading as we left, and the tower now clothed in blue light looked fabulous.It was still mild as we walked Will back to the station, more cheering signs of the possibility of spring.
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