D96: CHRISTCHURCH to BOURNEMOUTH
Tuesday 16th May 2023
Today miles: 8.7 Total miles 1600.6
By the time I’d started walking today I was in a seriously foul mood and unfortunately this would stay with me all day. In summary, an eight hour drive and the drama of finding somewhere (or not) to park in Bournemouth had me seriously irritated. It was late in the afternoon by the time I set off from Christchurch, backtracking slightly to pick up where I had left off four weeks ago.
I quickly passed the ruins of Christchurch Castle and then the priory before crossing over the River Stour. For the first two miles I’ll be switching between the Stour Valley Way and the Avon Valley Path which takes me to the mouth of the River Stour at Hengistbury Head. The view across the English Channel out towards The Needles and the Isle of Wight was awesome and I took my first proper break here despite being only three miles in.
The next five miles towards Bournemouth were a combination of promenade and pavement, with the cliffs on my right hand side steadily growing higher as I walked along. As I got closer to Boscombe I was surprised when I spotted several goats standing on the side of the hill. Less surprising is another endless row of multicoloured beach huts along the promenade, which I’ve seen on every single English coastal resort over the last 1600 miles. I had reached Bournemouth Pier in really good time but rather than carrying on towards Sandbanks, which had been my original plan I decided to bail and headed for my hotel instead.
I had enjoyed the walking despite my terrible mood and I’m hoping after a good nights sleep I’ll have a better day tomorrow.
I originally planned to walk to Exeter and arrive there in twelve days time, after 160 miles, however due to a family commitment (Harry Styles concert, in Edinburgh) I’ve got to be back home after only ten days. That’ll mean several fairly big days. I’ve done a lot of training walks over the last few months so I should be okay.
Werewolfandflump UK Coast Path 