D98: WAREHAM to SWANAGE
Thursday 18th May 2023
Today miles: 14.4 Total miles: 1639.9
Last night whilst on Middlebere Heath I had noticed lots of shallow holes in the ground and I wondered what had made these strange marks in the ground. A little later I had bumped into a dog walker who mentioned the wild pigs which roamed on the heath. This cleared up the mystery of the holes but it also had me slightly concerned, pigs can be pretty inquisitive. I heard lots of movement during the night but thankfully my tent was still intact when I woke. I encountered several working oil wells over the next few miles which was interesting as I’d never seen these anywhere previously in the UK. After walking up Ferry Road I then used the public toilets to fill up my water bottles. I’d run out of water last night and was desperate for my morning caffeine fix. As I was sat down I was passed by a large group of around twenty teenagers who had just disembarked from the chain ferry. They were carrying huge backpacks as they walked by and I deeply sympathised with their plight having carried similar packs in my younger and much, much fitter days. After coffee and porridge I walked the short distance towards the Sandbanks Ferry and the start of the South West Coast Path. It was turning into a beautiful weather day and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. After posing for photos at the SWCP monument I spread out my damp camping gear on the stunning sandy beach, I removed my shoes and socks and chilled for a couple of hours, watching the chain ferry moving back and forth across the water every fifteen minutes.
The beach towards Studland is stunning and so were the views, as long as you ignore the naked old men walking along the section of beach which has been allocated for naturalists. Whilst walking through Studland I noticed the first of many stone markers on the SWCP, which was positioned on the top of the cliffs. As I made my way towards ‘The Pinnacles’ I saw another even larger group of around forty people walking in front of me, as I followed them I wandered what all the fuss was about and why the area is so popular. Once I’d reached the top of Old Nicks Ground I completely understood what the fuss was about, the area and the views were outstandingly beautiful. I wandered around for an hour or so just taking in the scenery. I would giggle to myself each time one of the kids from the adventure group went within ten metres of the cliff edge and the teacher would immediately scream out at them in a panicked tone.
After descending down towards Swanage Bay I realised the tide was in and I found myself having to clamber over several wooden groyne which were positioned about every hundred metres along the beach. There’s yet another even larger group of school kids spread out along the beach carrying wooden sticks and tape measures. Most of them looked completely cheesed off and utterly bored with the task they had been set.
I’d booked myself into a hotel in Bournemouth months ago for tonight, this means a bus journey back to the home of the Cherries. I was surprised when I read that Bournemouth is regularly listed in the top twenty worst places to live in the United Kingdom. Certainly the coastal bits that I experienced were nice enough and I personally felt the negativity around the city was unwarranted. That night I did my habitual visit to a Wetherspoons pub for food/drinks.
It was an awesome day and probably one of the best I’ve experienced on the ECP. The bus journey, which included a trip on the Sandbanks chain ferry back to Bournemouth was pleasant enough. After visiting a local shop and grabbing a tub of ice cream I headed back to the hotel, took care of some basic chores and enjoyed a well earned sleep in a comfortable bed.
Werewolfandflump UK Coast Path 