Day 99: English Coastal Path

D99: SWANAGE to LULWORTH COVE

Friday 19th May 2023

Today miles: 22.5 Total miles: 1682.8

Waking up this morning I’m well aware that the recent spell of good weather is due to come to an abrupt and thunderous end some time today. I had long pondered over my plans for today, not just because of the weather but also because of the Royal Navy ranges at Lulworth.
After leaving Swanage there’s a short walk along the promenade before a series of gentle climbs. The half mile route towards Durlston is through a wooded area and I encountered dozens of grey squirrels scurrying across the path. I then arrive first at Durlston Head and then Durlston Castle. After passing through Durlston I walked along a pleasant dirt track atop the cliffs, I was throughly enjoying the walking. I occasionally passed other walkers and we acknowledged each other with either a nod or a ‘Good morning’ and sometimes both. There’s some really interesting historical places close to the path including Tilly Whim Caves, Blackers Hole and Dancing Ledge. Before World War II there were several working quarries along this stretch of the Dorset coastline. The stone mined from these quarries was often loaded into small boats at the bottom of the cliffs using a wooden crane (a whim) and then shipped to various location across the UK. I chose to take my first extended break overlooking Seacombe Quarry, the views were too pretty to be rushed.

I noticed a big increase in the numbers of people walking along the path after I left Seacombe, it’s a very popular area. If I lived in Dorset I’d be tempted to visit this area several times a year, it was really that impressive. There’s a coastguard lookout station at St Aldhelms Chapel and as I arrived the coastguard was taking a wind reading on his anemometer. Over the next two miles there’s several steep ascents and descents towards Kimmeridge Visitors Centre. About a mile before Kimmeridge I noticed that the sky was beginning to darker and there was the occasional light sprinkle of rain. Up until then I’d been fairly exposed to any weather so was feeling relieved when I finally found some cover at the toilet block in Kimmeridge. On arriving I ditched my pack and visited the toilet. Exiting the building minutes later there was a full blown thunder storm, with loud bangs of thunder and the occasional flash of lightning. This would continue for the next two hours. I just sat outside the toilet block, chatting with another walker who had arrived and made myself a cup of coffee.

The Navy firing ranges at Lulworth are less than a quarter of a mile away. It’s usually active during this time of year and walking midweek would have meant a seven mile road walk around the danger zone. I had contacted the range office last night and they confirmed that firing ceased around 1pm on a Friday. I’ll be good to go, once it stops raining. It’s six miles through the range and I’ve got over four hours of daylight, easy, maybe not. The first mile was easy enough but then as I started the first steep ascent towards Tyneham Cap the wet conditions made the walking more difficult. Descending towards Worbarrow Tout I slipped on the muddy path and took a heavy fall, spraining my wrist. I had to stop momentarily to compose myself and it began to rain heavily again. The next five miles were a wet, miserable slog. I just had to put my head down and focus on putting one foot in front of the other until I arrived at Lulworth Cove. I did manage to raise my head enough to see several old, interesting military tanks scattered around the range.
Lulworth Cove itself was as pretty as I had been informed and surprisingly the sun had also reappeared.

The ascent down to the beach at Lulworth Cove was treacherous. Working my way through the mud and the wet tree roots was slow going but I did manage to arrive on the beach in one piece. I had hoped to wild camp near Lulworth Cove and with the benefit of hindsight I should have stayed on the top of the cliff and pitched there.
On arriving at Lulworth Hotel I decided not to drop in for a drink as it’s fairly busy and I’m still wet and probably smell really bad. I struggled to find any decent camp spots near Lulworth so I just carried on up towards Hambury Tout. There was an excessive number of signs warning me about wild camping and as the sun began to descend I started to worry about where I was going to sleep. I had no other choice and against my better judgement I decided to bite the bullet and book into the Durdle Door Caravan Park. They shockingly charged me the extortionate fee of £33. On the plus side the views out towards Durdle Door were outstanding. After pitching my tent I sat and watched the sun go down eating my pot noodle.