A chilly day in Purbeck
24th November 2013
Purbeck is a small, but beautiful corner of Dorset and despite the busy holiday towns many parts of the area remain quiet and peaceful. The coast path is often empty and today was no exception as I was to meet few people.
However, it was unfortunate that the path between Kimmeridge and Houns Tout was closed, so a detour had been put in place. The path normally follows a precarious route, seemingly balancing along the edge of steep cliffs. The bad weather of last winter has forced the detour, as these cliffs are now unstable.
The alternative route is still a worthy path, with high, extended views over the coast. The view extends from Bournemouth to the East and pans around West, along the impressive Gad Cliffs to Portland and Weymouth. However, one is constantly distracted by the sea, as ones consciousness is drawn as if Mermaids were calling from the deep. A seemingly ethereal force that is impossible to ignore, beckons you to return to the distant sea. Fortunately, the coast path is regained at Houns Tout - a vertiginous summit that overlooks the impressive rounded bay of Chapman's Pool.
Though the day was grey, the sun always threatened to break through the patchy cloud. Sadly this never happened as the day limped along, never quite developing the energy and the will to break through. This also meant the day remained chilly due to the north easterly wind.
The Purbeck coast is magnificent, with a mixture of steep cliffs comprised of rocky limestone, Chalk or Purbeck Ball Clay. The more rockier sections are peppered with needles of rock, formed by weather erosion, that stand unsteadily on the edge of steep, faling drops. Along this coast the sea has an azure / aquamarine tint and the waves roll persistently in against the huge rocky barrier of land.
The geology and weather has made the cliffs an ideal playground of climbers who, placing all their 'eggs in one basket' abseil down to sea level, leaving themselves no other choice, regardless of the difficulty, but to climb back up to safety.
This wonderful day was enhanced by a pint in the Square and Compasses in Worth Maltravers. A village built on and of the local stone, with wide views over the Channel. It is beautiful, but has a strange unreal tidiness to it. It's as if there is a secret being hidden, and each curtain slightly twitches as you pass by. It does not take too much imagination to feel you have walked into a scene from the Wicker-man when in Worth.
However, it was unfortunate that the path between Kimmeridge and Houns Tout was closed, so a detour had been put in place. The path normally follows a precarious route, seemingly balancing along the edge of steep cliffs. The bad weather of last winter has forced the detour, as these cliffs are now unstable.
The alternative route is still a worthy path, with high, extended views over the coast. The view extends from Bournemouth to the East and pans around West, along the impressive Gad Cliffs to Portland and Weymouth. However, one is constantly distracted by the sea, as ones consciousness is drawn as if Mermaids were calling from the deep. A seemingly ethereal force that is impossible to ignore, beckons you to return to the distant sea. Fortunately, the coast path is regained at Houns Tout - a vertiginous summit that overlooks the impressive rounded bay of Chapman's Pool.
Though the day was grey, the sun always threatened to break through the patchy cloud. Sadly this never happened as the day limped along, never quite developing the energy and the will to break through. This also meant the day remained chilly due to the north easterly wind.
The Purbeck coast is magnificent, with a mixture of steep cliffs comprised of rocky limestone, Chalk or Purbeck Ball Clay. The more rockier sections are peppered with needles of rock, formed by weather erosion, that stand unsteadily on the edge of steep, faling drops. Along this coast the sea has an azure / aquamarine tint and the waves roll persistently in against the huge rocky barrier of land.
The geology and weather has made the cliffs an ideal playground of climbers who, placing all their 'eggs in one basket' abseil down to sea level, leaving themselves no other choice, regardless of the difficulty, but to climb back up to safety.
This wonderful day was enhanced by a pint in the Square and Compasses in Worth Maltravers. A village built on and of the local stone, with wide views over the Channel. It is beautiful, but has a strange unreal tidiness to it. It's as if there is a secret being hidden, and each curtain slightly twitches as you pass by. It does not take too much imagination to feel you have walked into a scene from the Wicker-man when in Worth.