Dorset Day 2 - Chideock to Abbotsbury

With spirits high after a good stopover in Chideock, we headed back down to the sea front, the sun was shining and the weather was set fair for the week. Perfect.

Before we started walking uphill along the cliff edge, we inspected the state of the fossil laden coastline. The soil was very sandy and loose, you can see how easily it can be eroded by the elements. How much longer will this part of the path last?

Ridge Cliff with Seatown below.

Just look at those overhangs, reminds me of snow/ice cornices in the lakes during the winter. Don't get too close to the edge here - there's not much that will save you.

Heading down towards Eype Mouth and yet another caravan site.

Thorncombe Beacon

Bridport or now as it's known, West Bay

You can see that the problems with falling rocks and collapsing cliffs are significant at West Bay.

Doesn't look like we will be going this way.

Follow the diversion signs (or lack of them). We found that signage was abysmal once you had been directed away from the trail. You were basically left to your own devices to work out the best way round.

This is where Reggie Perrin wandered into the sea - Plus it's where some scenes from 'Broadchurch' were filmed.

Collapsing or not - they are impressive cliffs.

Ten out of ten for this diversion though - the Golf Club have made a walker friendly route through their course and it was much appreciated. We even met the landlord of the B&B we had just left a few hours earlier - a nice chap who came over and chatted with us for a few minutes before a following fourball got too close for comfort. But finally we found a Golf Course that was easy to navigate.

Now we had had a pretty good day up till now, excellent and interesting walking done in lovely hot sunshine. It was about to change though as we reached the start of the 14 mile Chesil Beach.

Shingle everywhere ! No people either, only walkers daft enough to trudge mile after mile on the energy sapping piles of gravel. We soon grew tired of it and dreaded the next few hours.

Cabbages and shingle and nothing much else.

Burton Mere - It is there, although you cant actually see it.

At West Bexington we got a couple of cold drinks and had our pasties for lunch. We had time to consider our next move - either continue the trudge along Chesil Beach or head inland a few hundred yards and pick up a country lane and path to walk more or less parallel with the sea.

It didn't take long - the country lane got the vote.

This is far better! other than a small path (slightly overgrown) a bit further on around a house, there was nothing much to be concerned about

Wheat fields as we walk towards East Bexington Farm.

After the farm, we walked along this lane which was in the process of being ripped up and re-laid. It was well over a mile long and as far as we could see, wasn't in a bad condition at all. The cost of the roadworks must have been considerable and even though the road wasn't blocked off, not a single car came our way for the 25 minutes we walked along it.

We spent quite a while trying to work out why on earth this road work was getting done and also how better the money could have been spent on the upkeep of the Dorset SWCP, which as far as we could see was non-existent.

We were relieved to read in our guide book, that tomorrows walk would follow the route of the inland lagoon and not the shingle beach. Phew.

It looks fantastic from here, but believe me it's hard and soul destroying walking it.

Guess where?

High hopes that this will be a great stopover as we walk alongside the busy country road to our B&B for the night - Plus it's the England v Denmark game and we can't be as bad as we played against Serbia, Can we?

St Nicholas Church, Abbotsbury.

Wow, what a great place. The Abbey Rooms are situated within the grounds of the old Benedictine Abbey.

We sat out on the lawn chatting to folk about our walking exploits whilst enjoying a couple of bottles of cold Harry Rocks cider. We were almost reluctant to go and watch the match as it was so good out there.

The pubs in Abbotsbury were a bit of a disappointment though, neither were particularly good. We had expected better from an absolutely beautiful place like this.