Dorset and South Devon Coast Path

  Day 21 - West Lulworth to Worth Matravers Time Departed: 10.00am Time Arrived: 4.00pm  Distance: 20kms Cumulative Distance: 327kms  Percentage Complete: 93%  Number of Steps: 32,000 (424,000) Walking Grade: Moderate, strenuous and challenging in that order! Weather: Sunny in the morning, overcast and windy in the afternoon Accommodation: Limestone at Lulworth Hotel  Feelings: Henk - Apprehensive , Di - Dead nervous Our taxi driver, Ang, was waiting for us outside the hotel for our trip to Worth Matravers where we would walk back to West Lulworth. This was arranged by our walking company as there was no accommodation available at Worth Matravers. The trip took thirty minutes and it seemed a long way to get to Worth Matravers. Ang said that this was because she had to go in a square around the cliffs to get to the little town.  The taxi driver’s main work was driving walkers to and fro between the towns and she had a lot of advice. Some of h...

  Day 20 - Weymouth to West Lulworth Time Departed: 9.00am Time Arrived: 4.00pm  Distance: 20kms Cumulative Distance: 307kms  Percentage Complete: 86%  Number of Steps: 31,000 (396,000) Walking Grade: Easy, moderate and strenuous - in that order! Weather: Sunny with cool breeze  Accommodation: Limestone at Lulworth Hotel  Feelings: Henk - Relaxed, Di - Relaxed We had a great day of walking. The last five kilometres were tough but we were rewarded with fantastic views of Durdle Door and the stunning Lulworth Cove. We initially walked along Weymouth esplanade with the stony beach at our side for three kilometres. We learned that Weymouth Beach had been named in the Sunday Times as Beach of the Year for 2023. The sea was calm with little energy.  On the esplanade we passed many benches with memorial plaques. We read them and most are standard such as “Joyce loved this view”, “Sit here, relax and enjoy this view”, “Memories will live on in us...

Day 19 - Weymouth - Rest Day Accommodation - The Gloucester House B&B Weather - Overcast We enjoyed our rest day in the sea-side town of Weymouth. It was packed with  tourists strolling along the esplanade and throughout the town’s streets and harbour. The town’s economy depends on tourism and the shops cater for the tourists with many icecream shops, cafes and restaurants. Weymouth also has more than 150 B&Bs.  We started the day with a wide choice on offer at our B&B breakfast. With only three walking days to go we think this B&B will take the prize for the best breakfast on the walk.  Weymouth has an historic reputation as a healthy seaside resort for the wealthy and links with royalty. King George III spent 14 summers in Weymouth between 1789 and 1805 and was encouraged to bathe in seawater to recover from his “mental illness”. There was no frolicking into the sea by the king. All respectable people were taken into the water in what they calle...

Day 18 - Isle of Portland - Weymouth Time Departed: 9.00am Time Arrived: 2.30pm  Distance: 24kms - 18kms walking, 6kms by bus Cumulative Distance: 287kms  Percentage Complete: 80%  Number of Steps: 24,000 (364,000) Walking Grade: Easy and some moderate  Weather: Overcast, humid and cool, windy Accommodation: The Gloucester House B&B Feelings: Henk - Relaxed, Di - Relaxed Our morning decision was to follow the coastal path around the small Isle of Portland and from the isle catch the bus back to the mainland at Ferrybridge to avoid the hard track we walked on yesterday. We walked passed The Cove House Inn which sits high over Chesil Beach. Not far from the pub where we had last night’s fantastic meal we could see where Chesil Beach ends and in the opposite direction where it went on forever to West Bay. The Isle of Portland is six kilometres long and is called a “tied island” as Chesil Beach joins Portland with the mainland.  We were warned not t...