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 forever” and “Fly with the angels”. The one I liked near the beginning of our walk was “Love the life you live, live the life you love”. Today I liked the one inviting people to chat. Henk thought it would suit me.

There was an easy climb to our first hill, Jordan Hill, and we had great views over Weymouth. We could see Portland Isle in the distance where we were two days ago. The Weymouth Bay is where the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Sailing events were held. There were many more benches on this hill. 

On the distant Osmington Hill we saw the Osmington White Horse which is George III on his horse and was done in the early 1800’s.

Until morning tea at 11.15am it was easy walking of eight kilometres with a few diversions due to landslips on the high cliffs. The path took us to Osmington where The Smuggler’s Inn sits high on the cliff above the rugged beach below. The inn is a pretty country pub with a thatched roof and was once the headquarters for smugglers in the 17th century. Its origins date back to the 13th century. 

We loved the pub. It had many quotes pertaining to smuggling days on the inside and outside walls. 

Morning tea was a huge slice of delicious lemon drizzle cake which we had in their outdoor area in the sun.

After morning tea we had about 11kms to walk and the path began to get tough. There were many steep ascents and descents. Thankfully, it was in the open on dry paths. Descending was the hardest part and we had to take many tiny steps to cope with the steepness. We loved the white cliffs. 

We were excited to see the iconic Durdle Door over the last cliff. We had a late lunch looking over the scene. It was perfect weather for it and many tourists were taking the opportunity to see the limestone arch. The steps down to the beach were very long and steep but it was well worth the effort. 

After climbing back to the top of the cliff we had just over two kilometres to our hotel. We had fantastic views over Lulworth Cove which is a World Heritage site. 

The Lulworth West village where we are staying is a picture-postcard village about a kilometre from the cove. It’s one of the prettiest villages in Dorset with many houses having thatched roofs. 

Our hotel sits on the side of a hill and has great views over the village.

We are staying at our hotel for two nights. Tomorrow a taxi is booked for 9.30am to take us 20kms further up the path and then we’ll walk back to our hotel. This is because there is limited accommodation. There is also no cafes so we have ordered a packed lunch.