puddleshark

Flower's Barrow Iron Age Hillfort. Or perhaps, half of Flower's Barrow Iron Age Hillfort. Or maybe a third of it? It has been slowly crumbling into the sea these last two thousand years. Who knows how big it was originally.

( Cold wind & sunshine, and New Year's Greetings from a raven )

A grey Boxing Day, with a bitter north-east wind blowing on the high ground. Not a day to be walking the ramparts of an Iron Age hillfort, so I did the other traditional Boxing Day walk, the more sheltered one, across the Army Ranges to the sea at Worbarrow.

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Where to go walking in the wet Dorset winter? It's so hard to plan a walk at this time of year. Can't take the Coast Path - the cliffs are unstable after heavy rain. Don't want to go slogging through fields deep in mud, because I've been battling with a bad back all week, and it has just finally started to settle down. And I took the stone track down to Winspit a few weeks ago.

Decided in the end to take the track up to Heaven's Gate, to make the most of the sunshine and the views.

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So much rain this week. In the past few days, the flood plains here have undergone their usual winter transformation, from green fields with cattle grazing in them, to wide grey lakes with swans swimming on them. The lanes have turned into shallow streams. It's still too windy to go walking in the woods, so I drove down to the coast again, to follow the sheltered track down the valley to the old quarries at Winspit.

( Grey sea, grey sky )

( Dodging the showers )

Swanage Pier.

No shortage of visitors to Swanage on a glorious Sunday in November. The seafront was almost as busy as it is in summer, with people strolling in the sunshine. A few brave souls swimming in the sea, or using the new sauna before swimming. Brrrr. But at this time of year the beach belongs to the dogs. Happy dogs hurling themselves into the sea, looning around on the sand, greeting each other with wagging tails. ( A slightly more adventurous walk than I intended )

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Durdle Door on a very blustery morning.

Well, the Met Office weren't lying. It is now hammering down with rain. But earlier, I headed down to the coast, armed with my little wet weather camera, & dodged the showers... It was extremely windy, and rather hard to take photos while simultaneously holding onto my hat as the wind tried to snatch it. But the sea was beautiful, the translucent blue-green-grey of a Dutch Old Master seascape.

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Late afternoon, on a very grey day, I walked the short stretch of coast path from the village of Porlock to Porlock Weir.

( Salt marsh & shingle )

A grey still day, quite pleasant for walking once you were off the high ground, and out of the north wind.

( To the sea, and back, with unexpected bonus tea & cake )

Walked from East Chaldon up to the coast, through a landscape of small round hills, secretive valleys, snaking chalk tracks.

( Nameless paths, not much light for photography )

( Chased by the rain )

A walk across the Wares, the area of rough clifftop pasture near Langton Matravers, in search of Autumn Lady's Tresses orchids. Saw none, though the short-grazed banks of the old quarries there should be the perfect habitat. Maybe it has been too dry for them this year.

Also failed to photograph the swallows and sand martins swooping over the fields of tall yellow grass. They were just too fast for me.

( Pictures of grass )

On Thursday evenings in the summer, there are fireworks in Poole, set off from a special barge moored out in the harbour. Crowds of people gather along the quay, and a great flotilla of yachts and cruisers gather on the water. The pleasure boats run special firework cruises, setting off around the harbour or along the coast, with a carefully planned return to catch the start of the fireworks.

( Fireworks cruise )

A fresh wind blowing up on Whiteways Hill this morning, and the sun hiding behind the cloud, and it was almost cold. Very pleasant indeed after such a warm, humid week. Followed the path down to the sea at Worbarrow yet again. Too tired to plan new and exciting expeditions at this time of year. This is a walk that even the zombified can manage. Just set your feet walking - left-right-left-right-etc. - and shamble downhill towards the sea.

( Low tide )

( Limestone, salt & samphire )

I have been playing hide-and-seek with the rooks in the sea fog up on St Alhelm's Head.

( Not a glimpse of the sea )

The paths across the Army Ranges are open for the half term holidays, so I walked up to Flower's Barrow Iron Age hillfort on a fresh blustery morning.

( Cliffs & flowers )

( Read more... )

Sunshine battling a cold northeasterly wind, with the cold northeasterly wind winning easily. Drove down to the coast early, with the roads still empty. In Corfe village the dog walkers all bundled up in their winter coats, and the dogs greeting each other with wagging tails in the sunshine. Took the road that winds and winds uphill to Kingston, and left the car in the little car park in the woods.

( Out along the headland, back along the valley )

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Entries tagged with coast

New Year's Day, on Flower's Barrow

Boxing Day walk to Worbarrow

Heaven's Gate

On winspit Ledges

High Tide

Swanage to Peveril Point and Durlston

Sunset walk, St Aldhelm's Head

Durdle Door

Porlock Weir

Hill Bottom to Chapman's Pool

Chalk tracks, East Chaldon

Flower's Barrow

A walk on the Wares

Boat trip

Pondfield Cove again

Seacombe walk

Sea Fog, St Aldhelm's Head

On Flower's Barrow

May blossom on the path to Seacombe

To Hounstout

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