Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Dorset Walk for Wildlife 2013

Since our friend Bob retired he spends a lot of time volunteering for local nature organisations around Ringwood. They roped us in for a sponsored walk just across the county border in Dorset: the Dorset Walk for Wildlife 2013.

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Mark (me), Mary, Bob, Lynn

Being keen walkers they signed up for the long, 14 mile, walk - none of that wimpy 7 mile stroll. The walk started at Leeson House Field Centre, Langton Matravers. It was a clockwise tour of the Isle of Purbeck heading initially East to Durlston Head and the castle.


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Durlston Castle

From there we headed West along the coast path.

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The Dancing Ledge

One of the checkpoints was at St Aldhelm's Chapel (over 800 years old) where we had a short lunch stop. Then it was North and East to start the return loop.

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St Aldhelm's Chapel

The first time we did this stretch of the South-West Coast Path the joke was, looking at the map, "What do all these brown lines very close together mean?" Of course they mean steep contours and some serious thigh exercise down and back up the V-shaped valley.

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So much beautiful coastline.

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Chapman's Pool

Well over half way round we stopped at The Square and Compass at Worth Matravers for a swift pint then the final couple of miles back to the start point.

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The Garmin cannot agree with itself on the exact distance but it was over 14 miles in just under 5 hours. My heels were complaining the next morning and my calf muscles for the next couple of days.

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Full set of photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/markmclellan/sets/72157633208346432

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