Day 48 Lulworth Cove to Worth Matravers (14 miles / 22km)

 Day 48   Lulworth Cove to Worth Matravers (14 miles / 22km)

Based on the Sunday roast I had a feeling breakfast at the Castle Inn might be a good one.   It was.   One of the oldest pubs in Dorset , The Castle Inn made such a beautiful stay.   I departed Lulworth on what was my second last walking day.   Tomorrow I would be walking to The End.  I thought I best take extra care today not to go flying over or get cow kicked or ankle rolling or face planting or hill sliding or any of the things that could have meant a “Oh what a shame and she was so close…” kind of finish.   Safety first today.    

The South West Coast Path is bookended by sections of rugged, remote and wild landscape.   It truly is sensational how that works out.   That the beginning is spectacular  – and the end is it’s equal.  This, over a distance of 630 miles, is why this trail is considered one of the greatest long-distance trails in the world.      

Leslie and Steve, the only people I had met that were walking the whole path,  had walked into the finish today.    I was so thrilled for them.   They were determined and fit walkers, we had the similar thinking of only a missing limb would have us miss a stage approach.   I have been amazed on so many days how few walkers I have seen on the trail – so many days of walking and not seeing anyone for hours.   The people I have seen briefly on the path have been either doing a section on a day walk or people who were doing a few days or weeks and completing the walk in stages over time.   I met a lovely couple yesterday who were about to complete it after 15 years of making different stages their annual holiday.  Ticking off on a map and loving the goal of completing it.  

With this being this case to have met Leslie and Steve at the very beginning at the table next to me at a small bed and breakfast was a one in a million unbelievable chance when you think about it.  And that they were people I instantly loved.     We never walked a single step together but we shared a few accomodations early in the walk so we would debrief at night over the walk , the weather and route for the next day.   They were in Port Isaac after the Day of the Wind walk and we sat there at dinner in the same accommodation in a post walk daze of what the hell just happened.   They had stayed and waited to make sure I had got in safely worried about me being out in it by myself.   This care for someone they had just met briefly continued on for the remainder of the walk.   We swapped numbers as our different walk schedules put us out of sync early on but every single night Leslie would message in with her commentary on the walk, their accomodation thoughts , cake stops and general musings that had me in fits of laughter and I’m sure as a quiet way of checking I had got in safely, as caring as she was funny.     It was a blessing to me and on sections where it was drawing to the 8 hour mark and I was still on a remote cliff with more to go and no sign of anyone around I found it reassuring and comforting to think Steve and Leslie had walked it the day before.   My belief in guardian angels reinforced yet again.  

My challenge of this day was firing range related.   This first section of the walk passes through the Lulworth Firing Range, a military training area where they are periodically closed for active training.    Like others along the way, if the red flags are flying, the gates are locked and live ammunition is being fired.  If this is the case it is an inland detour to skirt the ranges.   Today the red flags were flying.   I had no choice but to detour around, adding miles to the route and another few hours.   Henry Stedman maps out the alternative route that tries it’s best to avoid as many roads as possible and keep you in woods and fields and countryside.  

This is how the route started, in fields and heading up through the countryside of Lulworth.  Beautiful.  After an hour or so it unfortunately drops onto a narrow country road with blind bends, no pavement to walk on and lined with tall hedges either side.   No choice but to walk on the road and hope cars are coming round corners slow enough to see me.   They weren’t.  Nor could two cars pass at the same time as it was narrow.  I was holding up traffic and getting beeped by buses –  I couldn’t leap into the thick hedge to move out the way.   I picked up my speed thinking I need to get off this as quickly as I can.  The map showed it went on for good stretch before turning into woods.  I was power walking for those woods and I felt in that moment in the most danger than I had felt on any single section of the walk – and it was a tarmac road!  I was thinking I would rather take my chances dodging live ammunition than this carry on.   It was also meant to be my Safety First priority second last day!   This was safety out the window at this point.  

 Just as I’m racking my brain to find an anwser a small farm type truck pulls up with a kind faced man driving and a kind faced woman – they stop and she shouts “can we give you like a lift?  You really need to get off this road – it’s narrowing up ahead and not safe”.   I look at their concerned faces and make the split second decision to say “God, yes please!”  It was a straight across front seat only so she scoots across and I throw in my poles, my bag and myself.  

This moment was a blessing .  Norman was a fisherman from Lulworth Cove and had lived here all his life.   They were the kindest people I could have encountered in that moment.    I showed them the map of the alternative route and they said right lets get you to a point where you are off roads – as they drove on up this long road I was on it did indeed get narrower with cars flying round corners.  We all agreed  I don’t think I would of seen Day 49.   We instantly chatted about the walk , the country side and the fascinating local  history that Norman had all the knowledge of.   Ruth kept saying “tell Sally about that Norman” whenever we passed a large country manor or sweeping country estate.  “Norman, tell her Norman”.  And Norman did.  He found a pen as he navigated some back country roads and says write these down and gives me the names of two books to read that I would love all about the history of it all. 

He would slow and pull over to show me manor houses that were like something out of Downton Abbey and we laughed and chatted until he found a spot to drop me on the edge of the firing range where he felt it was now safe and with no more roads that demanded hedge leaping to avoid cars.   They said I must come back and walk across the ranges and when I do to visit them.   Ruth says ask for Norman at the Cove.  I said what just walk down to the water and say “anyone seen Norman?” and she said dead seriously “Yes, do exactly that and someone will go and fetch him”.  

When I jumped out I thanked them both so much for coming to my aid and for making this detour a safe one.   They both shouted lovely good wishes out the window as they headed off after going completely out of their way for a stranger.   On a day of many emotions I found myself with tears as I kept waving until they rounded the country road corner.    I walked on after such a special moment on this day and when a little cafe appeared I sat smiling in the sunshine with a pot of tea and a piece of coffee and walnut cake.  Another moment.    

I walked on down through the detour’s safe fields and woods towards Kimmeridge Bay and the rejoining of the coast path and onto to the coastal cliff walking from here on which is a deeply wild stretch of walking.   The sun shone but it was high enough that a strong wind was blowing across the wide, open expanse of it.   It was rugged and just stunning as the first glimpse of Houns Tout Cliff comes into view.  Known as The Beast and standing at 500 feet the ascent of this cliff has a legendary feel.   Along the way people would say “oh, you’ve got Houns Tout at the end”. then they would quickly change the subject.   I now know why.   Leaning in and relying on boots to grab steep , dry  gravelly  up and then down.   A beautiful bench at the top for a drink and then onto the next. 

The photo of the steps up of Emmetts Hill is one of my favourites.  It is so uncomprimising this walk.   Up I went – 223 stepts up to St Aldhelms Head where the remote hut of the coastguard sits.    The path rounds the headland and continues the undulating walk along a path tht might eventually have to be pushed back inland due the the erosion here.  But not today.  It was cliff edge walking until  the turn for Worth Martravers, my stop for the night. 

This small and pretty village is a stone clad dream of thatched limestone cottages built around a pond.  The drawcard , except for it being a perfectly located for a Sth West Coast Path stay, is the unique village pub The Square and Compass.  Dating back to 1776 it serves only pies and pasties for food  and a famous home made cider .  With a beer garden out front that has chunky stone carved slabs for tables and charirs.  My Dad would of loved this pub.   I went there before going to find my accomodation and had my dinner of pastie and pint.  

An Air B and B just up the road was a lovely annexe attached to the house with its own private entry.    Perfect.   With only 22km left to walk of this adventure my mind was full of all the kilometers that had come before it.   

Night night from Worth Matravers xx 

Pic of the day and it’s 223 steps ..

The manor

The kindness of people

Coffe and Walnut in the sun

the path cracking away

Houns Tout

Up to the top of Houns Tout

The lovliest bench

It’s onto rolling hills

First glimpse of Emmetts Hill

down and up on Emmett’s Hill

The Square and Compass

Dinner – no wonder they are famous