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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Friday 1 July 2016

Lyme Regis weekend

Sixteen of us have now booked a long weekend in Lyme Regis, arriving Friday 1 July and staying two nights to Sunday 3 July. The idea is to do some coastal walks and maybe have some sea swims.

At least some of us are travelling on the 9.20am train on Friday 1 July from Waterloo to Axminister. Return is expected on either the 19.09 or 20.09 trains) on Sunday 3 July. You can use the South West Trains £16 offer for this (ie £16 each way, but must be booked in advance). Otherwise the fare is £46.65 with a Network Card.

From Axminister Wessex Dorset and South Somerset bus X53 connects to Lyme (or if there is enough of us, a taxi may be viable, as it is not far).

Meeting time for the Saturday walk will be 9.45 at the Co-op in Broad Street (the high street) in Lyme at the bus stop for Charmouth: we will take the X53 bus at 9.56 the short hop to Charmouth and then walk to West Bay along the coast. There is a possible pub stop along the way

8 comments:

Andrew said...

some lovely coast & beaches in this area

if you do the lyme regis undercliff walk http://www.walkingclub.org.uk/book_3/walk_156/index.shtml I'd be interested if you walk back along the beach (if its possible), orcan walk down to the beach from the path

Eliz said...

Hi, I'd like to join you for this trip. could you give me the right email address as I can't understand the given address on the site. thanks, eliz parker

Anonymous said...

Is anyone thinking of catching the first train on Sat @ 0710hr and then a bus (or taxi) to Lyme Regis and join the walk?

Walker said...

I don't want to discourage anyone from catching the 7.10 train - the more the merrier - but I am not sure how it would work when it comes to meeting up with those of us going for the two nights. I think you said in an early version of this comment that you would arrive in Lyme Regis at 10.56. I am not sure how you would then be able to locate and join the group that are staying down in Lyme.

Our plan that day, so far as it has been formulated - ie we have not really agreed this but it is a proposal - is to do the coast walk from Charmouth to West Bay (Bridport) over Golden Cap. Naturally we would want to get the earliest start we can on this, since Saturday is our only completely full day of walking, probably getting a bus to Charmouth from Lyme at 9.26 or 9.49 and then setting off. If you get the 7.10 and then the 10.30 bus from Axminister to Charmouth you will be at least an hour and probably 1.5 hours behind us. I suppose it is possible we might stop for a swim somewhere, but it is also possible we might do another walk entirely: plans will be fluid, depending on weather.

So I think if you want to guarantee to be with the group on Saturday you need to come down on the Friday evening at least.

Stacey said...

Hi there,

The email address doesn't appear to be working and I would like please to know the accommodation details.

Could someone please help?

Stacey

Anonymous said...

Virtually impossible to travel on Fri but thanks for your comprehensive reply.

Walker said...

N=17 on this long weekend, of which 15 came down on Friday. Six of us were on the very crowded 9.20 train, two drove down and seven came on later very crowded trains (Note to SWT: three carriages is not enough for the train to Exeter, especially when you are giving away special offer tickets).

The six of us who came down early and the two drivers had a pizza by the sea and explored the Undercliff a bit. Four of us had a grey cold swim, at the end of which it poured with rain while we were getting dressed. We had a nice evening meal in The French Lieutenant's Bistro.

Saturday dawned with bright blue skies but by the time we had finished breakfast it was pouring with rain. This set the tone for the day, which was one of w=bright-sunshine-and-showers making for really beautiful views when it was not raining. Some walked the beach from Lyme to Charmouth, some took the bus, but 15 of us then set out together from Charmouth. This is a beautiful coast of big green hills and dramatic landslips, the biggest hill being the magnificent Golden Cap, the highest point on the South Coast.

We then descended to the small hamlet of Seatown where at least some squeezed into the Anchor Inn for very tasty food and lightening-quick service. More magnificent ups and downs in the afternoon and more towering heights before a descent to the rather tacky resort of West Bay with its striking orange sandstone cliffs. Some got the 4.30 bus, some the 5.45 (which broke down, but another soon came) and three us us had a sunny (but still cold) sunset swim at Lyme, the sea on the beaches on the walk having been too rough. Seventeen of us (two having come down on Saturday morning) then had dinner at the Harbour Inn. A number of us walked on the Cobb (the harbour wall) in the slatey blue dusk.

Photos from the Saturday walk can be seen on the SWC Facebook page.

Walker said...

Sunday dawned rainy but it had stopped by the time we set out and by lunchtime the grey clouds parted and we had a fine sunny afternoon - away from the coast it was positively hot. 15 of us set off to do a a circuit through the very hilly country north of Lyme. We pretty much kept together as far as a picnic lunch by a church, but the group then spilt, with three going on to do a longer (eight mile?) walk, while 11 followed the Wessex Ridgeway back to Lyme (making a six mile circuit). One (me) set off to do his own thing.

For both myself and the longer walkers the limitations of this walking territory then became apparent. Confident dotted green lines on the OS map often turned out to be overgrown, disused or completely unadorned by signposts, stiles or gates. The long walkers had to be redirected by a farmer and I thrashed neck-high through vegetation up a supposed bridleway and waded thigh high through wet grass only to be thwarted by an overgrown stile. We both encountered herds of cows who seemed very surprised to encounter a human. On the plus side I also disturbed clouds of meadow brown butterflies.

Most got back to Lyme mid afternoon. At least five of us had good long swims in a sea that had at last been warmed to a reasonably bearable temperature by the blazing July sun. We had fish and chips on the beach watched by no more than three dozen seagulls and taxied to Axminster for the mercifully not too busy (at least not till we got on it) 8.09pm train to London.

Ten of us took this train. Six bottles of wine were bought for our refreshment, but I have been forbidden to mention that. 4.5 bottles had been consumed by the time we got to Waterloo (and not everyone was drinking....)