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This Week's Walks - Archive

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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.

Thursday, 29 June 2023

Thursday Walk - Thomas Hardy Country, pretty coombes, the Jurassic Coast, Lulworth Cove, Park and Castle: Winfrith Newburgh to Wool [Dorset Trip]

Length: 24.1 km (14.9 mi), with plenty options to shorten – and one to lengthen
Ascent/Descent: 602/629m
Net Walking Time: 6 hours
Toughness: 7 out of 10 

Take at 09.45 Bus X50 from Weymouth King’s Statue (Stop K6), arrives Winfrith Newburgh, Post Office at 10.10.  
From Dorchester, take either the 08.51 train from Dorchester South (arrives 09.02), or Bus Line 30 Jurassic Breezer at 09.00 from Trinity Street and 09.04 from Brewery Square (arrives 09.30). 
Return trains from Wool to Dorchester South and Weymouth: 16.55, 17.37, 17.58, 18.30, 18.56, 19.23, 19.54, 20.23, 20.56, 21.33, 21.55, 22.55, 23.55.
 
This Dorset walk leads mainly through the large Lulworth Estate, owned for centuries by the Weld Family, initially through the Thomas Hardy Country of rolling pastures, large woods and dairy farms, then – on a choice of routes – through remote, scenic coombes to a fascinating stretch of the Jurassic Coast, with its steep chalk cliffs, rock stacks rising out of the sea, natural limestone arches, caves and beautiful coves.
The stretch around Durdle Door and Man o’ War beaches can be very busy with day-trippers but the route then follows quieter coastal paths to the fascinating coves of Stair Hole and its larger – and geologically older – cousin Lulworth Cove for lunch in West Lulworth. Having had the Purbeck Hills in view for a while, stretching out to the East, an optional afternoon extension then routes over one of them – Bindon Hill.
All walk routes climb up steeply from West Lulworth to the ridge separating the Dorset Plain from the Coast and descend through a very pretty coombe past Bellhuish Farm and then lead along Lulworth Park, before meandering along permissive routes through the park to Lulworth Castle (possibly the most beautiful castle in the South) and its tearooms and church, and back through Bowling Green Wood.
Coombe Heath Nature Reserve and Haredene and Cole Woods lie ahead en route back to Wool.
 
Walk Options: 
Walk the Full Walk from Wool Station. 
The morning bus continues past Winfrith Newburgh to Durdle Door Park (a little off route, 8.1 km into the walk) and to Lulworth Cove (9.5 km into the walk). 
A Variation in the morning leads to the Coast Path on a different route, via Dagger’s Gate to Swyre Head, closer to Lulworth than The Warren. 
An Extension after lunch in Lulworth Cove leads along the cove’s beach and over Bindon Hill to West Lulworth (adds 1.1 km and 132m ascent). 
A Shortcut avoiding Lulworth Park in the afternoon cuts 3.7 km/2.3 mi. [Lulworth Park & Castle are shut after 17.00 hours.]
A Diversion avoiding the Permissive Route past Home Farm is described, should the route be closed. 
The route through Coombe Heath with its tumuli and barrows can be cut by 820m and 23m ascent. 
There are two finishes described into Wool: one through a bluebell wood (mud-prone after rain) and one through open pastures.
 
Lunch: plenty of options in Lulworth Cove and West Lulworth. 
Tea: The Lulworth Castle Tearoom; in Wool: The Black Bear.
 
For walk directions, maps, height profiles, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.346.a

2 comments:

Thomas G said...

Just n=3 on the bus from Dorchester, 1 of which stayed on to Lulworth and suntanned on the beach for us 2 to 'walk in' from Winfrith. We bought some nourishment from the store and awaited the X50 from Weymouth, but no one got off, so off we went. Perfect weather and ground conditions for this walk, namely w=warm-but-not-hot-and-with-a-breeze
Stunning views of course, quiet downs and loads of wildflowers and daft cattle. On the coastal fringe then also vast numbers of butterflies, namely Marbled Whites, Lulworth Slippers and Six Fault Burnets. Also some beautiful beetles with shiny round green wings. Some nature lover uttered 'Shield Beetle' but they looked different to what the www shows Shield Beetles look like.
1 went down to DD beach as it was still relatively uncrowded, I walked on to the LC Inn to meet the beach dweller. The pub was quiet (it was still only 12.30, what difference an early start makes) and walker 3 joined us later for a drink.
Up on to the ridge then on into Lulworth Park, where 1 paid to go into Castle and Chapel, while 2 went to the shady tearoom for tea and ice cream.
We reached Wool at 17.30 and had a drink at the Black Bear, then took the (delayed by an hour) 16.58 to Dorchester.
Great day out, and deserved a much higher attendance.

Thomas G said...

Usually reliable sources suggested to me that the beetle in question might have been a Rose Chafer, and having goggled it, I'd have to agree.