Ringstead

History has it that the shingle bay at Ringstead, beneath White Nothe, the lofty chalk headland to the east of the bay, was a popular spot with smugglers to off load their contraband. They say that the smugglers then, with 2 barrels of brandy, one held on each shoulder or under each arm, would make their way up the narrow path to the summit 170m above before disappearing into the maze of valleys which lead inland.  People of the past must have been made of stern stuff, climbing the path is tough enough without the brandy or the fear of capture. The path is steep and narrow, twisting and turning, slippery in places and rocky in others, an unnerving traverse at the best of times, one section  features a sweeping grassy slope which gives way to a sheer cliff.  Exhilarating as the climb is and stunning as the views afforded from the summit are, the path never ceases to solicit a fear in me.