Rocky coastline

It was a glorious day along the Purbeck coast. The sky was blue, with just enough cloud to make it interesting, the air was clean and fresh driven by a chill wind, and above a sun which gave a hint of better weather to come; perhaps, you can never be sure these days. Todays' walk was to be along the coast between Winspit Quarry and Round Down and back along the ridge. The heavy clay soils of the coastal hills are sodden and the paths are slippery, making walking difficult and, at times, slow. I lost my footing on several occasions and nearly ended up on my arse. It could have been worse, the coastal path is close top the cliffs and the cliffs are sheer.  

First stop Winspit Quarry.  I couldn't count how many times we've walked this way, and still after all the years I never bet bored of the views or the terrain. What I did find noticeable this time was that the fissures and cracks in the fragile rock faces and roofs of the quarry galleries looked to have expanded, everything looked loose and fragile, giving the galleries an even more foreboding air than usual. We didn't venture in. The last time I entered any of these coastal galleries was a few years back at the Seacombe Quarry, and I was genuinely scared. 

Talking of Seacombe, that was our next stop. The clear water rivulet that seasonally runs through the valley is flowing well, its crystal water cascading over the rocky steps which lead out to the sea ledges. Cutting through time as it goes, at one point cutting through a 100 million year old ammonite.  The quarry was last used in the early 1940's to produce hardcore for the runways of the New Forest airfields, today it's a tranquil spot, a haven for wildlife and a great place to bath in the summer. 

Next was Hedbury Quarry, one of several smaller quarries than the previous two and one which makes a good spot for a nights wild camping. Which reminds me, we must camp here again soon. A group of climbers were preparing to attack the quarry wall, the quarries along this section of coast are popular with climbers and on a busy day the quarry walls are as fly paper stuck with brightly coloured human flies.

Soon enough we were off again along the viscus coastal path path. Of the quarries on todays' walk, finally it was Dancing Ledge.  We made our way down into the quarry and then down onto the dancing ledge, so called as in certain seas the ledge appears to dance.  So they say.  This afternoon there was no dancing only white foamy waves which rolled up over the large rocky ledge, filling the rock cut swimming pool and thumping into the adjacent caves.  The quarries galleries have been blocked, with only steel grill covered accesses; this has been done to create safe roosting areas for local rare bat communities. 

Back up again and on the path.  We continued along the coastal path, through rough grass covered terrain, past the most enormous cows, before rising up on to Round Down, with its spectacular views in both directions along the coast. The walk back to Worth Matravers along the ridge was little better than the coastal path, wet, muddy and slippery.  Tiring of the walking quite quickly, we decided to make for further inland at Spy Barn and the far easier walking  of  the Priests Way, the path the Medieval priests would have taken between the Churchs in Swanage, Worth Matravers and the chaplel out on St Aldhelm's Head. 

All in all a very nice walk in very nice weather in a very nice part of the world.