Tyneham valley

Laying out her tapestry of vibrant seasonal hues, Spring has arrived in the Tyneham valley. Stunning.

Flowers Barrow

Sunday again means Purbeck, and once again we found ourselves in the Kimmeridge/Tyneham region of the Jurassic Coast. This time we parked at Povington Hill, high on the Purbeck Ridge above Tyneham. The drive out had been through moderate rain and I was beginning doubt the weather wizards, though I kept faith and as we approached the Isle of Purbeck the rain eased, clouds began to dissipate and by the time we reached the ridge old Sol was making his presence felt. I knew, as Bill Withers had prophesied,  it was ''gonna be, a lovely day...lovely day''. Walking down towards the ruinous Tyneham Village not a soul stirred, the access road down was still closed (we were out early again) and we had the valley to ourselves. It was the type of morning where you breath a bit deeper, your gait has extra bounce and you really feel the land and the elements you're walking through...you feel alive. Not a bad feeling. It wasn't long before we were down on the coast at the tout, looking at formidable hill rising before us and wondering if I'd made the right choice of route. We are were we were though, so upward then. Geoff's in his element out here, he loves his walks, though seems to really enjoy our Purbeck missions. The climb up to Flowers Barrow never gets any easier (why I think it would be is beyond me), it's not the steepest in Purbeck, although it's up there. A deceptive slow burner, and before you realise it you're engaged in a real steep slog, a muscle draining, lung stretching, slog. Although on reaching the summit and Flowers Barrow your reward for taking the challenge is clear, with majestic 360 degree views of nature glories. Whilst out I usually take the opportunity to connect with a bit of chanting or meditation, today was no different, standing, I take the traditional three element connected breaths. Today they really resonated, I was standing on the ancient earthen ramparts of the Iron Age hillfort built on cliffs spanning 185 millions years of geology, high in the sunny sky being caressed by a gentle fresh breeze, looking out over a beautiful clear blue sea which stretched clear to the horizon. Far out. I soaked up as much of the views and atmosphere as I could before we moved on. Flowers Barrow is sited towards the far eastern end of the Purbeck Ridge which starts way over on Ballard Down, our return route along the ridge will be far less arduous than our outward journey. It's all gently rolling ridge top trackway, a route that will have been utilized for millennia, down Rings Hill, on which Flowers Barrow is sited (hence the hills name), the over Whiteway Hill with its trig point marking its status, and finally back up Povington Hill,  and all the way along great views over Tyneham Valley and Povington Heath. Another magnificent Purbeck walk.  

Tynehan Valley & Worbarrow Bay

It was up early and out this morning, Geoff and I were on a mission to Purbeck, Tyneham and Worbarrow to be precise. Visiting Purbeck in the summer can be a tricky operation, as the summer sees the area thronged with thousands of visitors. You need to get there early to avoid the traffic chaos on the way out, and get away early to avoid the traffic chaos on the way back. As a consequence we arrived arrived at the gate down to Tyneham by 0830, unfortunately only to find the gate wasn't opened until 0900. Still, no biggy. We were the first in, and bar a few overnighters who'd outstayed their welcome on the range the night before (something I noted with interest, and something I'll remember for future overnight missions), we had the valley to ourselves, and lovely it was too.  I think the Tyneham Valley is one of the most beautiful spots in Purbeck, taken by the army for training purposes during the war, it was depopulated (and many of it's building levelled after damage and subsequent neglect) and hasn't seen any post war developments and therefore retained an air of semi wilderness. It's bitter sweet mind, as the pre war occupants were told they would be able to return to their homes and lands after the war, only for the army to keep hold of the land, land they still use and control today.  It's about 3/4 of a mile from the deserted village of Tyneham down to Worbarrow Bay, the track runs alongside a narrow though deep cut stream, it's a lovely walk with great views. The bay was clear  and as we walked the pebbly beach the sun started to warm the land, so much so that by the time we reached the far end of the bay we were ready for a swim. Man, the swimming was nice today, clear water, cool but not cold, you feel revived and refreshed afterwards. I noted it was colder here than the swimming we've been doing at the Head, it's always a touch colder here than round our ways though. Once dried off, it was up Worbarrow Tout, or Mud Mountain is we know it, a lump of rock and clays protruding out into the sea, named so by us after the slippery side of it we used to, foolishly, climb. From the top you get this wonderful view up through the valley, as well as stunning views along the coast in both directions. I could have stayed up there for hours, just watching, just being here in the wild place were sea and land meet, communing with nature. Though, as with most days, I've got a ton of stuff to be getting on with, and all too soon we were on the road home. I'm grateful for any opportunity to escape though, and know we're so lucky to have places like this to escape to.

Worbarrow Bay

The opportunity arose for a walk over Purbeck's Jurassic Coast, and well, you'd have been mad not to on such a glorious day. Taking advantage of the ranges still being open we opted for Worbarrow Bay and Flowers Barrow for today's destinations.  We parked up on the Purbeck Hills, and walked down towards the Worbarrow Bay, as we walked we were afforded fantastic views along the Tyneham Valley, and of the ruins of the village which until the Second World War thrived there. The exploded hulks of tanks and armoured vehicles litter the Gad Cliff side (seaward side) of the valley, though there's no firing today, all's serene. On reaching the tide was out and you could see the steep angle of the pebbly beach at the Worbarrow tout end (eastern end) of the bay. I don't like swimming here, it's like Mupe Bay opposite, it gets very deep, too quickly for me for a beach. It's not too bad walking around the bay today, with the tide out you could walk on more stable intertidal, much easier. Once you've passed the colourful sedimentary strata of the Wealden Beds, reminding me of Alum Chine on the Isle of Wight, you come to the high chalk cliffs of Cow Corner and the end of the bays beach. High above is Flowers Barrow, the western end of the Purbeck Hills ridge, capped with the ramparts and ditches of an Iron Age Hillfort, and our next destination. The ascent was going to be tricky, the whole cliff face below the hillfort has suffered extensive slides in recent years, leaving an alien landscape of boulders, scree and mud. Certainly on the recommended route, although one we've taken for years, and in it's current state one we traversed as quickly as we could. Eventually, after a scree scramble, and then the slow climb up the hills steep grassy flanks, we sat within the ancient fortifications. Our reward, views, man, spectacular views. What a fabulous walk, in a fantastic landscape.

Tout

Sticking out into Worbarrow Bay, but for a thin piece of connecting land, Worbarrow Tout is all but an island. Known to our group as 'Mud Mountain' on account of the viscus marl clays which we clamber up to reach the summit. The tout may not cover an extensive area, though what there is is packed with groovy stuff. If you dig geology then there's plenty to float your boat here; mad stratigraphy, layers through time exposed one on top of another, a deep slab of our planets history. Huge boulders encrusted with Gypsum deposits, as well as dinosaur foot prints, fossils, and a fantastic rocky intertidal, with rock ledges thrusting seaward. Although it's all very nice and interesting, it's also really hard going, uneven loose surfaces, made slippery when wet, make it difficult terrain to negotiate.  Inevitably we'll go out along the intertidal and return up through a wide shallow gully towards the end of the tout (pic3, if you look carefully there's a person at the bottom for scale). It may be quite an undertaking when wet, and a touch scary whenever, and you come out on a narrow spur of the end of the tout with a short steep slope off a high cliff, which you need to keep in mind; even with all that said it still makes for an easier return. Now, I'm not that good with heights, and sometimes I'm worse than others, I remember at least 2 occasions over the years that when, after the long climb, I'd reached the top of the tout and had to crawl until I felt safe. Today was not so bad, I just did a hurried stooped walk, whilst cussing. Well, you've got to make your walks interesting. It is always worth it, the views from the touts rough grass summit are always stunning, and time was required to appreciate and acknowledge them. Far out.

The Great House

I took my leave of the permitted paths through the Purbeck ranges to go exploring, and visit the forlorn ruins of the seat of the Bond family for over 500 years, Tyneham House. Tucked away in the Great Wood, Tyneham House was once, by all accounts, a majestic building with its origins in the early Elizabethan era, and packed with interesting period features, it was said to be one of the finest houses in the county. Even now you can see it must have been something, and the setting...wow, what a place to call home. That goes for the whole valley, which is beautiful throughout. I crept stealthy through the woods towards the old house, eyes and ears open for any movement along the track; I still get that same rush I got as a kid when I'm somewhere I shouldn't be. I'd visited the house with a friend once before about 25 years ago, and I could see straight away how much the house and its environs had changed. Since the 90's the undergrowth has rapidly encroached, climbing the walls, up through the windows, filling courtyards, corners and doorways; nature is eating the house. Though it's in the garden that I noticed the greatest changes, now so overgrown and swampy, where nature is reclaiming what was once hers, Mythago Woody style. When I was here last you could still see the fading semblance of a formally landscaped manor house garden, not so much now. Seeing the ruinous state of the buildings you'd imagine the house was destroyed when the Tyneham valley and all therein were requisitioned for training during World War Two. Though you'd be mistaken. Tyneham House was used a accommodation for the Brandy Bay radar station WAAF staff during the war years, and survived unscathed, remaining intact right into the 1960's. The destruction you see here was done by the army, though primarily through neglect and then after the army had decided that the house couldn't be restored, they destroyed it intentionally. Why they thought that was the right course of action, I don't know; photos of the period show the house in a dilapidated though restorable condition. Some sources suggest that it wasn't that the house couldn’t be restored, but that everything of salvageable value, panelling, stonework, features, things like that, had been removed by the army, and that was why the building was razed.  They also suggest the army realised their mistake and that's why Tyneham House remains off limits, hidden from the public, even though it was the most important building in the village. I don't know, thaey could just be stories, I know whatever the reason, it was a sad waste. Even with all the damage (and the house is damaged far more than any other in the village), there's still so much to see here; as well as the main house you have all the ancillary building and features which kept it going. Today was a nervous recon, now I have the lay of the land, I plan to research the site some more and return in spring for a better look about, see what can be found of the old house and garden. There is one feature particularly that I'm excited about exploring, though that's for another post.