Tyneham valley

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

Tyneham Valley

 

This morning was our first foray to the isle of Purbeck this year, and what a morning to choose. It was bloody lovely. Purbeck's a special isle, a magical isle, adjacent to an expansive urban sprawl, yet remaining worlds apart. A seemingly timeless place, and an area that mercifully has thus far through a mixture of factors escaped the ravages of development, in some parts remaining to all appearances unchanged for a hundred years. As you walk all around you the visible remnants of 5000 years of history and human activity are etched on the landscape, with every period well represented from prehistory to present day. The photo is across the Tynehan Valley to Tyneham Cap, with Swyre Head and then St Aldhelms' Head in the distance. Beautiful.

Tyneham Valley

Through a cutting in the outer rampart and ditch defensives of Flowers Barrow (an ancient Iron Age hillfort) you get your first glimpse of the magical Tyneham Valley beyond; a spectacular view of a landscape frozen in time. I love views like this. The severity of your descent just beyond the rampart can be challenging, although nowhere as challenging as the ascent is.

Purbeck

Back to the Isle of Purbeck this morning, an early-ish start too, as the day had the potential to deteriorate...which it did, a bit.  It was another bright spring day to start, although a thin misty haze hung in the air and clouds could be seen gathering sneakily on the horizon...I see you cloud! Again we parked below the castle and set off along the footpath running along the base of the Knowle Hill, between the rough grassland and gorse of the hills and a matrix of hedged fields and small pockets of ancient woodland that define the Corfe Valley. Our path rose briefly as it transferred from Knowle Hill and Ridgeway Hill at bare Cross, affording us vistas along the Valley. They were short lived though as we soon descended again into the fields of the Corfe Valley, crossing it's titular river before rising up past Hyde Wood to the ridge above Kimmeridge, with stunning views of the Kimmeridge Bowl and along it's western arm...our direction of travel. We passed fields of bright yellow rapeseed which shone like gold, so vibrant. The western arm of the Kimmeridge Bowl is a favourite walk, views into the bowl and out to sea on one side, and into the Tyneham Valley on the other, really lovely. Out here it's hard to imagine you're so close the expansive BCP conurbation. A couple of miles undulating path and we reached the extent of our outward walk, Tyneham Cap and Townley Shenton's Seat with the most stunning view over Gad Cliffs and Worbarrow Bay towards Weymouth and the Isle of Portland. In Weymouth Bay you could see the cruise liners still hunkered down at anchor due to covid. We sat a while to take it all in before beginning our journey back. Another lovely walk, 11.7 miles. I don't mind walking alone, you can really connect and absorb, which I enjoy deeply, though it would be nice to sometimes share these walks again with others.

Greengage

For years now I've been creating a mind map of the wild resources to be found around my various roams, the Forest, the Chase, Purbeck, where ever I wander. Over the years it's become more and more expansive, you'd be surprised what out there to found, what nature has to offer. I'm for ever adding new finds and locations. Today I added another wild resource to my map of things, one that I'd not logged before, even though I'd passed them countless times, a group of Greengage (Prunus domestica) trees amongst the ruins of the fishing settlement at Worbarrow Bay. Nice.

Here we go again

Sunday's meant Purbeck of late, well, why wouldn't it, the weather's been very conducive to fabulous walking and the Jurassic Coast is a fabulous landscape to walk. Up and out early, again we had the morning to ourselves, and glorious it was. Having enjoyed last week's walk so much, we decided to take the same route again, the Povington Hill down to Tyneham Village, out to Worbarrow and up to Flowers Barrow, then back along the ridgeway to Povington Hill loop, not long, about 4.5 miles. And again it was wonderful walking, just as last week. Although it was considerably hotter from the get go this morning, by 0900 it had become a sweat fest with Old Bel showing he wasn't spent yet, the air was still and warm too, affording no relief. I can't imagine how hot it must've been by midday, Another thing different this week was that Worbarrow Bay was filled with yachts at anchor, I say filled, there were 15 or so, and you could understand why, what stunning views to wake to.

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.  

Kimmeridge Bowl

Just as yesterday in the forest, Autumn stalked the countryside again today, only this time we were over in Purbeck, and the windswept ridge above Kimmeridge. Kimmeridge sits in a bowl surrounded by a ridge, the other side of which are the Tyneham and Corfe Valleys, it was that ridge we were walking today (the same ridge we took out to Tyneham Cap last week). The day was confused, a strong wind scoured the landscape, again Bel was a reluctant player, playing peek-a-boo between the thick grey clouds which scud across the sky, though it was still t-shirt walking weather. Odd indeed. As always, the Purbeck Hills were magnificent this morning, ancient and weathered, with their timeless wild feel, and a certain, on the edge of the world quality to them. Purbeck really is a magical isle. Getting out here early, having the tracks to yourselves, your mind lost in the rugged landscape, it's hard to imagine you're only a few miles from one of the South Coast's biggest conurbations. You might as well be a hundred miles away, and hundreds of years back in time. Today’s walking was good for ails you walking.