Worbarrow Bay and Tout

 

Worbarrow Bay and Tout. But for ephemeral remains glimpsed through undergrowth and thicket you'd never imagine that until the Second World War this was the site of a small fishing village and Coastguard station. Military involvement with this landscape has been a double edged sword, both destructive and protective.

Gad Cliff

Gad Cliff from Worbarrow Tout. The coastline below Gad Cliff is permenantly off limits, never accessible to the public, and even if it was I don't imagine anyone beyond the most determined walkers would entertain it; it's a challenging landscape of slips, scree, sucking mud and irregular boulders, with only animal tracks available to you as passage. A properly wild stretch of the Jurassic coast.   

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.