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.

Creech Hill

Purbeck again this morning, and what a wonderful day for walking, the light on the landscape was stunning, the vistas had an ultra real quality to them. We parked at Corfe and made our way along the base of Knoll Hill, our now familiar route easing us into the hills, where after a couple of miles or so we rose up Ridge Hill with it's fabulous 360 degree views. I know I'm repeating myself, but Purbeck is something special, a landscape unique. After taking our fill of sites, we walked on following the high ridge past Grange Arch, an 18th century folly, and eventually reaching Creech Hill where we sat looking along the Tyneham Valley with the sea and Portland beyond. Man, what a breathtaking rural scene, a patchwork of fields, hedgerows and copses, nestled in the folds of hills and cliffs, I breathed it all in. Later as we descended Ridgeway Hill we met a chatty elderly local lady on her way up and we got chatting; I try not to miss any opportunity to indulge my passion for local aural histories. The lady told of being born in the Corfe Valley, having lived here all her life and of all the changes she'd seen. Of how the nature of the population had changed, how when her children were young there used to be 40 children on the school bus from Kimmerage to Corfe. Of how the land has altered, how there used to be lots more small fields, more hedgerows and how the valley bottom fringing the Corfe River used to be all flower meadow. I could endlessly listen to people telling the story of a land they're intimately connected to; I love it. My mind wandered as Geoff and I continued on our way, imaging the valley as the lady described; so, a timeless landscape more changed than I'd imagined.