Walk 114
Worth Matravers to Kimmeridge Bay (Dorset)
(Second leg of
English coastal walk – Broadstairs to Lands End)
Map: L/R 195
Distance: 8 miles or 12 km.
Difficulty: very challenging especially if muddy
Terrain: cliff paths
Access: Parking at both ends
Public transport: Very difficult. No 44 bus goes from
Swanage to Worth at 12:11 and 14:11, the latest return journey appears to be
12:43. There appear to be no options for Kimmeridge. Taxi the only other option.
Follow the roads and tracks out of Worth Martravers and take
the path westwards towards Houns-Tout Cliff. The steps up to the cliff top here
must be one of the longest and steepest straight climbs on the coast anywhere
in England. There is a good view back to St Aldhelm’s or St Alban’s Head. This
stretch can get very muddy and needs great care if it is. I fell into the mire
three times! Although a relatively short walk allow good time to complete it.
Continue walking to Egmont Point where there is a view of
Swyre Head - an old Saxon Barrow. Kimmeridge Ledges provide interesting rock
formations – the area is popular with geologists and surfers.
Clavell Tower is to the east of Kimmeridge Bay. This was
built in 1831 by the Rev. John Clavell as an observatory and folly. By 2005 erosion
meant that the tower was very near the cliff edge so it was dismantled and
rebuilt further back by The Landmark Trust. The writer Thomas Hardy courted one
of his early loves, Eliza Bright, here and used the tower as a frontispiece for
his Wessex Poems. The building also inspired the novelist P D James when
writing her novel The Black Tower.
Continue round and down the steps where there is a good view
of Kimmeridge Bay and beyond. The cliffs are famous for the fossils found in
the alternate layers of limestone and clay. This is a very popular location with
educational groups of all ages. In the past locals used to gather bituminous
shale from the shore for extra fuel in winter. Reportedly, “Kimmeridge Coal”
has an acrid and pungent smell when burnt.
Look out for the wild cabbage that grows here, it is the ancestor
of modern cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts. Unusually, due to its
position, Kimmeridge Bay has two low tides each day.
No comments:
Post a Comment