KEEP BEARING LEFT

Until the Blisters go Pop

By The Bimbler

Lonely Planet rated The South West Coast Path as ‘one of the top walks to be found anywhere in the world’

Fortunately I didn’t have to cross any borders to get to the starting point which for me was only 2 hours by bus to the mouth of Poole Harbour.

Being a whopping 630 miles long it doesn’t seem like a good route for any self respecting Bimbler but when deadlines and distances are removed it becomes an adventure to be enjoyed in bite sized chunks.

After a leisurely barefoot stroll along the sandy Studland Beach I rounded the chalk headland known as Old Harry Rocks

I stopped to make so many mugs of tea that by the time I descended into Swanage the light was fading fast. I waited until it was dark and made stealth camp in the public park on the only patch of level ground.

After a long night with sore feet I struck camp at dawn and headed out of town and into the wilds.

My personal challenge was to carry everything I needed on my back including food and shelter. To make it more interesting I gathered wild edible plants to supplement my dry meals and collected and treated water from flowing streams

With approximately 13kg on my back I travelled a gentle pace and was happy to arrive at Dancing Ledge, a tidal swimming pool blasted from the limestone. On discovering I had the place to myself I took the opportunity for a quick skinny dip before changing into fresh clothes and lounging around for over an hour

After a leisurely lunch followed by lashings of coffee I did my best to tend to my worsening blisters and headed West up and down the undulating hills… a recurring theme for this whole section of Coastal Path!

By late afternoon I reached Kimmeridge Bay which is a Marine Nature Reserve. It was also the setting for the final scene of Holywood film World War Z where Brad Pitt comes ashore in a boat to reunite with his estranged family. You couldn’t make this stuff up!