Sunday, June 12
Castletown to Weymouth, 10.5 miles
Although the stages on the Southwest Coast Path almost always get you from one point to another point further along, today’s stage is a notable exception: the Path leads around the Island of Portland off the southern coast of England, dumping you right back where you began. The island isn’t large–about 3 1/2 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide, but it is one impressive pile of limestone. As we had walked along the Fleet yesterday, we had seen the cliffs on the island (known as the Underhill) growing ominously on the horizon. And now we were going to walk them.
We started the day by walking back across the island in order to pick up the Coast Path, which starts on the western shore. And we picked it up at…the Cove House Inn!
The path took no prisoners as it rose steeply up onto the cliffs that dominate the island. The entire island is a massive pile of limestone; the quarries here contributed to huge numbers of well known buildings in the UK, including Buckingham Palace and Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London! The architect of Saint Paul’s–and of a great many other important buildings in and around London–was Christopher Wren who, it turns out, had been MP for Weymouth and knew Portland’s quarries very well.
Once atop the cliff, the path stayed close to the edge with the occasional diversion, such as this one to visit a kind of sculpture garden in a quarry! Stoner Tea Party, anyone?
Don’t worry, Viv, Iggles, and Nathaniel, he only looks fierce…the sculpture remembers someone’s favorite dog.
Back alongside the sea, parts of the path make it look like Mycenae:
This is a view looking south toward the end of the island (known, paradoxically since the island slopes here to sea level, as Tophill). You can just about see the first lighthouse to the right of the large buildings.
As you approach the southern end of the island, the path passes alongside several lights.
This is the old western lighthouse; these two lighthouse keepers don’t look too friendly, but they did allow me to shoot a quick portrait.
And this is Portland Bill, the major light on the island.
We had a quick lunch stop at the Lobster Pot, a busy place within yards of the lighthouse.
As the path turned north, heading back to our starting point, you first pass by a number of rather primitive sheds…which turn out to be vacation “day homes,” often with a tea table and chairs.
Leaving civilization behind, we soon encountered a rather odd fashion shoot. Or at least a shoot that seemed odd to four boomers.
If the west coast looked Grecian, the east coast looks more mesoamerican.
About halfway up the eastern shore we descended onto a secluded beach overlooked by a ruined church from the thirteenth century (the beach is called Church Ope) and then rose again to walk beneath a series of cliffs favored by climbers.
We were walking here beneath the cliffs on an old railroad bed, which made for some good mile times. As we walked, views opened up to the mainland coast east of the town of Weymouth: this would be the scene of our last day’s walk. Those white cliffs, which bear a distinct resemblance to a roller coaster, count as ominous for the walker on the coast path!
Eventually, though, the rail bed petered out and the coast path took us on a wearying climb up to the cliff top again. Near the top we met a very nice couple with a border collie mix; they were walkers, too, and had done some of the same paths that we’ve done.
Although we were now at the top, it doesn’t mean it made for nice walking. We were passing underneath a huge wall with massive coils of barbed wire at the top. We thought it might be a military installation, but we were soon enlightened: is was a minimum security prison full of sex offenders including that fifteen minute wonder Gary Glitter.
We were now back at the edge of town and decided that another jaunt along the causeway just wasn’t for us, so we took a bus into Weymouth.
Our hotel, the Alexandra, was quite nice, and we were soon sitting down for a fine fish dinner at the Weymouth branch of Rockfish, where we had eaten in Exmouth.