Final Words

630.4 Miles Walked / 114,900ft Ascent /  31 Days Walking / 1 Pair of Shorts
£6450+ Raised for Prostate Cancer UK

For those who have been reading all the way through, I hope I've managed to share the incredible variety that I have experienced and like to think that I've written more than just miles, weather and food. For those who have read odd bits and pieces, I did actually do a lot of walking, honest!

The perceived monotony of walking every day only ever lasts a week or so and it soon just becomes part of the routine. The things that stand out (and that hopefully I have shared) make this sort of walk special and although I can't recall which day was which, or the sequence of towns (or even their names), I am very pleased to have kept this blog so that the detail is not lost.

Walking the South West Coast Path has been quite a challenge, both physically and mentally at times, and if you haven't yet had the chance to contribute, the JustGiving page will continue to run for 3 months (link at the top of this blog) if you would like to donate.

All that remains is for me to thank everyone who's charity, whether a splash of lime in my water bottle, or a cash contribution, has been far beyond my expectations. Thank you all so much.

Regards,
Alan Macnair

Day 32 - Swanage, South Haven Point, Poole Harbour

Saturday 17th August
Total: 630.4m  / Daily: 12m  / Blue Skies / The End

Yesterday afternoon turned out calm, so calm that I actually got a shock from a sheep which bleated unexpectedly! I wandered on past the turn off for the village knowing I had plenty of water for supper and was hit by a continuous flight of 219 stairs. I think that is the longest on the SWCP, not the highest climb, but the most stairs (look closely at the rise on the left of the darker photo below). Later I found a rocky cove where 10+ people were swimming. Once closer, I could see that the 15 onlookers were all in formal clothes, a strange sight for the coast path but there was a wedding party staying in a lodge up the track. I felt perfectly comfortable walking past in my somewhat worn attire, safe in the knowledge that they were the anomaly despite the ratio of people suggesting otherwise...

I received donations yesterday from a number of different people and would like to thank Jane & Steve and Eve for taking an interest in my walk and for their support.
____

I saw a red deer as I was setting up camp, the first I've seen in weeks. Later, as dusk turned to darkness, I crept towards the area the deer had ran into. I didn't see it again but I could hear lots of noise in the bushes, a family perhaps? There was no sound as I left this morning.

Few miles to Swanage where I found Hayman's Bakery and a coffee. With 7 miles to the end marker and an entire day ahead, I was happy to wait for the fresh pain au chocolat to arrive. Peter (Hayman) seemed surprised that I wasn't feeling tired and worn, it's normal life that does that to you! Thank you for your support Peter.

Just a brief saunter around Old Harry Rocks, past the nudist beach and I'll be at the finish marker. It all feels rather bittersweet.

Day 31 - Lulworth Cove, Kimmeridge Bay, Kimmeridge, Worth Matravers

Friday 16th August
Total: 614+m  / Daily: 22m  / Heavy Rain + Overcast  / Odd Day
(again, more published on yesterday's entry)

It was windy this morning, just as well I had staked my tent down properly. However, I have now learnt (from my mistake) how to take it down in high wind. Not disconnecting the material from the pole first was a huge mistake, the tent flew up in the air, the pole snapped and the material blew into (and impaled on) a nearby barbed wire fence. Not to worry, I can fix all damage and it will hold for one or two more nights for sure. I passed Duffle Door, Stair Hole and Lulworth Cove early with very few people people around. The mist was coming down and it had began to rain.

As the inclines grew steeper, the rain fell harder and I was actually tested at one point in Lulworth Military Range when I had a choice of path with no obvious way of distinguishing which was right. Visibility was about 10metres and following the path nearest the coast wasn't for sure the right option as there had been a turning earlier which wasn't the coast path (there was a sign that time). It wax raining hard and the strong wind high up meant that if I stopped moving I started getting cold (I think that is the first time I've used that word!). The path was slippery and I did fall once, fortunately my fall was cushioned by a tuft of grass. Anyway, I took the wrong path which in the end led to a 2 mile addition to the section. A map would have avoided this completely.

Strange place the military range: constant signage reminding walkers to stay on the path; regular no entry signs; wrecked tanks; APCs; trucks; large areas of black dead scrub, this was a serious range! Kimmeridge Bay was disappointing despite an impressive wildlife conservation centre hidden away in the bay. If the flags flying have pictures of coffee and ice cream, then it had better sell coffee and icecream! The only thing I could buy was conservation pencils, badges and other non edible paraphernalia...

Big diversion took me inland to Kimmeridge village and across a hill to Kingston. The pub on the way was a welcome break to dry off, warm up and feel a little more domesticated. This had been the most harsh weather yet but it calmed down as I tucked into beef and chorizo curry and the afternoon + evening walking was much more pleasant.

Day 30 - Portland, Portland Bill, Castletown, Wyke Regis, Weymouth

Thursday 15th August
Total: 590+m  / Daily: 22m  / Scattered Showers /

I wandered through and around old quarrying sites looking at the amazing sculptures chiseled out of the Portland stone (a few photos in the album) arriving at the Bill just as things were beginning to wake up. I gave the National Coastwatch volunteer a wave on my way round and began heading north back up the east side of the almost-island.

I passed two prison sites with very different architecture. The first had metal gates, copious amounts of razor wire, high metal fencing the sort of thing you would expect from a modern ish building. The second however was far more interesting. The Verne prison was built in the 19th century by prisoners to the design of a Captain Crossman of The Royal Engineers and is set into the hills of north Portland. Much of the stone is invisible from the south, high banks of grass form a verge which meets the exterior wall before a void and finally the prison wall. The south entrance was a raised concrete platform across the gap with a wide fence and locked gate disappearing behind a solid door into the side of the hill. Maybe the front is more normal, I didn't see it, but the back of this prison is intriguing. One man told me that in 2004 a man escaped in a laundry bag (cutting himself out of the bag later with the metal edge off the top of a lighter according to wikipedia!) to visit his mother. Wikipedia also talks of escaping over the walls using knotted sheets, this is the stuff of The Great Escape!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_The_Verne

Met and chatted with Roger (picking blackberries for fruit compote to have with yogurt for breakfast, delicious!) and Nigel (out walking with friends and family) who noticed that I 'looked like a walker'. I must be showing some fatigue from the prawn toast incident (Day 29 blog). Anyway, it was enjoyable to share stories and experiences and I thank you both for your kind support.

Almost off Portland at this point, time to walk the causeway on the eastern pavement this time.

I saw this situation unfold but somehow knew it was going to end badly before it happened. The route between the Portland causeway and Weymouth is a tarmac shared cycle and walkway which avoids the busy road. There was a family of 4 walking towards me and a father and son on bikes behind them, also coming towards me. The family didn't know the bikes were there and they were taking up the whole width of the path. Seeing me further down the track, one moved across, both bikes accelerated at this point assuming the gap was for them and I stopped walking so as not to crash into someone. Dad had more inertia than Son but both seemed to be going for a one person space. Son was on the outside and pulled in. Dad would have crashed into family because of this so pushed against Son's bike. (Apologies for the long build up). This sent son flying off the walkway into a hedge of brambles and nettles at about 10 mph. Dad duly picked his son out of the bush whilst the family were all making 'oh no' type noises. I walked by with a straight face then once safely clear, grinned from ear to ear. It was hilarious! The Dad had literally pushed his son into a bramble bush!

I walked through the busy parts of Weymouth and as the beach calmed down towards the eastern end, my desire to have a swim increased! Up until now, I've not been that fussed about swimming but I found a spot with no other people and was soon paddling about. I did swim properly, but not for long. Spent most of the time washing (dont worry, it's organic biodegradable soap) but didn't realise that greasy hair + seawater + biosoap = the most powerful hair gel ever. At least it's not in my eyes when vertical... 

Found a good spot to camp and was ready to go to sleep by 9. I got back out to add a couple more tent pegs (good job I did, read tomorrow) and saw some lights on the cliff edge in the distance. A whole series of them, moving towards me at a decent speed. My first thought was the National Trust police were coming to arrest me, but I realised it was bikes. I took a video of them speeding by and it's the first time I've seen a group out for a night ride (video shared in the photo album, click the album on the right).

Day 29 - Seatown, West Bay, Abbotsbury,

Wednesday 14th August
Total: 566+  / Daily: 22m  / Mist & Showers /

I woke to voices but I could only just see the sun rising in the gap between the ground and my fly sheet. Being on a high point this meant it was a little before the 'official' sunrise time, surprising to hear others at that time. After getting up and hearing the snippets of conversation for 10 minutes, I realised they were coming from the caravan park below, a couple of miles away. The wind conditions must have been perfect for it. It was bizarre to look at tiny specs and hear words.

I took a decent break in a cafe in Bay West called Ellipse watching the rain and wind steadily increase outside. I hadn't planned on eating, just a phone charge and coffee but like usual, that plan went out the window. 11m from here to be on track for the early finish, however there are quite a few serious climbs in a couple of days. Yesterday's 27m has put me ahead, I'll try and maintain that. 'The clouds roll in, it starts to rain, I put my waterproofs on. It's blowing a gale, my spirits fail, I try to sing this song ....' (reference to the song from Day 20). Time to venture outside!

The afternoon was fairly uneventful. It rained a lot and I walked alongside the everlasting Chesil Beach. The path goes inland as the beach is a frustrating 7 miles of shingle with no way off except the ends. It is also closed at this time of year for the bird nesting season. The inland path snaked its way around the edges of farmland and arrived at the edge of The Fleet (the large lake formed by Chesil beach). The decibel level certainly suggested there was a lot of birds but I didn't see a great deal more than usual, the fact that I was hiding in my waterproofs might have had something to do with that. My guide often uses the words 'seaward' and 'landward' when describing the path and I was hoping it would suggest walking on the Fleetward side, but that you can go your own way ...

I walked for far too long today and found myself walking on the pavement of the A354 by streetlight at 9pm. I'd eaten earlier beside one of the 5 caravan parks that I passed today and wasn't massively hungry. I was on the hunt for somewhere to sleep but didn't want to pitch to close to a road. The path passed dangerously close to a Chinese take away and I left with a bag of prawn toast.

What happened next broke just about all of my walking rules and would have been comical to watch, fortunately there was no one else around. The path climbed steeply out of the town and I walked with my headtorch on guiding the way (having left the streetlights behind). The prawn toast was swinging wildly on one arm as I was using my poles and the other arm struggling to hold onto its pole whilst looking on Google Earth for nearby grassy spots. I was eating the prawn toast and singing 'Portland by Middle Brother' whilst climbing the steep path with an edge on one side. I was in a surprisingly good mood and found a great spot next to a diversion sign on the edge of an old quarry. (Navigating a diversion in the dark would have been a disaster).

Day 28 - Sidmouth, Branscombe Beer, Seaton, Lyme Regis, Charmouth

Tuesday 13th August
Total: 544+m  / Daily: 27m  / Blue Skies / A near death experience

4ish miles to Sidmouth, I was wandering along the sea front and hung my tent out to dry after a large amount of condensation has built through the night, it was much colder and I think I perhaps should have inflated my Thermarest. I was approached by a man who asked what I was doing and subsequently offered a coffee and break in his cafe across the way. I was planning on a coffee there but not a cooked breakfast too and he kindly offered both as a donation. The food at The Pea Green Boat was delicious and I would recommend it if you are visiting this regency town. Any place with bloody mary as the first item on the menu gets my vote.

There has been a noticeable increase in the number of information boards over the last couple of days and I've been learning about geology, plants and birds. Or rather, I've been fascinated by the information and then forgotten it straight away. It's probably been the same board over and over... One fun thing though is that sea-holly (that spiky scrub like plant you find in sand dunes) is closely related to the carrot!

The rocks round these parts were formed over 260million years ago which is apparently 1000 years per step through the Jurrasic Coast section (96 miles) that's 260,000 steps, which is roughly 2,700 steps per mile, or 135 steps per minute (based on 3 mph) which is 2.25 steps per second, probably about right. I agree with the sign.

Later in the day I came across a sign (see below) and with about 0.2l of water left, I thought 'can't be that bad'. I met two lads about 20years old who said I'd regret it but I chose to carry on. The area in question is called The Undercliff (already sounds ominous) and I had my pennies ready in order to enter! It was formed in the 1800s when I massive landslip caused a section 1km wide and up to 100m deep to drop into the sea forming a new section of low level land where there has been no human influence except the path since. My guide describes it as having 'an almost eerie character' and that '[it] feels claustrophobic at times' but if you have spent time wandering through forests this simply isn't the case. I felt quite comfortable and thoroughly enjoyed the wooded landscape with its dense scrub and heavily vined trees (see recent photos in the album).

Having survived The Underworld, I had supper sitting on the prom of Seaton watching boys play on their scooters and skateboards. I wanted to show one lad how to jump on a scooter properly.. but thankfully avoided the potential for massive embarresment and thought better of it. Walked late, setting up camp on top of a flat topped hill (one away from Golden Cap, the highest point on the south coast) and slept comfortably in a grassy spot amongst the heather.

Day 27 - Babbacombe, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Starcross, Exmouth, Salterton

Monday 12th August
Total: 520+m  / Daily: 20m  / Cloudy clearing to Blue Skies /

The traffic was slow moving heading back towards Torquay/Babbacombe meaning an 11 o'clock start. I'm not fussed about walking far today but it would be frustrating to arrive at a river crossing after the ferry has stopped running.

I made the crossing over the River Exe with about 30 seconds to spare. I saw the ferry pulling up to the pontoon as I was walking down on the west side of the river. It was 5pm and my guide said the ferry ran until 6. However, I did start walking a little quicker thinking that it would save some time to have a break on the boat rather than on the pontoon and on the boat. The route to the ferry took 10 minutes winding in and out of the train station and I saw a man closing up the ferry crossing sales hut. I shouted over and it's just as well I did, it was their last crossing going to Exmouth and their last crossing of the day would return to Starcross where I was. Close one.

It was another day with a lot of concrete and promenade, but not as much of an issue as the other day because it was that little bit cooler. I met Andy going in the other direction who had been walking for about the same time as I have, walking over to the SWCP marker at Poole before setting out himself. Thank you for your donation. Also met Kevin who is aiming to walk the length. He warned me of Dorset and specifically the gradient, but a few well timed early mornings and it should be no worry.

I passed the start of the Jurassic Coast section which covers the next 95 miles of coast and contains evidence from millions of years of history. Climbing a zigzag path at the end of Exmouth there were fun fact signposts. It took a long time, but I didn't notice the hill and had a lot of fun. Clever Devon council.