Hiking the Dorset SWCP: Part 1

The SWCP, or South West Coastal Path stretches from Poole Harbour in Dorset to Minehead in Somerset, taking in 630 miles of coastline on England's glorious south western peninsula.

It's quite a thing to behold, and I'm pleased to say that as part of our training for hiking Peru's Inca Trail, we set out to walk the miles of Dorset coast using the SWCP.

Here is a guide to how to conquer such a feat, and a few tips, including pub stops along the way. Part 1 will cover Poole to Weymouth, and Part 2 covers Weymouth to Lyme Regis. There's a few hops, skips and jumps to join up the path, but as you'll be doubling back on occasions, we wont worry too much about that.

As for getting about, a car is helpful, but also the Purbeck Breezers for transport on Purbeck in the summer months.

Shell Bay to Studland 

Assuming you've taken in the 7 miles of golden sands and promenade of Bournemouth and Poole beaches, start this 'out and back' walk at Studland. Leave the car in Sandbanks and hop on the chain ferry, then follow the sand all the way to Middle beach. Stop for a much needed cup of tea and slice of cake at one of the cafe's before heading back, and keep a weather eye for nudists!

See the Shell Bay to Studland route now on MayMyRun.

Top Tip: This walk is almost all on sand at beach level, so bring a towel for a refreshing dip at the end.
Pub Stop: Knoll Beach Cafe
Distance: 5 miles Start/End: Shell Bay
Gain: 52ft

Swanage to Studland

After exploring the seaside town of Swanage, head left along the beach until you find the wooden steps. From here, you climb up the hill and are treated to stunning views of the bay. Follow the path as it crests and you will see Bournemouth and Poole Harbour in the distance. At Old Harry Rock, follow the path to the left all the way to the Banks Arms, where you'll find local beers and fish and chips waiting on the large garden. If you can tear yourself away from the lovely garden, it's a short walk to the main road and bus stop where you can hop on the 40 bus back to Swanage.

See the Swanage to Studland route on MapMyRun.

Top Tip: Start with tea and cake from the tea room in the carriage of an old train at Swanage station.
Pub Stop: The Banks Arms
Distance: 4 miles Start: Swanage, End: Studland
Gain: 200ft

Swanage to Winspit

From Swanage, head right along the quay and up the hill. Follow signs to Durlston through a residential area and woodland to the welcome centre. Here the SWCP picks up and follows the coast all the way past Dancing Ledge to Winspit, a disused quarry. There's a few steep climbs with steps, but poles shouldnt be needed.

From Winspit follow the path up to Worth Matravers, stopping at the Square and Compass for some live music and local cider, then take the road through Langton Matravers to Swanage.

See the Swanage to Winspit route now on MapMyRun.

Top Tip: Make the most of the photo opportunities at the Durlston Globe and Winspit Quarry
Pub Stop: The Square and Compass
Distance: 11.6 miles Start/End: Swanage
Gain: 900ft

Chapmans Pool to Kimmeridge

Start your walk from Kingston village or Houns Tout car park. Head down South Street and through the sheep fields towards Chapmans Pool, but turn right off the track at the sty. Cross the fields to pick up the path and find the famous steps out of Chapmans Pool. Once out, follow the path up and down (and back up again) until you reach Clavell Tower and the path dips into Kimmeridge Bay.

Head out of the bay towards the village, stopping at the Clavell Arms for a comfort break before continuing past Seabcombe House and through the farm. Cut through the fields back to the path you were on earlier and follow the route back, turning left at the top of Houns Tout to catch the path back to Kingston, and hopefully a plate full of jerk chicken!

See the Chapmans Pool to Kimmeridge route now on MapMyRun.

Top Tip: Things start to get hilly and there's a lot of stinging nettles, walking poles and doc leaves recommended.
Pub Stop: The Scott Arms and Clavell Cafe
Distance: 11 miles Start/End Kingston Village
Gain: 1250ft

Tyneham to Lulworth

Park and leave a donation at Tyneham before either heading south to Worbarrow Tout (for the views) or east to the mouth of Worbarrow Bay. From here it's a steep climb out of the bay to Flowers Barrow before you dip into the tank graveyard. Watch you footing and heed the warnings, this is a military training zone. Follow the path over a few more climbs before winding down to Lulworth Cove. After freshening up, head left along the beach and climb out of the cove through Fossil Forest and pick up the path back to Tyneham.

See the Tyneham to Lulworth route now on MapMyRun.

Top Tip: Check the Lulworth ranges are open before setting off and make time to explore the abandoned village of Tyneham.
Pub Stop: Lulworth Cove Inn
Distance: 11.4 miles Start/End: Tyneham Village
Gain: 1812ft

Lulworth to Preston

Park at Lulworth and take the path over the ridge towards Durdle Door. After taking some pictures, follow the path keeping Portland in view. As you near Ringstead Beach you'll see signs for the White Nothe and then the path becomes a lot flatter, eventually dropping into the beer garden of the Smugglers Inn.

From here, you can continue to Preston, or Weymouth, or head up the road to catch the 30 bus back to Lulworth Cove.

See the Lulworth to Preston route now on MapMyRun.

Top Tip: Stop to admire Durdle Door and Man o' War beach.
Pub Stop: The Smugglers Inn
Distance: 7.1 miles Start: Lulworth, End: Osmington Mills or Preston
Gain: 900ft

Happy Trails!

An Introduction To Wine @ Hotel Du Vin, Poole

Despite the howling winds and stormy weather that blew us into Poole's Old Town last night, we were quickly warmed by the Head Sommelier of Hotel Du Vin ahead of our evenings wine tasting.

Having lived a stones through from the Langhe and Barolo wine regions, and holidayed in Chianti town, it's somewhat surprising I've never been to a proper wine tasting before. I've learned bits and pieces along the way, asking to squish grapes where I can, but nothing compares to one-on-one time with a pro and a few good bottles of vino with friends.

So as a gift this Christmas, Mark arranged a wine tasting and dinner with friends at the perfectly named Hotel Du Vin in Poole.

The Wine Tasting Room

After drying off we were invited to the tasting room and our lesson began. In front of us were 4 small glasses of wine. The glasses, we were told, were those used by professional tasters, and designed to trap the aromas of the wine in the glass. Some more high-end tasters will even supply differently shaped glasses depending on the wine being tasted to maintain perfect sipping, swilling and spitting conditions; wine after all is a £100 million industry in the UK alone.

Our first wine was Chablis. Chablis comes from a specific area in Burgundy, France and is made using the Chardonnay grape. Our sommelier asked us to smell the wine, as he introduced the flavours or apple and citrus before we sipped. During the tasting we were encouraged to chew the wine, as it's the side of the tongue which detects the acidity of the wine. It was crisp, dry and delicious.

Following was a Californian Chardonnay, which immediately was more golden in colour with scents of vanilla. It's here we were introduced to oak. The oak barrels used in wine making is what delivers the subtle differences and complexities to different wines, as the wood and degree of toasting combine with the wine inside. This chardonnay was a firm favourite with our group!

Our wines for the night

After finishing the white selection we moved on to the reds, starting with a French Pinot Noir. It was young and playful with good level of clarity, which is often a sign of its youth. Age in wine is not always a good thing; depending on the grapes used some wines are best at a younger age to get the right balance of flavours before oxidation spoils the bottle. A vintage wine, is not necessarily old, but refers to wines that have been produced from perfect conditions, and are as such hard to come by. Reserva, historically for Rioja wines, does refer to age though...

"Rioja spends less than a year in oak barrels. Rioja Reserva is aged for at least three years, of which at least one year is in oak. Finally, Rioja Gran Reserva wines have been aged at least two years in oak and three years in bottle." Wiki

New World wines are generally produced in the Southern Hemisphere, California and the emerging Asian markets. Old World wines are European. Our final wine was a new world wine from Argentina; a Malbec which Argentina produces a lot of. This wine was older and full bodied with plum notes. It had a higher dose of tannins; a natural chemical created by the natural products used to make wine (grape skins, seeds and oak). Over time this may form into natural sediment and found at the bottom of the bottle, but it's completely natural and safe to drink. Sediment does not mean that a bottle has "corked" which instead refers to wine that has been contaminated by cork taint and has a smell of mould and damp.

Great wines & great friends

Free from corked wines here, we were now at the end of our introduction to wine, with our heads full of new knowledge, questions and (I admit) a little post-wine fuzziness. We finished the evening with dinner and a bottle of Cotes Du Rhone, knowing just a little more about the fascinating world of wine!

Saturday morning SUP

This weekend I made the most of a sunny moment in the British summer to go stand up paddle boarding (SUP). There's a new surf hire place on Branksome beach called Shaka Surf which I've passed by a few times just waiting for the right conditions to get out on the water.

Saturday morning's forecast was good all week, and when I woke up the sun was already up and shining through a cloudless Dorset sky. We zipped down to the beach just a mile away and within minutes I was out on the water as Mark relaxed on the shoreline with a book.

It was my first time paddle boarding solo, but it was an amazing feeling. The slight breeze kept me on my knees as I paddled out towards the large yellow buoys which dotted the beach. It's surprising how much of a good workout paddling is, especially for the arms and core as they fight to stabilise yourself. I was certainly working off the BBQ and beers we enjoyed the night before!

As I rounded the first buoy I glanced down, and to my surprise found that in the green water loads of large white jellyfish were swimming beneath me. Not just one or two, but a consistent stream, and enough to put me off practicing my stood-up paddling skills for fear of falling in. Jelly fish are not my friends.

Instead I decided to relax for a few minutes, and laid down flat on my board briefly closing my eyes and enjoying the gentle rocking of the ocean as a jet-ski zipped past and a vintage airplane flew above en route to the air show.

Riding the wind to the next buoy I was amazed at the number of jelly fish, all appearing out of the green sea like mysterious marshmallows and passing me by without a care in the world. Excitedly, I wondered if I might see a turtle - apparently they've been spotted off the Dorset coast, attracted by the jellyfish which they eat.

Before I knew it I was getting the signal it was nearly time to go, and I practiced my paddling in the jelly fish free safety of the shallows, before we headed home.

What a way to spend a morning!

The high seas with Watersports Academy

With summer supposedly on it's way to England, Mark and I have a few water based adventures planned in our corner of the world. Over the coming months we will be kayaking, surfing and trying out SUP, but today we're starting with an afternoon sail in world famous Poole Harbour. Here's what happened...

Mark and I taking the helm

There aren't many catamarans in Poole Quay, so Mark easily picked out the one he thought we'd be spending the afternoon on as we stand excitedly on the quayside.

We've booked a sailing afternoon in Poole with the Watersports Academy aboard a Lagoon 440 Catamaran and whilst the weather is more than a little disappointing, we're enthusiastically told it isn't going to rain as we meet our skipper.

After being shown aboard and confused about how to use the loo, we set sail! There's a breeze so we will be able to do some actual sailing, but it later turns out that anything to do with the sails is mostly mechanically operated - and rightly so after a glass of bubbly or two which we sip as we meander through the waters.

The view on board

Despite the chilling wind, we brave the outside seating areas, enjoying the views and waving to the other boats in the harbour. It's funny how an blank expanse of water so viewed from the shore quickly becomes a maze to navigate through once you are in it. Buoys, boats and jetskis dart about around us as we turn off the motor and let the wind carry us.

Once we are past the mouth of the harbour (and everyone is clear exactly which house is Harry Redknaps) the British Channel opens up in front of us, and we are treated to wonderful views of Old Harry Rocks and the start of the Jurassic Coast. 

Nautical navigational charts

We retreat to the warmth of the cabin for the return journey, and arrive back at port chilly, but having thoroughly enjoyed our time aboard! Find out more about Yachting with the Watersports Academy now.

In my next post, I'll be tell you all about my trip to Marrakesh!