Wednesday 17 June 2026

Day 51 of walking
Weymouth to Lulworth Cove
Distance: 19.35km
Total distance: 996.47km
Climbing: 727m
Total climb: 32,346m

Today’s section started with a dead flat walk and ended with a roller coaster. The walk out of Weymouth was on the esplanade on a dull and gloomy morning. The splendid Georgian houses on the sea front which should have been standing proudly , glistening in the morning sun were hardly visible, hiding in the mist. At the end of the beach the path went inland slightly to bypass Furzy Cliff and then went through the Southside Funfair, all still and quiet before opening time. There is another huge holiday park here and the massive faux Art Deco Riviera Hotel, abandoned and neglected when we were here three years ago and looking like it is falling apart even more today.

On the hill above the hotel we were looking for the Osmington White Horse. This is a large image of a horse and rider carved into the white chalk hillside. Carved in 1808 and restored in 2010, the figure is King George III who often holidayed in Weymouth. We missed seeing this last time and were determined not to miss again. We asked a man walking his dog, who we assumed would be a local, but he had no idea having been in Weymouth for only a day. Next we asked a lady walking her two dogs. She was local and pointed it out to us there and then. It was much further away than we expected and so looked very small. It was also not white but a dirty sort of brown. I think the fact that it was a gloomy misty morning meant it was not looking its best.

After some very gentle walking along some low cliffs the next highlight was The Smugglers Inn at Osmington Mills. This is a lovely thatched roof place, its origins dating back to the 13^th century. It was one of the main landing places for smuggled goods from France in the 17^th century. It is often voted the ‘Best Pub in Dorset’. Some more gentle walking on grass and through woodland until we went down to the beach at Ringstead Bay. The coast is all pea sized pebbles as we saw at Chesil Beach. Luckily we didn’t have to walk on it, just sit and drink our coffee and try and make out the outline of the Isle of Portland in the mist. The mist was hanging around the higher cliff tops and it was much clearer at sea level.

Then the tough stuff began. A gradually steepening climb up to White Nothe and some remote former coast guard houses. We were way up in the white stuff and you could only see about 50 metres ahead on the path. We then got on the roller coaster, a series of very steep descents and climbs with intriguing names like Burning Cliff, Middle Bottom, Bats Hole and Scratchy Bottom. Some rocks off shore are called The Calf, The Cow, The Blind Cow and The Bull. The geology had changed to a series of sheer white cliffs. This is a very dramatic part of the coast and has two iconic landmarks of the South West Coast Path, Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove.

Geologically Durdle Door is just an arch of limestone rock, set out at sea, and joined to the mainland with a narrow sliver of land. It was formed by the tides eroding the rock and eventually the tides will destroy the arch. Just along the beach at Stair Hole a new arch is forming in an ’infant cove’ and it will eventually replace Durdle Door. This place is incredibly popular with a camp ground and huge car park and is on the route of a hop-on, hop-off open top tourist bus. We have now been here twice and both times there were a lot of people about. Last time it was a hot, sunny, windless day and along with many others we swam. Some were swimming out and through the arch. Today it was windy, cold, and overcast. It is a very steep pebble beach with a strong undertow and today the wind was driving in some decent waves. It looked a bit unsafe unless you were a strong swimmer and nobody was in the water.

Just over the headland is one of the most picturesque coves in the south west, Lulworth Cove. A perfectly horse shoe shaped white pebble cove known for its brilliant blue crystal clear water. It wasn’t quite like that on this overcast and misty day. Just inland is the idyllic village of Lulworth and a little further inland the even lovelier village of West Lulworth. We are staying there at The Castle Inn, a beautifully restored thatch roofed pub dating from 1660. In the attic again, but up only one flight of narrow, uneven, twisty stairs. The corridor to our room is only the width of my shoulders and is far from straight or level. We love it when you just have to go downstairs to the bar for a meal. Barbara: Wild garlic rigatoni, spring pesto, burrata, basil and toasted pine nuts. Me: Wiltshire lamb sausages, champ potatoes, mint gravy, spring greens, beer-battered green onion. Both fantastic.

Tomorrow Macs Adventure have us walking 34 kilometres from Lulworth Cove to Swanage, with 1297 metres of climbing. Way too much for us these days. In 2023 we did this in two days and found it difficult then – although the first day was in pouring rain. We are concocting something different for our penultimate day of walking.

Tomorrow will be a milestone day. We only have to walk 4 more kilometres to reach 1,000 kilometres.