Adventures in Dorset & Devon

First session at the gym after a two week break due to flooding & holiday was a great success....until I woke up this morning.  I pondered for a spell as to why I'm punished so severely for doing something which is supposed to benefit my body & soul....then I cracked open the Jaffa cakes.

Anyway, last week I was still in Lyme Regis and somehow the weather had got the memo about me wanting a few sunny days...It didn't last long and we had to cut short the trip due to more crapness brought forth by yet another low pressure system.

Before then however we went to Sidmouth just over the border in Devon, a quaint little seaside town with dramatic views

Same view circa 1983 (ish) when my dad obviously thought he was Magnum P.I.

And Seaton to ride the trams, as I had 27 years ago

Much work has been done to the trams site, there was little more than the track and a few trams to ride back then...and yet again my strongest memory was the paving slabs at the tram stop....they were pink & yellow like the Batenberg cake, which is probably why I have such a vivid recollection....Mmmmm, cake

And today

The end of the line.  This whole building and area was non existent on previous visits...the Batenberg paving slabs are still just about visible however

We had driven through a perfectly idyllic little village on the way to Lyme Regis and decided if the weather was still favourable we would stop for a visit.  The sunshine put in intermittent performance but it was enough to have a decent wander around Abbotsbury and the sub-tropical gardens nearby

I think it's great that many places still have the bunting up from the Jubilee, it adds just a little something extra to the charm of villages....if I were in charge everywhere would have bunting for the whole of the summer, it's just cheery ;-)

The sub-tropical gardens were lovely and the overgrown look added to the whole look of the place, though too much green doesn't show up in photos very well.

This carving was from one of the oldest trees in the gardens which was felled in 2010.

This is the restaurant and from this angle, added a very Aussie feel to the place

As did the Cookaburras perched nearby

 Some of the sub-tropical species nestled in nearby foliage

And that is all folks!

Golden Cap

Midweek into our holiday and the rain paused, the wind dropped, the sun came out and the temperature went up.  Naturally I packed a variety of delicious munchies, pulled on my walking boots and headed for the hills...well, one hill....one rather large hill.

A National Trust site on the Jurassic coast Golden Cap, which at 191 metres is the highest point on the South coast of England, delivers spectacular 360 degree views of Dorset & even Devon.

Foot problems notwithstanding (not the ankle for once) I was determined to fit a decent walk into the holiday.  After a Mr. Toad's Wild bus ride from Lyme Regis to Chideock village I began my exploration.

Chideock village filled with some lovely Dorset cottages.

The first part of the path through woodland was very muddy due to all the recent precipitation, today though was sunny and calm.

Starting the steep ascent, looking back to Langdon Wood

 At the top 191 metres where a pasty was ravenously consumed

Looking toward Seatown, Weymouth and Portland in the far distance

 

 Using the Force to get pictorial evidence of my endevours 

 

Some of the outstanding views

 

There have been several landslips over the years so standing too close to the edge I was not.

 

Looking toward Charmouth, Lyme Regis, Sidmouth & beyond

 

After a well deserved picnic lunch I walked back down from the Cap and a circular walk through Langdon woods to St Gabriels.

 

Cutting across the nearby fields and meadows where at least all the rain has given us lush greenery which make for fab pictures.

The remains of St. Gabriels church, nestled in the hillside

 

Once more heading upward.

 

This side of Golden Cap was much steeper & at this point I was questioning my choice to ascend to the top for a second time.

 

Still the views were totally worth it, walking back down toward Seatown

 

The view of Golden Cap, cows plonking themselves nonchalantly right across the footpath and, as these creatures slightly freak me out, a wide birth was given.

Ah, the obligatory field of wheat? corn? maize? crops have never been a strong suit....on the way down to Seatown.

The view from Seatown beach, the old coastal path has been closed due to subsidence

I hung out in Seatown for a spell, listening to the waves and absorbing a little sunshine before walking back up to Chideock for the, sometimes heart stopping, bus ride back to Lyme Regis....where I had a well deserved ice cream before kicking off my boots back at the flat.