A walk at Golden Cap

In my post of the 17th September I said John and I would be doing a walk and I was going to write a post about it. Unfortunately many of family, friends and colleagues succumbed to the new covid variant and as a result life got rather busy again. Everyone is now fit and well and finally I can relax and write a blog post.

Our plan for the Saturday of our weekend away was to drive into Dorset and complete a walk around, and to the top of Golden Cap. The day was sunny and warm but not too hot, however I took a coat as it can get windy at the top of hills especially those on the coast.

Golden Cap is a hill and cliff situated on the coast of the English Channel between Bridport and Charmouth in Dorset. From the top you get a fabulous view for miles around. There is a quick walk that takes you straight to the top but we wanted to cover the surrounding area as well. The hill is owned by the national Trust and so we parked in the Langdon Hill car park and set off through the wood. As we made our way through the trees we could see the sea

and the patch work of fields divided by hedges.

Having started our walk in the sun, we thought we were going to get caught by rain but it was only a few light drops. We came across the remains of a small chapel dedicated to St Gabriel which is thought to have been built in the 12th century. Once there was a thriving community living in the area but by the mid 18th century all the people had moved away to work in nearby towns.

By this point we were walking away from Golden cap and climbing up Stonebarrow Hill. The views were beautiful.

As we walked along the top of the hill we found the trees had been bent almost flat by the wind. Thankfully the wind wasn't too blustery.

At the Old Radar Station we found a small barista coffee trailer and we took a break to enjoy coffee and a cake.  Fully refreshed we walked on a little way until the path turned to follow along the top of the cliffs. In the distance we could see Golden cap.  At this point we were descending towards the beach but when almost there, the path started to ascend again.

After a strenuous climb that left my legs feeling as wobbly as jelly we reached the top of the hill 

From the top there were great views.

We also found the trig point at the top

As we descended back to the car park it began to rain. Fortunately the rain didn't last long. Back at the car we decided to drive to Lyme Regis to eat fish and chips on the beach. I hadn't been to Lyme Regis since I was a child and really had no memory of the place. 

One side of the beach was sandy and the other pebbles. We sat on the sand and enjoyed our supper. The juvenile herring gulls kept their eyes on us in the hope that they would get some fish but they were out of luck.  It was fun to sit and watch the sea as the light slowly faded. I'd meant to get a better photo of the beach huts but I forgot

We drove back to our hotel in the dark and the rain started in earnest. It was still raining in the morning and so we  changed our plans and drove home early. 

Tomorrow we are going to the Stitching and Knitting exhibition at Alexander Palace. I don't need any fabric or threads but I will probably buy something. I'm looking forward to seeing the quilts and embroidery and other handcrafts that will be on display.

Take care

Lyndsey