Following The Fleet

The next section of the South West Coast Path.

Day 2.

Abbotsbury to Weymouth

Starting out from the b&b after a hearty breakfast, we headed up the hill to St Catherine's Chapel which sits above Abbotsbury. From there the views were stunning to the coast and inland. The ridgeway (an alternative route) sits even higher the other side of the village.

Beyond the swannery, we could see Chesil Beach and the fleet - a special wildlife conservation area. The fleet is the name of the lagoon between Chesil Bank and the mainland. The water at the Abbotsbury end is not as salty or tidal because of the stream running into it and hence the haven for birds and its protected status.

The next part of the walk was inland through rolling fields and skirting woodland. When we rejoined the fleet it was almost time for a spot of lunch and we stopped at the conveniently-placed Moonfleet Manor for a panini and a slice of Dorset apple cake.

We continued walking towards Weymouth along the fleet, with Chesil bank permanently to the right hand side, past lots of lovely coves and bays.

Neither it us had noticed before, but gorse in flower has the distinct smell of coconut about it - a bit like a coconutty suncream. We were sstarting to wish we had some suncream to put on. The glorious day without much shade was pleasantly welcome but much unexpected.

At Ferry Bridge (the connection from Wyke Regis to the Isle of Portland) we decided to jump on a bus for the last couple of miles to Weymouth and to check in to our guest house for the night.

That leg of the walk was 12.5 miles to Ferry Bridge.

After a brief pause and dropping off our bags, we returned by bus to Ferry Bridge and took it about a mile or so further onto Portland itself. From there we saw a super sunset across the sea. We walked up on to Chesil bank, and at this end the pebbles are a lot bigger which makes it easier to walk on and get a footing. Apparently pirates landing on Chesil bank knew which part of it they had landed on by the pebble size.

Leaving Portland behind via the Ferry Bridge we picked up the Rodwell trailway (a former railway line now a cycle and footpath). By this point it had got dark so we walked for a couple of miles, accompanied by bats flying back and forth, into Weymouth town centre. We stopped for dinner before returning to our b&b, rather satisfyingly tired.

The 'bonus' second section of today's walk added another 5.5 miles, bringing today's total to 18 miles.

Continuing the South West Coast Path

We are connecting up some of the previous walks. This time it's a 5-day walk from Bridport to Bournemouth. The walk connects with our 2013 trek from London to Totnes.

Day 1

Bridport to Abbotsbury

28 March 2019

Starting with a train from Bournemouth to Dorchester, then a bus to Bridport, we joined our previous London-Totnes walk for the first couple of miles from Bridport to West Bay.

In 2013 we headed west from West Bay and on to Lyme Regis. This time we headed East.

First stop was in an interesting flea market before climbing up a steep hill out of West Bay.

We walked along some very nice cliffs which were very up-down for quite a few miles, following the stunning coastline.

We headed inland to Burton Bradstock and found The Three Horseshoes pub where we had a great tasty lunch of soup and sandwiches.

Back on to the coast path and at times had to follow the shoreline. This was hard-going underfoot because the shingle was so small and each step felt like the effort of four steps.

We arrived at Abbotsbury and found the B&b for the night, the Ilchester Arms.

After a brief rest we took a sunset stroll around the village, seeing some remains of the abbey and England's largest barn!

London to Brighton 100K Trek (in photos)

We made it!

We completed the London to Brighton Trek!

Here's a photo from the finish line.

That was one tough walk, physically and mentally!

The fundraising page stays open for a little while so please donate to the British Heart Foundation via our JustGiving page http://justgiving.com/2walkto.

Thank you!

One week to go!

After the months of (trying to fit in) training walks, the time has come for the real thing!

Next weekend, 27-28 June, is the 100km Trek from London to Brighton.

We have less than 30 hours to complete the epic walk!

It is all in aid of The British Heart Foundation.

We've opened a Team 2WalkTo sponsorship page at https://www.justgiving.com/2walkto/

In training: Another long walk

As part of our training for the London to Brighton 100K Trek, we have been stepping up the distance walks in preparation for the endurance challenge facing us next month.

It's all in aid of the British Heart Foundation - and this blog is about the walk, the training and the fundraising.

Walking the North Downs Way

The North Downs Way national trail has featured in a few of our training walks already and we previously reached as far as Guildford in the westerly direction. The final length of the trail is about 10 miles farther west to Farnham. This means we've done all of the North Downs Way between Guildford and Hollingbourne, with the Guildford-Farnham part still to finish in the west, and from Hollingbourne-Dover still to cover in the south east.

24 May 2015

We jumped on a train from London Waterloo to Guildford where we followed the River along the route which will be part of the actual London to Brighton Trek on the 27th June. Where this meets the North Downs Way we turned off the river path and headed in the direction of Farnham.

The first 12 miles to Farnham took us through bluebell woods (pictured above) and sandy lanes. At Farnham station we switched from the North Downs Way to a combination of local walks heading for MOD land, eventually ending in Fleet, another 14 miles further.

Danger signs and suspicious objects on MOD land near Aldershot and Farnborough.

When we got to Fleet Pond nature reserve we realised a train from Fleet back to London Waterloo was due in the next 5 minutes so we finished our 26 mile walk with a light jog, followed by a more serious run when we spotted the train was on the other platform and we needed to run over the footbridge to get to it!

Today's walk has almost very nearly coincided with part of the route we walked on our first charity walk adventure from London to Devon, where we followed the Three Castles Path for 3 of the days. We are planning a future walk to join up the end of this walk from Fleet, heading to Winchfield and the Basingstoke canal. But that's for another time!

Here are a few more photos from this walk:

23 mile circular walk in West Sussex

We are in training for a mammoth charity walk for the British Heart Foundation - the LONDON to BRIGHTON TREK 2015. It is 100 km to be completed within 30 hours, walking through the day and night.

We're doing plenty of long walks at the moment to train for this large undertaking!

Here is one to share with you.

If you enjoy walking, this walk is a stunning route through the West Sussex countryside. We did it in May, when the bluebells were out. The walk crosses the appropriately-named Bluebell Railway (a preserved steam railway) a couple of times.

It's a circular walk so it can be started anywhere and you could shorten it if 23 miles is to your taste (if you're not in training for a trek!). We started in the village of West Hoathly, which is not far from the M23 Crawley/Gatwick.

Setting off from West Hoathly, we walked clockwise towards East Grinstead, then followed a straight trailway to Forest Row, before heading south and west to Horsted Keynes, then back round to the start point at West Hoathly.

For the walkers out there, click the map below to view the track we created using Viewranger (a GPS tracking app).

Get in contact if you'd like further information about this incredible walk. It's thoroughly recommended.

Below are some photos from the walk to entice you to go and do it!