Day 18

August 28, 2015

Depart Abbotsbury | Arrive Portland, Accommodation: Royal Breakwater Hotel, Portland

Distance: 26.5KM | Cumulative Distance: 440.4KM | Grade - Easy/Moderate

Ascent: 955 ft | Cumulative Ascent: 44,957 ft.

Cumulative Distance (both walks): 904.4 KM | Cumulative Ascent (both walks): 106,662 ft.

BORING!

Was awake at about 6-45pm after a decent nights sleep although I do remember waking up on a number of occasions, basically when I rolled over. I quickly showered, dressed and then ventured out to take pictures of the various cottages. It was a beautiful morning and I was regretting not getting the photos last night as the light was perfect, whereas the sun was right in my face, so I walked to the far end of the village and took the pictures as I worked my way back to the B&B.

When I got back to my room I made a cup of tea and was going to check my emails but there was a problem with my I-Pad as whatever app I tried to access I was faced with an error message, saying I needed to provide my password, which of course I have never needed before, so I had to run downstairs and use the B&B owners laptop and send a message to Liz to get the info from her. I'm sure we are all in the same boat trying to remember all of the various passwords we use from time to time.

I took this opportunity to ask my hosts about the life expectancy and cost to replace a thatched roof and it was certainly more expensive than I envisaged. Before that however I should tell you the farmhouse is about 300 years old and had the original fireplace, which the previous owners had decided to cover up. Some people! The life span of the roof is 18-25 years only and the front roof would cost 14.000 pounds and the back 18,000.

After a heart breakfast I set off at about 8-45am and retraced my steps back towards Chesil Beach, but turned left and took the Coast Path sign to The Swannery. I had two choices facing me this morning, as it relates to the path. One route would take me up high and across the fields, and the other was down low by the beach, and as I always prefer the high route that's the way I chose.

The trail was about as basic as it gets and there were no photo opportunities at all, and it was a case of going through or round one field after another. I lost count of the number of styles or gates that I went over or through and it really was brainless walking. There are no technical aspects to this type of walking, and it soon becomes a bit of a mental game along the lines of mind over matter. I don't mind and it don't matter. The sign when I left Abbotsbury said Ferrybridge 10 miles, and I felt I was moving at a fair clip, although it would have been nice to have something to photograph. There wasn't even anywhere to stop for a coffee or get a chocolate bar!

This may go down as one of my shortest blogs, as there was nothing redeeming about the day, and by now I couldn't even see the ocean! Eventually the path did turn towards the sea and eventually I was walking alongside a large body of water called The Fleet which runs for 8 miles from end to end as is separated from the ocean by Chesil Beach. I still think my choice of path would have been preferential to walking along the back of the beach,as what I experienced yesterday wasn't good for walking, as lengths were on tarmac and other sections were on the pea gravel that makes up the beach. I wonder if the fellow ever managed to get his motorbike "rescued"?

There was one place I could have stopped for coffee and that was at Moonfleet but it was only an hour or so from Abbotsbury and so I chose to give it a miss. Shortly thereafter I had to don my Goretex and put my pack cover on as a big black cloud covered the sun and then it started to rain. 5 minutes later the sun was back out and 5 minutes after that the Goretex was stowed away.

The one bit of interest occurred when I reached the Chickerell Rifle Range at Tidmoor Point. If the red flags are flying there is a detour inland, but there wasn't even a flag on the pole which meant the path was open and so I proceeded on. Around the back of the range all of the bushes on the inland portion of the path had been torched by fire and you could smell it. It wouldn't surprise me if the fire had occurred within the last week or so. Anyhow I get round to where I exit the range and the gate is locked!! What the ?, I thought and then noticed a path that dropped onto the beach and so I went and tested it. I put my pole into the muddy morass and decided there's no way this is right and so started to backtrack, where I shortly found the sign definitely pointing me back towards the locked gate. This time I decided to squeeze between the gate post and the bushes and managed to get through and there was the path right ahead of me. I guess someone forgot to unlock the gate!

Apart from one or two hairy moments where the path was extremely muddy, and tight because of all the nettles and brambles trying to catch me, I was able to work myself closer and closer to Ferrybridge and before I knew it I was there.

I now had the long causeway to navigate and although I arrived at Ferrybridge at 1-30pm it wasn't until 2-30pm until I reached my hotel. There was no sign of Steve or Helenand so I showered, put on my cleanest, dirty shirt, and then decided I needed a coffee to treat myself. It turns out the closest one was about a 20 minute walk from the hotel, and it was uphill all the way, but that was fine by me. Anything but those endless fields, stiles and gates!! The folks at the hotel recommended a place called the gallery Cafe and the bonus is its just past the launderette which is where I'm headed tomorrow after I've walked the island of Portland. I found the cafe and it was a spectacular place, art gallery at the front and Cafe at the back overlooking the ocean. I ordered a coffee and saviours scone, sat in the sun overlooking the sea and all of a sudden all was well with the World. All I needed to make it a perfect ending to the day is my Lizzie who I'm missing very much.

This is the first of many cottages that make up Abbotsbury.