
Day 11 :: Sunday :: Dorset
Today was a day for J and I to spend together and involved one of my most favourite pastimes - coastal walking. We absolutely LOVE this circular route that we can do directly from the caravan site where we're staying and we were really looking forward to it. I've been sleeping well here and we both woke up early, so we were out the door at 7.45 with a picnic lunch, ready to cover some miles.

The start of the walk is a steady climb right up to the top of the downs above Chesil beach. The Dorset countryside is looking absolutely stunning, it's so lush and green in May and and the crisp, clear sea air gives everything a fresh glow.

From the top of the ridge there are magnificent views right out over Chesil beach and all the way along to Portland Bill. It's beautiful walking up here - breezy and open with an almost 360 degree view.

Eventually the footpath starts to descend down towards the picturesque village of Abbotsbury. In the above photo you can see St Catherine's Chapel sitting squarely on its hill above the sea, it's such an enchanting part of the Dorset coastline and I love it deeply.
We arrived into Abbotsbury just after 10am, and being a Sunday morning it was very sleepy and quiet. We did find a sweet little café/bakery open and enjoyed a cappuccino sat at a little pavement table in the sunshine.
The walk took us out of the village, heading south toward the sea, and was a gentle stroll along tracks and through fields.

We came across this magnificent old tree with a huuuuuge trunk and an absolutely massive spread of branches, the giant scale of it was honestly staggering. I recognised it as a plane tree by it's distinctive leaves, and later on when I had access to the internet I did a little searching to try and find out more about it. According to the word on the web, this is an Oriental Plane tree planted by monks over 300 years ago, and the trunk is over 6 metres in circumference. SIX metres!

I asked J to take a photo to show you something of the scale, it blew my mind just a little bit I have to say. Isn't it wonderful?
We continued our walk gently downwards, all the way to the long stretch of the beach, and came across a fantastic little café down there. What a gem! The coffee was insanely good, and the food looked mouthwateringly tasty too, definitely somewhere to head for if you're in the area.

We had a picnic with us of course, so we took our coffee directly onto the shingle beach and settled down amongst all the wild coastal flowers to eat lunch with a sea view. I'd made us ham, goats cheese and salad sandwiches, with some salty crisps, a crunchy apple and some dark chocolate to finish. Simple food but absolutely yummmm.
The weather had been wonderful all morning, but by midday when we'd stopped to eat lunch, a sudden squall of rain came in from the sea and sprinkled us with heavy droplets for about ten minutes, then blew on out along the beach.

You can see the dramatic rainy skies as we walked along the coast path after lunch. It wasn't cold and we only got a little bit damp so all was well, and I loved that we could literally see the rain moving ahead of us as we walked.

It was a joy to see so many flowers in bloom along the beach, they grow directly in the shingle and it's lovely to walk amongst them. Lots of pink Thrift and white Sea Campion, and the photo above is Sea Kale in bloom.

I was crouching down taking the sea kale picture and attracted a little companion who stayed on my hand for ages. He was the exact shade of the shingle!

I first saw these wild gladioli growing along this part of the coast two years ago and they are absolutely stunning in real life. I feel like I've been really spoilt with floral colour today, so much natural beauty all along our walk....

...including the beautifully kept gardens in the village of West Bexington.

This iris stopped me in my tracks, it was huge and had the most beautiful collection of colours running through its petals. Did you know that irises have a scent? I had no idea until today, but they smell delicious, like sweet honey. Who knew?! In Abbotsbury I went through the village with my nose stuck into a good many flowers - lilac, climbing roses and jasmine all making the air smell incredible as we walked past the most idyllic looking thatched cottages. It's been a beautifully floral kind of a day.

We got back to the caravan at 2pm and I felt as if my emotional cup had been topped up to overflowing with feel-good. Such a beautiful walk for the heart and soul, so many expansive views, beautiful flowers and glorious colour. It felt good to spend time enjoying Dorset in a way that felt quite carefree for a change, and it reminded me of past years when holidaying here was all about pleasure seeking and relaxation, and nothing to do with the strain of ageing parents and the stress that I've been coping with for the past four years. What an absolutely blessed relief, I felt that deeply today.
This afternoon we went to collect Lady B and gathered in some supplies to cook a barbecue dinner here at the caravan. It was lovely to see her and spend time reminiscing and catching up, and to feel reassured that she's doing OK. I've promised her I'll be back in the summer, this will always be my home place that I return to regularly throughout the years, and I'm so grateful for it. It's a beautiful area of the country to come and spend time.
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