General Information The brochure entry mentions the main features. The weather is generally warmer and more settled on England’s south coast than in other parts of Britain, so the recommended season is longer for this tour. The grade is on the easier side of our walking holidays in the UK. Lyme Regis with its mediaeval Cobb (harbour wall) is a favourite place for almost everyone who visits it, although it can be rather crowded in high summer. John Fowles’ novel “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” is set there and the author lives in the town. Abbotsbury and Cerne Abbas are gems among English villages, while Maiden Castle and the Cerne Giant are spectacular archaeological sites of the greatest importance.
Duration of tour: 8 days (7 nights) Season: April to October Joining point: Lyme Regis End of tour: Lulworth Cove
Getting to the Start Outward journey from London to starting point: By train from London Waterloo (or from Woking; reached by airport bus from Heathrow airport) to Axminster; service about every 2 hours, journey time c 2.5 hours; then taxi or bus to Lyme Regis from Axminster train station. Inward journey to London at end of tour: Taxi from Lulworth Cove to Wool train station (6 miles/£9). From Wool direct hourly train service to London Waterloo via Bournemouth, Southampton (for trains to Gatwick Airport), Southampton Airport and Woking (for bus service to Heathrow airport). The journey time from Wool to Waterloo is 2.5 hours. Waterloo has direct rail links with Paris and Brussels via Eurostar.
Accommodation & Meals Night 1 & 2: Our first two nights are spent in the little fishing port of Lyme Regis. The hotel was formally a Coaching Inn. The hotel still retains its superb 17th century character, oak beams and irregular shaped rooms. All bedrooms are tastefully decorated and comfortable with ensuite or private facilities. Night 3: Our third night will be spent at West Bay, the harbour of the old market town of Bridport, in a guesthouse of architectural and historical interest. It is situated on the quieter side of a small fishing village and just 1 minute from the harbour and beach. There is a comfortable residents' lounge with attractive garden. Night 4: Your accommodation tonight is set in the very heart of Abbotsbury. Abbotsbury itself boasts breathtaking views of rolling meadows and glorious country gardens. All rooms are ensuite. Night 5 & 6: A large, early nineteenth century town house has been converted into a hotel, offering spacious rooms and great comfort right in the heart of this busy town.Some rooms are en suite. Night 7: Your accommodation tonight is a comfortable family run hotel of 17 rooms, only 200 yards from Lulworth Cove. Built 100 years ago in a quiet elevated position overlooking the Cove and Stair Hole, it still holds an unrivalled position with views of the sea and surrounding hills. En-suite facilities.
Itinerary Day 1: Lyme Regis: Travel to starting point (Lyme Regis). Explore town and medieval stone (Cobb) harbour. Day 2: Lyme Regis:Walk through famous Under-cliff (nature reserve on coast west of town) or explore coastal cliffs for fossils and walk to Seaton, maybe return to Lyme by taxi. (10 miles 6 hours) Day 3: Bridport:“Roller-coaster” footpath along coast over Golden Cap hill (highest sea cliff in the south of England) to West Bay (11 miles 6 hours) Day 4: Abbotsbury: Coastal path via Saxon Hill Fort with magnificent views of Chesil Bank (longest shingle beach in Europe) to Abbotsbury with its medieval tithe barn and swannery.(9 miles 4 hours) Day 5: Dorchester: Inland via Dorset Ridgeway path to Maiden Castle, a massive ancient earthwork fortress sacked by the Romans in the 1st C A.D. and Dorchester. (11 miles 5 hours) Day 6: Dorchester: Optional walk from Dorchester to the famous village of Milton Abbas (12 miles, 6 hours) with its two long curved rows of thatched cottages facing each other across the village green. On the way you walk past the isolated cottage at Higher Bockhampton where Thomas Hardy was born (limited public opening) and the village of Puddletown (the setting of Weatherbury in ’Far from the Madding Crowd'). Bus or taxi from Puddletown (6 miles, 3 hours from Dorchester) or Milton Abbas back to Dorchester; fares not included in tour price but we provide bus timetables and a local taxi number. If the weather is unfavourable there is plenty to do and see in Dorchester itself, with Roman remains and a good local museum. Day 7: While your baggage goes direct from Dorchester to Lulworth Cove, you return by train (hourly service, journey time 10 minutes) to the coast at the lively resort of Weymouth and then follow the Dorset Coast Path eastwards along the brilliant white chalk cliffs from Weymouth to Lulworth Cove.On the way you pass the natural arches of Bats Head and Durdle Door and the long abandoned medieval village of Ringstead. Day 8: End of tour. When/if you can tear yourself away from the scenic wonders of Lulworth Cove and Stair Hole you will need to order a taxi from Lulworth Cove to Wool train station for your journey back to London. There is also a bus service from Lulworth Cove to Wool, Wareham and Swanage.
Included Bed and breakfast, with ensuite facilities where available. Luggage transfers from Inn to Inn during the tour. Full route notes and map package. Transfers from and to train stations at start and end of tour are not included, nor are bus/train/taxi fares during the tour.
Extend your stay Extra nights: Extra nights are possible at any point in the tour. Two nights at each of Lyme Regis and Dorchester are already included. Another very pleasant place for an extra night is Abbotsbury, with its famous swannery (England's first nature reserve - open to the public), medieval tithe barn (still in use for storing reeds, not open), the 15th century hilltop chapel of St Catherine and a sub-tropical botanic garden. Abbotsbury is also only just over a mile from the famous 10-mile long ridge of shingle known as Chesil Beach.
