Reporting from the Downs Again- Day 14 | Swanage

Day 14 - Old Harry’s Rock & A Happy Molly (Swanage)

The previous day was a walk towards the Dancing ledge which is to the west side from the Swanage centre. This morning, we made our way towards the east to do the good old Harry's rock walk. Old Harry is the name of a single stack of chalk that stands out in the sea. It has undergone years of wear and tear and has come off the mainland.

Old Harry's Rock

Apparently, there was a time in history, when there was a Mrs. Harry as well but erosion caused the wife to stumble into the sea. There was a group of kids on a school tour and we eavesdropped on the teacher’s lecture and now we know that the chalk erosion first causes the headland to form caves and then the caves erode further into arches and finally into stacks.

A house in the woods at the beginning of the climb

From the top of the cliff here, you get a lovely view of the Swanage bay to the west and the Studland bay to the east. It’s a nice piece of land coming out into the sea protecting the bay from any harsh weather. There was a big herd of baby cows and their mothers, grazing their lazy day away. Everyone seemed to be a bit apprehensive about them as there was news in the UK about people getting intimidated by cows!

View of the Swanage Bay from the top

We were climbing up along the edge when suddenly, my friend called out Molly! Of Course I had no idea what was going on until an extremely happy dog came running towards us through the long grass, jumping up and down with its ears flapping like crazy in the air ! It is the sweetest dog I have ever met. I love dogs but I am also always a tiny bit scared of them. But with Molly, there is not a single scary bone ! I loved her instantly when she laid down and let me stroke her all over without any complaint. She belonged to a friend who I have heard about a lot but met for the first time.

View of the Studland Bay from the top

We finally finished our hike and walked back into the town. I treated myself a custard tart and it was so amazing that I ordered a second one right away! We gathered some more fodder and then drove off to Corfe castle. The stone walled village and the lovely disney castle (Corfe castle has been used in many films, one such being Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks!) welcomed me back with the same happy vibe. Last time I was here, we took the steam train to the castle and back - very Victorian. I did not have the same luxury this time, courtesy, my ever constant enemy - time!

Corfe Castle Village

And with that enemy looming over me, we finally said goodbye to the sweet Swanage and headed back home. It’s uncanny that I always end up feeling like a much more lovable and better person when I come back from Swanage!

Anyway, back home, time for some comfort food. For me, that always involves a simple dahl and veggie. These couple of days in Swanage was like a trip within a trip. So when I got back to Lewes, I craved something simple. I made moong dal , beetroot mix veggie and mushroom omelette.

Happiness!

Take me to a lovely blue sea, make me walk miles on green grass and feed me dahl and an omelette and I am a happy beaming bee ! Later, when I dozed off to sleep, there was the Famous Five running around the Disney castle looking for hidden treasure…zzz.

Reporting from the Downs Again- Day 13 | Swanage

Day 13 - Potter in the Town, Hike in the Durlston Country Park & Dip in the Cold Swanage Bay (Swanage)

Crossing a river in a ferry with your car on it is quite fun. Maybe because it's so rare that we get to do it. But also, because of the engineering feat behind it. Especially the chain ferry that runs between Poole harbour and Swanage. It runs on two hardened steel chains anchored on either side. There is a little gap which lets the tide in and out of the Poole harbour.

Swanage bay view on the hike to Durlston

Funny enough, when we reached Poole harbour, the tide was out and the ferry had got stuck in the sandbank ! With tides going in and out twice everyday, you would think this is a common foreseen problem. So anyway, we waited longer than we anticipated. Finally, the moon had its mercy, the tidal water flew in and the ferry was floating again.

Ships and boats lined up in the Swanage bay

Swanage is one of my favourite coastal towns in Dorset in the UK. Everything about it is oh-so-charming - its rich Jurassic heritage, the lovely fresh vibe of the bay and not to mention, its sweet allure to the child in me! I have grown up reading Enid Blyton and all her stories are based out of Dorset. The same picturesque lanes and chocolate boxy postcard scenes that I had imagined while reading the books as a kid comes into life whenever I am in Dorset.

The dog-leg pier

There is ample to choose from in this place and it's bloody hard to pick a favourite ! There is -

• the big ammonite impressions in the Durlston country park,
• the many fossils that are found here not to forget the huge skull of an ancient pliosaur that was unearthed only last year,
• history of Mary Anning, the 18th century born little girl who lived somewhere on this coast and sold fossils to the tourists i.e. the real she from the tongue twister - ‘she sells sea shells on the seashore’,
• the black shale rocks jutting out of Kimmeridge bay,
• the little rock pool where you can swim at the Dancing Ledge (what a sweet name!),
• the white worn out cliff called the Harrys,
• the old Victorian steam railway,
• and not to forget the zesty green of the cliffs dotted with wild flowers against the white chalks and the sparkling blue of the sea.

It is a place of sweet thrills.

Ammonite!

After the early morning drive and the long wait for the ferry, we were more than happy to jump out of the car and stretch our legs. We walked along the coast and up and down the pier, checked out some red crabs, climbed up to the Wellington clock tower, nosed around some of the rescue boats and then walked back to the centre of the town.

Walk in the town

We then hoovered up a big Dorset pasty and finally checked into our bed-n-breakfast on the Victoria avenue near the Rabling road. We had packed enough sandwiches (and mind you, we were fancy too! We had an onion bagel with avocado and a beetroot sandwich each!) with us which we had conveniently forgotten about when we were devouring the huge pasty at the shop. But the food needed eating and we did the needful. Then with a fat tummy, we went out on our afternoon hike along the cliffs all the way to the Durston castle, and then crossed the Anvil point and walked a bit further towards the Dancing Ledge.

A majestic tree on the country hike!

Time is always an enemy. When you have a good time, it runs out quickly. And when you have a bad time, it's the slowest thing ever. The sun seemed to be fading quicker than usual and we brought our hike to an abrupt stop.

Such cool formations along the cliff

It was a hot day and the water in the Swanage bay looked tempting. We left our stuff behind and stepped in the cold water. An instant gush of blood rushed into the feet! Bit by bit, we embraced the coldness of the water and finally, all I knew was, I was floating flat out with arms stretched, blue sky above and not a worry in the world !

Just me trying to take water off my ears!

 

Summer in the UK can be quite tricky as it's hard to guess the time! It was almost past 9 and it still looked like a jolly good day ! We were late for dinner. By the time we were out to get some food, most of the pubs and cafes were shut or stopped taking any more orders. We finally found a pub which agreed to do one last order. It brought us the worst ever chicken & mushroom pie but it did make us full, so can’t really complain!

The pub who agreed to serve us!

 

Back in the bnb later, put the tele on where Liam Neeson was saying he would find him and kill him and then know not when, had slowly drifted off to sleep thinking about how beautiful Swanage has always been !

Swanage Again...Wake up Slow :), England

May 2018.

It's amazing how the same place can offer so many new things, new experiences every time you visit there. Swanage trip this year was the same. 

We stayed in the same campsite as last year- Herston, although a different pitch in a different field. I'm a lot better now at camping stuff. I did get a sense of achievement after putting up the inner tent up all by my own after our arrival to the campsite. We spread a bed sheet on the field outside the tent and laid flat on the ground, the warm sun gave a comfy feeling after typical English days of dull clouds. We took out our packed sandwich and poured some coffee from the flask. The trip begins. 

After a little refreshment in the campsite, we took a brisk walk into the town, along the beach, up to the Swanage pier and then up the hilly mound by the pier. We laid flat on the grass and had our second sandwich of the day. It was a snoozy relaxed afternoon. After a warm nap on the grass, we strolled to the Peveril point, the watch tower. Two middle aged women were selling homemade cakes and tea there. We bought a slice of ginger pear and rhubarb custard cake each and got ourselves a cup of tea. With our cakes and tea, we then settled down by the edge of a rocky climb down into the sea. As hot as it was, the sea water was super cold. Through the sparkling clear surface of the water, you could see the bottom of the sea floor, its brown green algae, crabs, shoals of fish. It was tempting to jump into the water. We went paddling in the sea but I could hardly stand the cold temperature and had to quickly give up the idea of swimming in the sea. After a lazy day of strolling and eating and snoozing, we did some grocery shopping for our camping dinner - tuna veggie pasta! 

Next morning we woke up to the sound of chirping birds, distant whistles of the steam engine and the increasing warmth inside the tent. It was a cold night. I made all sorts of wrong choice of cloth wear this time. I had got clothes that are okay for soothing temperature. But the days turned out to be super-hot and the nights, quite cold. So my clothes were an absolutely imperfect fit for any time of the day. After a shivering night, the morning sun felt nice. We made our breakfast in the little camping cooker. Usual Coffee, Cereals, fruits, scrambled eggs – Tummy feels fat. We then nipped down to the town and stocked some Cornish pasty for lunch. With Cornish pasties, some avocados, tomatoes, bananas, 3 bottles of water and some sun tan lotion, we were set for a long hiking day. 

We walked along the coast of Swanage to the west, crossing the Durlston castle, the big Globe, the watch tower, the triangulation points, the Tilly Whims Caves and then pausing at the Dancing ledge. We briefly stopped there and had our pre-packed lunch and then walked further to the next bay on the coast. This is the same path we had walked last year. Last year it was mid-June, and the trees and bushes were all over grown and bursting in its full volume. This year, it’s still spring in the greens, albeit beautiful. It was fun remembering the events of last year along this walk and adding the newness to the memories. 

On our way back, a big herd of cattle blocked our way. Big cows with their babies – funny how motherly hormone made them look quite aggressive. I had a real bad knee from my last hike in Italy and on our way back, I felt my knees going so weak that I could fall down at any moment. Thankfully, I made it back to the town. 

We sat in the beach with an ice-cream cone resting my knees and let the restless beach entertain us peacefully. Just when the sun was going down, we returned to our campsite with provisions for that night’s dinner – chicken veggie pasta! We like variety. J

I woke up very early the following morning. I freshened up, took a shower and then crawled back into the bed. ‘Wake up Slow’. J My recent favourite is Jack Johnson. We stayed in the tent, lazily listening to Jack Johnson songs until mid-morning. I couldn’t have had a more perfect morning. With a slow lazy pace, we got up and started making our usual breakfast and packed lunch. It was a different walking route today that I haven’t done before – the coastal cliff walk to the Old Harrys rock. Last time, we took a boat ride to the Old Harrys. This time, we decided to climb and walk on top of it. 

We climbed up the cliff from a little village on the edge of the town of Swanage and then did a circuit on the top of the cliffs and climbed down from a further point straight into our campsite. It was beautiful with its chalky cliffs, pretty yellow flowers, vivid greens, deep blue sea and the view of the Poole harbour (apparently, the largest natural harbour in Europe) and the Studland peninsula. 

I absolutely love sitting on top of these cliffs, amidst nature and have food with such exhilarating yet peaceful view in front. After lunch, we climbed down. There was a steep chalky bit with loose rocks and I was a bit scared at this bit with my weak knees and funny nerves. My legs were almost dead by the time we walked back to the campsite. It was very hot this afternoon. We cooled down under the shade of a big horse-chestnut tree with a cup of tea and lazy chats. 

In the evening, we drove to the Durdle Door, a very popular and very tourist spot. The rock formation and the adjacent coves are very pretty and tempting and I had planned to swim in these coves but the crowd was tiring. To get away from so many tourists, we took the un-popular steep road that climbed up to the top bit of the cliff and walked along that top edge. Smart move, I would say. View still the same but less people on top – perfect! We drove back to Swanage again and got ourselves some fish n chips – quintessential English dinner. We sat by the beach and had our very greasy fish n chips whilst fighting the hungry sea gulls and looking down at the green-brown algae through the clear blue water at the same time.

This was the last day of the Bank holiday weekend and when we came back to the campsite, it was just our tent and another tent in the far corner of the field. We had the whole field to ourselves to scream, shout, laugh out loud, drive with open car doors, and do whatever you like!  

Next morning we were due to leave. We took our time. Soaking into the warmth of the sun and the zing of the greens, having fun at the wide open field with no one around, we took lazy pleasant steps to take our tent down, pack things up and get ready to drive off again. On our way back to the ferry point, we stopped at Studland (a bit of the land that’s sticking out into the sea). And guess what? This bit of the land is nothing but a sandy beach – a proper sandy beach! Ah it reminded me of home, of beaches in India. It had proper sand dunes, cactus-y greens, variety of sea shells and sea mosses, little crabs and loads of sand patterns made by lug worms. We actually witnessed a particular lug worm making narrow sand patterns as it swiftly moved through the sand. As you follow the curve of the beach, you come around the pointy turn of the land and see the Old Harrys rocks sticking out in the distance at the beginning of the other coastal turn.

Ah I loved it. I love this bit of England. The beauty in this south coast of England is not loud or aggressive. It’s subtle, charming, and quaint. I know I can never get bored of this place.

Sweet Swanage, England

June 2017.

I didn't know what chocolate-boxy means before I went to Swanage. Literally.

Swanage is a cutesy coastal town in the south-east of Dorset, England.  It’s the town that always played the platform for Enid Blyton’s stories; the town of the Famous Fives; the town of my childhood imagination. The town and its surrounding places draw a picture-postcard with its beautiful rugged coastline, mysterious caves, little playful coves, lush green rolling hills, a charming 11^th century ruined castle, vintage steam engines, relaxed beach shacks and so much more.

This was my first proper camping holiday. Rolling eyes? Yeah I know! A late start but better late than never? And oh how I loved it! From solving the puzzle of which pole goes in which side, which groundsheet fits in which part of the tent to anchoring down a tent peg for the first time, from learning what a ‘guy rope’ (funny eh?!) is to zipping up the inner tent, it was all fun. We had a very cute blue double burner gas stove and a matching blue cylinder which we parked outside our tent and made coffee and pasta and egg scrambles. It was almost like playing house in a green field with miniature play-stuff. Most amazing learning point – Food remains as cool as you can imagine if you put them under a car even in a very hot sunny weather!

Call us lucky, the weather was just amazing. Clear blue sky, sun high on its shiny rays, and it was screaming green all around. We did get a bit scorched in the end but whatever! The walk from our campsite to the main town centre was a brisk 20 minutes through shady trees and open green fields and pretty lanes adorned with cute oldie cottages and fragrant flowers.

Soaring high on energy, we set off on our foot, walking to the Swanage bay, then along the sea side, up on green hilly mound where we dozed off in peace. After a refreshing nap in the sun, we continued walking down the rugged hilly coast to a lighthouse. After we pottered around aimlessly for a bit, the hunt for food started. Our grocery shop for the trip was a mini supermarket on the road back to the campsite. This is where we got our provisions for field-cooked pasta and coffee and eggs. All yummy.

The next day, we did a long walk, about 30KM from the Swanage bay to a place called the Dancing ledge, all along the coast. The walk is beautiful. It’s green, rocky, hilly and bushy with the blue sea by the side. We walked up to the light house where we saw an exhibition of moths. As we continued our walk, we came to the Tilly whim Caves. (All the Enid Blyton fans must be aware of this!) There was a nice fishing spot on the side of it and we rested a bit there. Arriving at ‘Dancing ledge’, we discovered a real steep climb. Dancing ledge is again like a little cove, people been swimming and snorkelling. Very refreshing in its own do-your-thing or don’t-do-anything way. Saw some rock climbers on the side of it, thinking of my own rock climbing session back in Burgess hill which I haven’t been to for a while now.

The long walk to Dancing Ledge and back was exhilarating but not yet exhaustive enough to     pull us down. After a little refresher back in the campsite, we drove off in search of Ammonites and Ancient rocks. Kimmeridge Bay presented itself with a rich collection of ammonite fossils  and shale rocks. It’s just amazing how soft those  shale rocks are and how beautiful the fossils look like. Apparently, you can extract oil from these shale rocks, though it’s banned now in that Bay. Our next stop was the Lulworth Cove and this is where I learnt the word ‘chocolate-boxy’, both in the literal and visual sense of it. Our final stop was Durdle door, the much heard about place in the recent days. Undoubtedly, it is amazing. The arch of ancient Portland rocks and formation of the cove is, no surprise, a geological wonder. Interesting but less known fact – There is an isolated rock on the side of the coast near Durdle door called the ‘butter rock’. Ah this one is for my love of butter! 

We ended our long exciting day with a mouthful of fish and chips at a cosy beach shack and headed back for some field-sleep.

As our final day arrived, we sniffed around the vintage history of Corfe castle, the steam railways and a short boat trip to the Old Harry’s rocks, watching migratory birds and listening to the old folk story of pirate Harry after whom the rock has been named.

This place is just perfect. Its’ lazy, laid back air has so much energy and charm in it. Nature is in its full bloom. Walk along the rugged coast, climb those low hanging rocky walls, swim in the cove, maybe a bit of wind surfing or go snorkeling by the sea mosses and fishes, go diving from the old wrecks (yes there were old ship wrecks you can visit), grab those crabs by the harbour (many kids busy with their crab nets), do a bit of kite flying (an old couple let me fly their kites) or just doze off in the sun (the best warm nap I got). This is a place where you can do everything and you can do nothing!

P.S: I noticed I have used the word ‘amazing’ a tad too many times. Huh Vocabulary alert! J