Week 8: Durdle Door to Tyrrells Ford
The Cameron Peak Fire has been burning since August 13 — nearly a month — and so my virtual run from Land’s End to John O’Groats continues to be a virtual row, as I plug away at the miles from the erg in my garage.
Weeks ago, I was hopeful that the fire would be contained; the hard-working fire crews keep building containment lines. But each evening as we tune in to watch the Facebook Live update, we hear that these wonderful, hard-working humans are no match for the ongoing heat, high winds, and lack of rain. Over the weekend, the fire more than doubled (to nearly 60,000 acres) despite nearly 800 people working very, very hard to try to contain it. Saturday, at our house, it rained ash all day long. Yesterday and today, the light is orange from the smoke-filtered sunshine, and our throats feel rough as the smoky air enters our lungs. Despite the sun being out, it’s nearly dark outside.
Standing in our backyard looking west on Saturday: ash raining down, and dark skies despite it being broad daylight.
As seen from Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday: a smoke plume from the Cameron Peak Fire reached more than 40,000 feet into the air. (Photo by Alex Burness, the Denver Post)
Ash accumulating on my car.
So when will this conflagration end? The forecast today may hold some good news. Although today (Monday) there are “red flag” conditions (low humidity and high winds) present through this evening, it will be replaced with a Winter Storm Warning. This incoming weather system is expected to dump up to 16 inches of snow on the burn area from Monday night into Wednesday morning, and drop 2-6 inches of snow where we live. The crazy thing is, even THAT amount of snow isn’t expected to completely put out the fire… but hopefully it’ll at least help the firefighters gain the upper hand, so their work can gain some traction.
Cameron Peak Fire today, photo by Mountain View Fire Rescue
Well… if there ever were a time when I could use a nice distraction, it’s right now! So, let’s make our way back to our virtual journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats…
Lulworth Castle
This week, the journey began with an inland stretch past not one but TWO castles: Lulworth Castle, then eight miles down the road, Corfe Castle. Lulworth was built by Thomas Howard between 1608 and 1610 as a hunting lodge for his estate, the main manor house for which was in Wool. It was sold to Humphrey Weld (the grandson of a rich London merchant) in 1641. Weld did not have the Castle for long before the Civil War erupted, during which the manor house at Wool was destroyed, meaning Weld needed to refurbish the Castle’s interior as it became the main family home. A fire in 1929 was near-devastating, but the exterior is now fully restored, and the interior stabilized. In 1998, Lulworth Castle opened its doors for the first time since the fire to allow the public to explore this unique building and discover its past for themselves.
Corfe Castle, which dates back to William the Conqueror, probably began as a semi-fortified wooden structure, but was reinforced with stone walls of Purbeck limestone, quarried a few miles away.
The first stone of Corfe Castle was laid more than 1,000 years ago, in the time of William the Conqueror. Since then, it has served as been a treasury, a military garrison, a royal residence and a family home. In the 17th century, as the Civil War raged around it, Lady Bankes defended it bravely during not just one, but two sieges, until finally she was betrayed by one of her own soldiers. After six centuries of keeping enemies at bay, an Act of Parliament was passed at Wareham to destroy the castle. Captain Hughes of Lulworth was given the job of demolishing it. His sappers dug deep holes packed with gunpowder to bring the towers and ramparts crashing down, resulting in the yawning gaps and crazy angles we see today. Since 1982 it -along with the Bankes family's extensive holdings in Purbeck, their mansion at Kingston Lacy near Wimborne and its adjoining land - has been owned by the National Trust.
Just off the road between these two castles is the small “ghost town” of Tyneham, whose story is truly heartbreaking. Tyneham had a long, rich history; there’s evidence of human habitation leading back to Roman times, and fishing settlements nearby dating to the Iron Age. Tyneham appears in the Domesday Book, and its lovely Church of St. Mary dates to the 13th century. But just before Christmas 1943, the town and surrounding lands were requisitioned by the military for use as firing ranges for training troops. 225 people were displaced, with the last person leaving a poignant notice on the church door:
Please treat the church and houses with care; we have given up our homes where many of us lived for generations to help win the war to keep men free. We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly.
The requisition was supposed to be temporary for the duration of the Second World War, but in 1948 the Army permanently acquired the land and it has remained in use for military training ever since. Trails are open to the public on specific days and times, but the people of Tyneham never got their town back, and many of the structures have since been torn down.
Studland and Godlingston Heath Nature Reserve, photo by Andrews Walks… and the walks on this reserve look amazingly scenic!
The Dartford Warbler, photo from EBird.com
Beyond Tyneham and the two castles, we make our way out onto a gorgeous peninsula, now the Studland and Godlingston Heath nature reserve. It’s predominantly lowland heath, but also has other habitats including sand dunes, peat bogs, alder and willow carr, freshwater lagoons such as the "Little Sea", and 3 miles of sandy beach. All six species of native British reptiles are found here including the rare and nationally endangered sand lizard and smooth snake. The reserve is a notable stronghold of the rare Dartford warbler which has successfully survived in this corner of Dorset despite being nearly wiped out elsewhere in southern England.
The reserve also features prehistoric remains of human activity predating Roman times, including large mounds called Tumulus. The reserve is where you’ll also find the mysterious standing stone known as the Agglestone Rock, which legend has it, was thrown by the Devil himself with the intention of hitting Corfe Castle, Bindon Abbey or Salisbury Cathedral (home to one of four original copies of the Magna Carta!).
To continue beyond the Studland peninsula, we hop onto the Studland-to-Sandbanks ferry, which runs every twenty minutes or so, and crosses from one point to the other in about four minutes. This crossing is a fairly busy one, as ferries that travel between the U.K. and France, Jersey and Guernsey also come in and out of this narrow passage.
Off to the left as we leave the ferry is Brownsea Island, which has been inhabited since before the 9th century, when a small chapel and hermitage were built by monks from Cerne Abbey near Dorchester. Vikings later used the island as a jumping-off point to sack Wareham and Cerne. As I was reading about Brownsea, I learned something new about a medieval custom known as “right of wreck,” which meant that the lord of a territory could seize all that washed ashore from the wreck of a ship along its coast. This applied, originally, to all the cargo of the ship, the wreckage itself, and even any passengers who came ashore, who were thus converted into slaves. In 1154, King Henry II granted the Abbot of Cerne the right of wreck for the island and the abbey continued to control the interests of Brownsea for the following 350 years. Today, virtually the whole island is owned by the National Trust, and much of it is a wildlife refuge.
Continuing east, we reach the iconic beach town of Bournemouth, complete with pier, which stretches along seven miles of coastline.
Bournemouth, town of “seven miles of golden sands.”
Shortly after Bournemouth is a milestone in this journey: we leave the south coast, and start heading north. From here on out, the next time we’ll travel along a coast will be in Scotland!
As we head north, we traverse through the picturesque town of Christchurch, beyond which we meander alongside the Avon River as we head north through England. I was a bit confused to see this name on the map in Dorset, as what came to mind immediately was Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace in the West Midlands… but it turns out that’s a different River Avon.
Lovely Christchurch on the River Avon.
And finally, a few miles up the road from Christchurch, we end this week in another beautiful locale: Tyrrell’s Ford Country Inn, a charming 18th century manor house-turned-hotel, where this tired traveler will pause and rest up.
Tyrrell’s Ford Country Inn, an excellent place to put up our feet for a bit.
Fancy a pint?
Unlike the Naylor brothers, who pledged to “abstain from all intoxicating drink” during their 1871 walk on this route, I’m not at all opposed to popping into interesting-looking pubs along the way. Here are a few along this stretch of the journey:
The Weld Arms, a pub at the foot of the Lulworth Castle gates
On the Lulworth Estate, not far from the Lulworth Castle, is the Weld Arms, an old-fashioned thatched pub. It serves locally-sourced cuisine, including what look to be delicious vegan options, as well as locally-brewed beers.
At the foot of Corfe Castle sits the Greyhound Inn, which looks like a traditional pub from the outside, but which focuses on fresh, local seasonal cuisine… even vegan options! Meaning that it’s also got a less-traditional soul. The Greyhound also offers a range of cask ales, keg lagers and ciders from local breweries like The Dorset Brewing Company, Ringwood Brewery and the Purbeck Cider Company. They also delight in creating cocktails featuring their own house-made infusions.
The Greyhound Inn, at the foot of Corfe Castle
The Olive Branch, in Wimborne
The Dorset market town of Wimborne is a bit off this week’s route, but this unique pub seemed as though it’d be worth the slight detour. Founded as The Dormers but today known as The Olive Branch, this pub has an extensive outdoor garden as well as beautiful cozy interiors, all of which put guests (human and canine) at ease. They feature locally-brewed beers and even have a vegan-friendly menu!
Sustenance for the Hungry Vegan
In beautiful Swanage, situated at the end of a 100-yard footpath to the beach, is the Swanage Sands B&B. I love the whole idea of this place, that they’re specifically marketing themselves to vegetarian & vegan travelers. The accommodations look wonderful, the site could not be more scenic, and the vegan breakfast (if reviews can be believed) is delicious!
While in Swanage, SeventhWave restaurant has a “seven mile” menu (including vegan options) comprised of ingredients sourced within a seven-mile radius of town.
The beach just outside the Swanage Sands.
Restaurant Roots in Bournemouth
Though they also serve meat dishes, from what I can tell on the website, the vegan menu at Restaurant Roots in Bournemouth is every bit as creative and delicious as its omnivore counterpart. Husband and wife team Jan and Stacey love to present fresh, local ingredients in creative ways. Stacey is a pastry chef who grew up in Bournemouth, then trained in some of the best country houses in England. Jan is a highly trained chef who has worked in some of the best restaurants and hotels in Europe. Along with their friend and colleague, Geza, they hope to make people happy by serving delicious food.
I love the marketing approach of Twelve Eatery, an all-vegan all-organic restaurant and bar in Bournemouth: “There are no obvious ‘vegan’ cues and most of our guests don’t even make the connection that the menus is plant-based; for us it's all about organic and sustainability! Twelve is defined not by what’s missing but by what it is. Twelve Eatery is where vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, flexitarians, omnivores and meat eaters meet to try creative dishes in a good atmosphere with stylish interiors. We believe great food and good music should be enjoyed by everyone!” Sounds delicious to me!
Twelve Eatery, in Bournemouth
