The Enchanting Dorset Coast

Weather forecast - rain, rain and then more rain - but I awoke to a brighter room. 

I roused the Saint from his morning stupor and with a boot full of precautionary measures against inclement weather, we set off for a hearty breakfast at Dish in Romsey and then down to the coast, crossing on the Sandbanks ferry at Poole to Studland to walk the cliffs at Old Harry.

A gentle pastoral scene greeted our first steps upon the path

which gave way to a glorious wild flower meadow. There were several of these lining the entire walk along the cliff edge.

Butterflies have been very scarce this year and I was happy to see this one.

After about a mile Old Harry stands before one in all its glory. It was a day of changing light which was wonderful for photography and it was great fun play with my lovely big camera.

The coastal rescue service were patrolling along the coast.

I was entranced by the light and the play of the cloud shadows over the sea.

Others were out for recreational pursuits too

however the light continued to enchant me.

I love these huge chalk boulders that have fallen onto the beaches below the cliffs. The tide is out.

The sea is dressed in an array of greens, blues and turquoise... one of my favourite colours.

As we climbed the hill, there was an enormous meadow of wild flowers, breathtakingly beautiful against the clouds.

The view behind us was equally stunning

as we climbed higher

and higher until Old Harry disappeared into the distance. That little white dot in the water is one of the huge Channel Ferries.

At the top of the hill Swanage appears invitingly ahead....

but the howling wind driving over the cliff was astounding and the next two photos show the grass blown flat against the ground.

The Saint dug his walking sticks into the hillside to keep his balance and laughed into the wind. He does love the wind.

On the other side of the hill, out of the wind, the view is back towards Sandbanks over another wild flower meadow. That white strip of beach in the distance is where we crossed Poole harbour in the ferry

and the tiny white bit below is the cliffs at Old Harry. We abandoned thoughts of lunch in Swanage and desended back along an inland path for a while before coming out on the cliffs again.

The vista was still absolutely gorgeous and much enjoyed.

My newly made project bag had its first outing and a wonderful walk along the cliffs. I managed to add a couple of inches to my Skyp socks too on the journey.

I had a 7 km walk on uneven terrain, with few side effects today, which is a awesome achievement in itself.