Abbotsbury to Fleet - 31st August 2017

At 12.7 miles (precisely)I knew I was pushing my day's walking limits, but the route looked so inviting. I just had to include Fleet and Langton Herring and if Jane had done it - well then, so could I!

Actually Jane had walked further, but, not being an anorak like me, she had no digital record of her walk. Again, unlike me, she possesses an excellent memory. As we walked she recalled having done sections of the walk two years previously with our group, which I couldn't remember, but when I checked later she was bang on!

Abbotsbury is one of my favourite places in Dorset. We didn't have time to visit the iconic St Catherine's Chapel. This delightful little rectangle of sacredness deserves more than a fleeting visit in my opinion You simply can't stride up to it and back down again. You need to slowly imbibe its charms and pay homage to its position - as I have done before. Don't squeeze it into the beginning or end of a day; it should be the focus of a visit to the village. Not that that's a law or anything, simply my opinion!

Abbotsbury also possesses another excellent church, St Nicholas, which we didn't have time to visit either today, but it's definitely worth taking a look and viewing the musket ball holes in the pulpit, said to have been shot during the Civil War.

Abbotsbury -SY5784

Leaving all this history behind us, we set off eastwards and immediately uphill. Linton Hill has all the appearances of an ancient hill fort, but I can't find anything to confirm this online and it's not marked as such on the Ordnance Survey map.

Linton Hill - an ancient hill fort? - SY5884

 Hill fort or not, we enjoyed the views from its summit.

The Fleet from Linton Hill - SY5884

Linton Hill merges into Merry Hill and I suddenly had a déjà vu moment. This was near a trigpoint that I'd wanted to visit on our last walk here with the group, the one that Jane could remember and I couldn't! Hurray! My memory was returning. "Do you mind if I just nip along that boundary to see if I can find the trigpoint?" I asked Jane, conscious of having read recently that trigpoint bagging is considered to be yet another hobby reserved mainly for men. I couldn't see the trigpoint until you'reo n top of it as it is hidden by two boundaries, but it is an easy one to bag.

Merry Hill trigpoint - SY5984

Content with my new and unexpected bonus to the day, I wandered back to find Jane and we headed downhill, over an attractive stone stile and into a new gridsquare, for which Ansty's Withy Bed (wherever that was) provided a photo.

Attractive stile on Merry Hill - SY5984

Near Ansty's Withy Bed - SY5983

In SY6083 we headed southwards, walking along the eastern edge of Wyke's Wood and between Wyke Wood and Kittle Barrow Plantation.

Wyke Wood (right) and Kittle Barrow Plantation (left) - SY6083

Having been diverted further inland than I consider should be permitted for any coastal path, the South-west coast path  finally returns to the coast in SY6082 at Rodden Hive.

Rodden Hive on The Fleet - SY6082

We queued briefly for the seat here as a family group were also admiring the view and then left without their bright red sweater. It was too small for either of us so we yelled after its owner, a young boy and returned it. We both decided it was time for a cuppa so sat listening to the gulls and sipped away.

"We really can't linger long," I sighed. "We've got gridsquares to bag and churches to view and miles to walk." So on we went, continuing south on this glorious bit of the coast path, discussing the quality of The Fleet. Was it salt or freshwater? Both we decided. The Langton Buildings have a glorious view of this stretch of the coast in gridsquare SY6081.

Langton Buildings - SY6081

The Fleet cuts quite deeply inland in the next square, SY6181.

Fleet Lagoon near Herbury - SY6181

Herbury is a peninsula with not a lot on it by the looks of it, certainly not a right of way. I think it appeals to me because it is almost an island and anything that is an island, or almost so, has a certain enigmatic appeal. Then I had another distinctive déjà vu moment. It was where we had had lunch with the group two years before. I remembered being utterly exhausted at that point and we had finally (it seemed to me) sat down with our lunch and I'd pointed out a Peregrine to everyone as we'd sat by the wildflower meadow which was now a sunflower meadow. Does anyone reap this harvest? we wondered.

Sunflower meadow near Herbury - SY6181

It seemed to be a popular choice for a picnic, or at least a resting place, as we passed another couple who had paused to admire the cherry sunflowers.

Shortly afterwards we paused momentarily to admire another flower - the Field Bindweed taking over an old stone wall.

Field Bindweed and wall near Herbury - SY6181

We continued southwards to Gore Cove where I recalled having heard the Corn Bunting on a previous visit.

Gore Cove - SY6180

Gore Cove - SY6180

Walking past Moonfleet Manor House, I thought of the children's book Moonfleet which I had recently read and enjoyed, based on this landscape and the real life Mohun family, which J Meade Faulkner corrupted to Moon for his smuggling story. This had been their manor. It is now a hotel.

Moonfleet Manor - SY6180

Another time I shall endeavour to take the footpath inland, The Grove,  from Moonfleet Manor to see if it's possible to visit the trigpoint at Seabarn Farm. It looks as though it might be a tricky one and not as scenic as this path, but you can then join  Fleet Road and still visit East Fleet Church, which was our next destination and lunch spot.

Information boards at Moonfleet - SY6180

Today, however, I took a photo of the Gallop, a feature not mentioned on the Explorer Map, but definitely in existence, with warnings about horses and access.

Gallop on The Fleet - SY6280

Warning - Fast Horses - SY6280

I needn't have worried about there being nothing to photograph in the next gridsquare, SY6279 as there are two World War 2 pill boxes situated here, erstwhile guardians of the Fleet and our country.

World War II pillboxes on the edge of the Fleet - SY6279

We took a final glance at the Fleet before heading inland for our lunch.

Butterstreet Cove - SY6379

The Church at East Fleet - SY6380

I love this little old church with its romantic history of storm lashings and smuggling. It compelled me to read Moonfleet after my first visit in April last year and revisiting it today inspired me to read it again, though I have at least a dozen books by the side of my bed which I've started reading so I guess it will have to get in the queue! I began to wish I was walking the whole of the south-west coast path so I could read it whilst walking its length. How brilliant that would be! I wonder what other books are based on this glorious stretch of coastline. One could take a whole library on such a walk. Kindles now make carrying easier of course; not that anything can ever replace the feel and smell of paper books.

Lingering just long enough to listen for any  ghostly complaints from Blackbeard beneath our feet, we moved on disappointed not to have relived John Trenchard's experience. (Perhaps you need to come in the hours of darkness?)

We headed briefly northwards along a surprisingly busy and narrow road to visit the modern Fleet Church which possesses nothing of its diminutive neighbour's charm. It may have physically replaced the old church, but in my mind, it has not replaced its spirit or sanctity.

Holy Trinity Church, Fleet - SY6380

Our feet were beginning to weary now, but we plodded on northwards into new territory for me at least. Jane had walked along this road before, but then continued northwards when we reached a T junction. We headed westwards to West Fleet Farm and campsite and felt like we'd entered a miniature Butlins. The traffic en route had been heavy, despite it being a dead end road, but when we arrived at the camp site, we quickly realised why. There is a mini resort here, complete with swimming pool. Feeling a bit like trespassers we rushed through the site until I felt I could comfortably retrieve my camera and take a photo of a stile for gridsquare SY6281.

Stile at West Fleet Farm - SY6281

We walked through fields and were soon relieved to see the sea again, being now less than half a mile away from our sunflowers at Herbury.

The Fleet from West Fleet Farm - SY6181

We were on the other side of the wall from the Sunflowers this time, but admired them again nonetheless.

Sunflowers and bindweed - SY6181

We walked east of Under Cross Plantation to Langton Herring, a doubly thankful village which is a real gem. This is one of only 13 villages in Britain that did not lose any soldiers during both World Wars. Trouble is, I've done a bit of research and have come up with a list of 14 names that claim to be doubly thankful villages: As well as Langton Herring, there is Herodsfoot in Cornwall,  Upper Slaughter in Gloucestershire, High Toynton in Lincolnshire, South Elmham St Michael in Suffolk, Woolley in Somerset, Catwick in Yorkshire, Middleton-on-the-Hill in Herefordshire, Nether Kellet in Lancashire, Flixborough in Lincolnshire, Herbrandston in Pembrokeshire, Stocklinch in Somerset, Cromwell in Nottinghamshire and Llanfihangel y Creuddyn in Cardiganshire.

St Peter's Church, Langton Herring - SY6182

Graveyard, St Peter's, Langton Herring - SY6182

The village might be doubly thankful for not having lost any of its soldiers during the two World Wars, but it has certainly suffered many other losses, as the graveyard testifies, not least the poignant stone which bears the story of four young boys, aged between 6 and 8, who died from inhaling toxic fumes at a nearby lime kiln. The gravestone suggests two of them were brothers.

After paying our respects to the church and drinking the last of our tea (mine being well and truly cold and disgusting by now), we headed westwards towards Ivy Cottage and found a huge circel of Giant Puffballs. They were so big we thought at first they were cow pats, but close examkination proved otherwise. I don't think I've ever seen them as big before.

Giant Puffball near Ivy Cottage - SY6182

 At Ivy Cottage  a sign made us chuckle.

Ivy Cottage - SY6082

Sheep Dogs Only - SY6082

The reason for our amusement might not immediately be clear. At the other end of the footpath we had seen the same sign with the last three letters, 'EAD' obscured, so the sign read 'Sheep Dogs Onl' and we had filled in the last letter as a 'y' to read 'Sheep Dogs Only' and had pondered why only sheep dogs were allowed on the footpath.

Enlightened and now being able to sleep at night, we continued across the stile and then bore right and then got a bit confused. We should probably have ignored the electric fence barring our pathway and simply stepped over it, but, being good walkers, we walked round the edge and then lost the path. I had deliberately avoided rejoining the south-west coast path thinking we'd be taking a shortcut, but instead we had to retrace our steps and wander along what did not appear to be a footpath, unless it had been diverted.

We rejoined the south-west coast pah at Bridge Lane and walked uphill this time past Wyke Wood. A the T-junction, we continued northwards along a footpath, which led to a road junction in a new gridsquare - SY6084. I took a photo of renovation works at Merry Hill Barn and we wondered whether this would be merely a glorified barn or a dwelling house.

Merry Hill Barn - SY6084

 We were now on the east side of Merry Hill where I had bagged my trigpoint and the hill looked more impressive from this angle.

Merry Hill - SY5984

It was a hard slog uphill to West Elworth, a tiny hamlet with some attractive signs.

Sign at West Elworth - SY5984

We turned off the road onto a bridleway and headed westwards, glad to be finally following  a contour, rather than climbing them, and glad to see our first sign of Abbotsbury - St Catherine's chapel from an unusual angle.

Elworth Withy Beds and St Catherine's Chapel - SY5984

Once more Jane remembered her first walk with the group, this having apparently been our return route on that occasion too. "We end up on the road," she recalled, "but it's only for a short bit." Of course, she was right and I vaguely remembered it too as it is a busy road. I snapped a photo just in case I hadn't already got one for that square.

Entering Abbotsbury from the east - SY5885

We resisted the many shops offering tempting cream teas and walked through the village to our car park, pausing just long enough to greet my favourite Abbotsbury tree. It overlooks St Catherine's Chapel, provides a rope swing, shade and mesmerising dappling dancing shadows. Farewell for now thou veteran witness to Abbotsbury's history, past and present.

Veteran tree and dappled shadows, Abbotsbury - SY5784

Number of new gridsquares: 6

Number of trigpoints: 1

Number of miles: 13.7

Number of churches: 3

Number of campsites: 1