Weymouth Wander - 8th March 2018

"There's an adult Ross's Gull at Radipole," read my brother's text. Wait a minute. Isn't that the tiny pink gull with a ring round its neck? I mean, let's face it, normally gulls are pretty dull and I find it hard to get excited about a gull whose chocolate brown hood is just that bit bigger than another species of gull or whose legs are a shade darker, lighter, thicker, thinner . . . but the Ross's Gull has been on my 'to see' list for many years.

Now how could I contrive a reason to drive for over an hour to see it? I know, devise a walk which takes in a few random gridsquares and kill two birds with one stone so to speak.

This proved to be a challenge. If I wanted to include Radipole and the Fleet it was going to be around 10 miles walking and that would mean seeing the bird straight away. Perhaps I could walk from Chickerell to Radipole and catch the bus back. Where? Exactly! The bus time tables don't appear to have heard of it either or it's like there's a bus every second Thursday of the month. No, that wouldn't do. I'd have to abandon the whole Chickerell idea and walk to the Chesil Beach Visitor Centre and back along the Rodwell Trail. Ideal.

I'd hatched a plan and with that I grabbed my walking boots from off the radiator, my rucksack, bird book, binoculars, camera, GPS, waterproofs, lunch and was off. I was quite pleased to get to the tennis courts on Radipole Park Drive just before 10 0'clock. "Not bad going, Becky," I congratulated myself. Free parking too. My smug feeling didn't last long. In fact it lasted until the moment I took my trainer off and sank my foot into my faithful walking boots. What on earth was wrong with them? Either my feet had grown or my boots had shrunk. When exactly did I put my boots on the radiator to dry? It could only have been . . . few mental calculations . . . a week ago!

With both feet forming a humpback bridge in my solid boots, I limped off into the sunshine. I was in agony. How was I going to manage seven miles like this ? At least my walk began by the shores of Radipole Lake. I was unsure exactly which gridsquares I had already photographed in this area, so decided to take a photograph in each gridsquare to be on the safe side.

Radipole Lake from Radipole Park Drive - SY6780

Radipole Lake from Radipole Park Drive - SY6779

At the Visitor Centre I decided my feet really couldn't continue this torture so took off my thick socks to see if that would make any difference. It didn't. There were a few twitchers there, but no Ross's Gull. "It was in the car park," the staff at the Centre told me. Just what you don't want to hear when you've come a long way to see a rare bird.

I walked round the reserve and went back to the Visitor Centre where I was told the celebrity gull still hadn't put in an appearance. After a quick cup of coffee and search through an assortment of Ross's Gull contenders, I reluctantly limped off again into the town, going underneath the A35 on the way.

A35 at Weymouth - SY6779

I quite like Weymouth. I like its feeling of nostalgia, the way it still feels like a good old-fashioned beach resort. Today of course the beach was virtually empty.

Weymouth beach - SY6879

When my aching feet reached the mouth of the River Wey my heart sank. Was there ever a ferry across the river as is marked on the map? To be sure there wasn't one now and it meant an extra wee wander round the harbour.  I do love the old harbour, but could have done without the extra steps today.

Weymouth old harbour - SY6878

Weymouth old harbour from the town bridge - SY6778

I'd love to be here when the town bridge opens up. There's a sign with the times of this daily occurrence, but I've never seen it open up so I don't know if this is an old sign kept for nostalgia's sake (again) or whether I just happen to always be here at the wrong time. I've just checked and it does open up. There's a schedule running on either a summer or winter timetable. Oooh, I must return to see this bridge open. It's on the hour every two hours. How have I managed to miss that so many times!?

Another thing which I have rarely seen since I moved down here nearly three years ago is a Chinook helicopter. Today I saw several (or the same one several times!)

Chinook Helicopter

 I was now in Rodwell and followed my nose round. I was now in new territory and had a close up view of Bincleaves groyne, a breakwater in Portland Harbour.

Bincleaves Groyne - SY6878

The footpath is decidedly narrow in parts here but the plethora of other footprints showed that it was still very much in use. I edged my way cautiously round, excited at the prospect of entering a gridsquare with only a tiny bit of land in it - not that there was anything exciting to photograph within that grisquare!

Western Ledges, Weymouth with Portland in the distance - SY6877

 Soon I could see the ruins of Sandsfoot Castle. I don't think I'd seen this ruin before. It was constructed around 1539 under orders of King Henry VIII as part of a defence for shipping in Portland Harbour. It has the distinction of being Weymouth's only scheduled monument.

Sandsfoot Castle - SY6777

I passed a man walking his black labrador which I found reassuring; it proved that this treacherous path was still in use despite being overgrown, narrow and perilously close to the eroding cliff edge. Shortly afterwards, however, the path suddenly finished. I searched in vain for its continuation but eventually gave up and scrambled down to the beach where I was not alone. A solitary man was walking in the same direction I wished to go and looked decidedly dodgy. Why would anyone want to walk on this pebbly beach and how had he got down here and what was he going to do when he reached yonder low pier?

Keeping my distance I hobbled along the beach, looking for a way back up to the road. I wasn't enjoying the walk. My feet were killing me and I was beginning to think I should cut my losses and go back to the car while I could still make this a circular walk.

Decision made, I stooped low enough to walk under the pier. The dodgy character was still ahead of me, although he did not appear to have seen me. I darted off to my right where I had espied an escape route up a steep muddy slope; no matter, it was equipped with a rope. I grabbed said rope with my right hand (the rope was on the left) and hauled myself up to civilisation where a sign read that this path had been closed due to a landslip. 

That was enough heroics for today. I was sticking to the footpath from now on. But where was it? I was looking for the Rodwell Trail and I was in the middle of a housing estate. Eventually I figured it out; I should have gone under the bridge and then back over it. I joined the happy throng of dog walkers and joggers along this old railway line which would wend itself back to Radipole. There were no more new gridsquares on this section, but it was all new territory and I was almost enjoying myself.

Bridge on the Rodwell Trail - SY6777

 This popular trail follows the former route of the Weymouth and Portland railway and featured in one of Julia Bradbury's series on walks along former railway routes. I can't say it was as exciting as she made it sound,but the sun was out and everyone that I passed seemed happy and there was an air of spring about it which kind of ends up rubbing off on you, despite having sore feet.

Rodwell Station - SY6778

Tunnel on the Rodwell Trail - SY6778

Beginning of the Rodwell Trail - SY6779

I made use of one of many benches by the river and sat with my picnic lunch willing the Ross's Gull into being. Only two greedy Herring Gulls came to my telepathic call and I surreptitiously booted them away (not literally of course). Back at the Visitor Centre there was still no news of the Ross's Gull. I had one more chance. I walked back along Radipole Park Drive, this time walking through the park to the car where I have never been so glad to take my boots off.

I'd decided to just drive through the car park one more time, very slowly, checking every gull before heading off to the Visitor Centre at Chesil and walking a few gridsquares there.

Needless to say the gull was not there, so I drove off to Ferry Bridge and parked at the Visitor Centre. My aim here was not only to bag a couple of gridsquares, but also to do a reccie for Wessex Wild and Wonderful and see if ti was any good for the beach combing event I had listed during the Easter holidays. It wasn't - at least I couldn't see that it was, but I checked with the staff afterwards and they pointed me in a slightly different direction which they assured me was worthwhile.

With an hour's worth of parking on my windscreen and only trainers on my feet, I revelled in painfree feet whilst I walked over the ankle-twisting pebbles which form Chesil Beach.

Ferrybridge Sandflats at Chesil Beach Visitor Centre - SY6675

Chesil Beach Visitor Centre - SY6675

I completed a short circular route from the Visitor Centre and revelled in a few crashing waves.

Waves on Chesil Beach - SY6675

Chesil Beach - SY6675

 I then walked beside the causeway through two new gridsquares, listening to Skylarks and watching a Kestrel.

Beside the causeway to Portland - SY6775

Another Chinook flew straight over my head accompanied by a much smaller helicopter.

Chinook on the Portland causeway

Once in the next gridsquare, I turned back and tried to cross the road to vary my route ever so slightly, but there was such a never ending stream of traffic I couldn't get across.

Portland causeway - SY6774

I'd used up my hour at the Visitor Centre so I drove off into the sunshine and guess where I stopped before heading off home and guess what I didn't see?

Number of new gridsquares: 6

Number of miles walked: 7

Number of Chinooks I saw: 3

Number of times I didn't see the Ross's Gull: 5

Ross's Gull (Photo: NI Birding) - And it really hasn't gone mad with the rouge pot!