Sunday 18 August 2013. Meet 09.00 for 09.30 sharp start at the Durdle Door car park.
Waterfalls, rock platforms, lagoons and wonderful shingle bays are all on offer in this magical mystery swimming tour.
This will be our fourth Swim Treck adventure and you cannot afford to miss it! On Sunday 18 August, we will be on a mission to swim in some of the most beautiful places in the Purbecks, along the magnificent Jurassic coast These are iconic by nature and we are planning a route which will take you through an area of mind bending natural beauty.
Our route and swim locations: 09.30 prompt start: Meet at Durdle Door Car Park
Lulworth Cove & Durdle Door Car parks: tickets can be purchased for £4 for 2-4 hours and can be used again at either car park.
Swim 1: Durdle Door: We start our journey at this truly wonderful location. We make the steep descent down onto the beach and swim through the Door (no tomb stoning, please!). If sea conditions allow, we will swim around the headland into Man o War Bay and then return by the same route.
After our first swim of the day, it is back to the car park and a short drive to our second destination, Lulworth Cove.
Swim 2 & 3: Lulworth Cove and Stair Hole (approximate time 11.00) Most of you have swum at Lulworth Cove but how about Stair Hole? I am hoping that the sea will allow us to swim out of the cove and into Stair Hole. As many of you will testify, a testing swim but an unforgettable experience!
We now drive on to Tynham and leave our cars in the car park (suggested donation £2). We walk by the deserted village, which was left by the villagers during the Second World War on the promise from the Ministry of Defence that they would return when hostilities ceased. This of course never happened and the village remains in a time warp, a magical but eerie place. From the village, we walk to Warbarrow Bay.
Swim 4: Warbarrow Bay: a gentle swim to soothe aching limbs and absorb the tranquillity. We retrace our steps back to the car park and drive to Worth Matravers and the Square and Compass Pub for lunch.
Lunch (approximate time 13.30- 14.00): Have a pie/pasty (scrumptious!) and wash it down with a long cool drink. The pub is wonderfully quirky, almost in a time warp and has been in the same family for generations. You may have time to wonder through the museum showing some wonderful bits of archaeology dug up in the local stone quarries.
After lunch it is off down the hill to Winspit.
Swim 5: Winspit: Descend the narrow path to the rock platform. The old quarries are on the right and the lagoon on left with jumps from rock table. Enjoy the clear cool waters with a forest of kelp.
We leave Winspit and make our way up the footpath and along the SW coast path towards Seacombe
Swim 6: Seacombe: We are not sure we want to tell you, but is this Dorset’s best kept secret? You will find this rocky inlet between Winspit and Dancing Ledge. The coastal path goes right past but it is unmarked. Climb over a gate, walk down a grassy path and drop down to a rocky gully. Once at the bottom, the inlet opens out to the sea beyond. Dive off a rock into the sea, magic!
Back to the SW coast path and onto Dancing Ledge
Swim 7: Dancing Ledge: We swim in the pool/ jump off the ledge and swim in the sea. Maybe we can swim further round to discover the hidden caves: a grand finale to our swimming odyssey.
We leave Dancing Ledge and take the path up to the top of the ridge and make our way along Priests Way back to our cars at Worth Matravers.
Equipment
You will need: money for any car park fees and lunch/tea / supper, a rucksack, good walking boots / shoes, swimming equipment, flip-flops for walking on the beach, maybe packed sandwiches etc for sustenance during the day and plenty of water. Please bring your mobile.
And finally:
Those of you who have been in the club for some time will know that there is always a Plan B. This programme is not carved in tablets of stone and we may vary it along the way. What we do promise is a day to remember and a swimming experience through some of the most beautiful countryside in the world!
Club members, family and friends wishing to join us for the day, please email Bob Holman (bobdiholman@btinternet.com), giving your name, mobile number and an emergency contact name and mobile number.