Sunday 15 July 2012. Meet 09.30 for 10.00 sharp start at 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 the third Swimtrek adventure and you cannot afford to miss the opportunity to swim in some of the most beautiful places in the Purbecks along the magnificent Jurassic coast These are iconic by nature and the route will take you through an area of mind bending natural beauty.
Route and swim locations: 10.00 prompt start: Meet at Durdle Door Caravan Car Park
Lulworth Cove & Durdle Door Car parks: tickets can be purchased for £4 for 2-4 hours and can be used again at both car parks.
Swim 1: Durdle Door: This year the journey starts at this truly iconic location, making the steep descent down onto the beach followed by a swim through the Door (no tomb stoning, please!). If sea conditions allow, swim around the headland into Man o’ War Bay and then return by the same route.
After the first swim of the day, it is back to the car park and a short drive to the second destination, Lulworth Cove.
Swim 2 & 3: Lulworth Cove and Stair Hole (approximate time 11.30) Most of you have swum at Lulworth Cove but how about Stair Hole? If the sea allows, swim out of the cove and into Stair Hole, which as many of you can testify is challenging but an unforgettable experience!
Drive on to Tynham, and leave cars in the car park (suggested donation £2). 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, walk to Warbarrow Bay.
Swim 4: Warbarrow Bay: a gentle swim to soothe aching limbs and absorb the tranquillity. Retrace 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 non-alcoholic 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 a scrumptious 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.
Leave Winspit and head up the footpath and along the SW coast path towards Seacombe
Swim 6: Seacombe: 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: Swim in the pool / jump off the ledge and swim in the sea, possibly further round to discover the hidden caves. A grand finale to a swimming odyssey.
Leave Dancing Ledge and take the path up to the top of the ridge and along Priests Way back to 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 teatime or 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 it may vary it along the way.
If you want a swimming experience through some of the most beautiful countryside in the world and are prepared to accept that you would be undertaking this swim ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK, please email Bob Holman (bobdiholman@btinternet.com) giving name and emergency contact details.