Walking adventures

A refreshing trip

Hello Adventurers!

I wanted to tell you about my recent trip to Weymouth. I will be doing this is a few parts so please make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss anything! If you haven’t yet read the about page here is a brief description of my blog. I recently decided I wanted more adventures in my life and to achieve that without driving I have decided to have walking adventures. I am also hoping this will improve my overall physical and mental health at the same time.

I recently went away to Weymouth for a break with my teenager (16). Before anyone starts moaning and groaning I will state this now. The teenager will be referred to as ‘the teenager’ and there will be no photos of the teenager in my posts. This is purely to protect the teenagers identity as we live in a nightmare world of technology. The teenager will not be in all of my posts as teenagers in general do not want to hang with their mums as it is, however on this occasion this was a trip for myself and said teenager as we both needed a break.

We had a short stay at a caravan site and during this stay I would go on morning walks. We were fortunate enough to be placed right next to a walking trail which I immediately took advantage of. Running past the River Jordan the natural ambiance was beautiful. The morning sky, the sound of the river, the birdsong and the overall smell of fresh air just instilled how much I needed this break, away from home and the hustle and bustle of work. I felt all of my stress just release from me like a heavy load being unleashed into the atmosphere.

I chose to walk the hill path excited to see the view that lay ahead. This was when I realised my first noob mistake. (Actually it was second noob mistake, my first was wearing sandles on this walk). I wish I had brought some water. Panting, glad there were no witnesses to my complete lack of fitness and thinking ‘well if I die at least i will have a good view’ I made it to the summit and appricitated the bench that was situated there. Catching my breath I took in the view. I could see the beach in front of me, the rolling hills all around and the Osmington White Horse. I took some pictures to commemorate my hilly achivement.

For those who are not aware there are several chalk figures calved into hillsides in the UK and the Osmington White Horse is one such carving. It depicts King George the 3rd riding his horse and was created in 1808. It was restored in 1989 for a tv show, although some people criticised it claiming it caused more harm than good and in 2011 some unknown pranksters added a horn made of plastic sheeting to turn it into a unicorn!

After I had recovered I started my decent and made my way to the pebbled beach at Bowleaze cove. I took a few minutes to take in the sea air and just listen to the melodic sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline. I thought about recording the sound just to listen to it again as it was so calming. I then headed back to camp. I took the path that went around the hill as I knew I was not able to climb the hill again my legs already reminding me I had worked them harder than they expected. I got in and the teenager was still asleep. They hadnt even known I was gone.

Morning Walk #2

Morning 2 I took a slightly different route and followed a publlic footpath. I ended up in the next camping site and felt a little bit like a criminal walking to the exit hoping I wasnt going to get arrested! I made my way back to Bowleaze Cove and walked a little around the coast before spotting a staircase leading up. Navigating the pebbly beach and the rocks I felt greatful that today I had chosen to wear my trainers.

I walked past the magnificent looking but also abandoned Riviera Hotel. After a bit of reading I discovered it was built in the 1930s but has been sold numerous times. It was used in WW2 to house disabled evacuee children under 14 years of age. After which it was bought by Pontins to be a part of the Pontins group. In 1960 the ballroom suffered a fire, leaving a 15ft hole in the floor. in 1968 there was another fire that affected the central parts of the building but guests were able to return after 2 hours. It has changed hands a few times since then but now lies dormant and is listed as a building at risk due to decline and neglect.

I continued past and headed up the hill, again waiting to see what sights I would be met with. (I would like to point out here that this is where again I realised I didn’t bring water and I am an idiot). The path itself was hilly, and baron except for a few bushes here and there. However, what else do you expect from a windy coastal path? The views again were breath taking and looking out to the sea I wondered what it would be like to be a fish or a dolphin or any sea creature being able to swim freely around. Another point to note is where I am from our ‘sea’ is brown so whenever I see a sea that isn’t brown it still amazes me.

I wanted to push further and walk further along the cliffside and see more amazing views, but I had to start heading back before I either got lost or the teenager started wondering where I was. I walked down the other side of the hill and followed the path back to camp.

The teenager was actually up this time and I requested they got ready so we could carry out our plans for the day which was visiting the subtropical gardens in Abbotsbury. You can see how the trip to the gardens went in a later post so subscribe so you don’t miss it, or if you are reading this at a later date hopefully future me will have inserted a link to the blog post here somewhere.

I hope you have enjoyed the first in what I hope is many adventures to come. Comment below your thoughts and don’t forget sharing is caring. I am also on bluesky so if you want to follow me there for regular updates and bonus bits feel free

https://bsky.app/profile/walkingadventures.bsky.social

Happy Adventures 🙂