Day: 133 29/4/95 Abbotsbury to Portland

Weather: Drizzle and overcast.    Distance: 15 km, (9.3 miles)    Total Distance:  miles

The forecast was not good, light rain all day. I left Coventry early after giving my son a bottle of milk.  This was quite a landmark occasion since I turned a different direction driving out of our road for the first time since my walk had begun.  And so instead of going down  the A45/M42 and M6 I headed off down the A46 towards Warwick. The traffic was pretty light all the way down except through Weymouth. I parked the car at the Weymouth end of Chesil beach, changed into walking boots and rode the bike to Abbotsbury - not an easy cycle  in the damp conditions.

I chained the bike up and got some food from the port-a-cabin cafe; a good slice of brownie. I psyched myself up for walking Chesil Beach.  This is an eight mile bank of pebbles with sea on one side and a lake on the inside. I was not planning on taking it too fast. I headed over the pebble bank and down towards the sea. The tide was out leaving a reasonably firm area of sand / pebbles at the bottom of the bank. I had soon passed the last signs of holiday strollers and ornithologists and had nothing to look at except sea on the right and pebbles on the left. There was little sign of birdlife around. They must have been on the landward side! At one stage it seemed as if the tide was coming in fast and I would loose my firm sand, I headed for the top of the bank. It was much more difficult walking and I soon headed back to the shoreline.

After a couple of hours walking a structure started to appear out of the mist. As I got closer a red flag appeared - so much for Weymouth Tourist Information office telling me there was no problem walking across Chesil Beach with the Nature Reserves and Firing Range marked on the map.   I had heard rifle fire on my earlier excursion to the top of the bank and had feared the worse but figured out I would be perfectly safe on the seaward side since rifle bullets do not turn right angles.  As I got closer I could make  two people. Closer again I could see one individual had begun walking across the range and the other was a sentry returning to his box. Seeing me he soon pounded down the bank, and told me he would have to radio in for permission for me to cross. The person ahead of me was a diver, with complete with air tank and carrying flippers though I still don't know how he got to be there - we were miles from anywhere. The Major General or whoever he was on the other end of the walkie talkie was less than pleased to have his firing interrupted a second time. He was shouting back at the sentry. I was told I could cross, at my own risk, and they would not stop firing. I'm sure they did though. By the far end of the range I had virtually caught up with the diver who was obviously finding it difficult. He was talking to the female sentry at the other end, I acknowledged them and headed off. I had got 200 yards on and was called back. Half way back I was waved on again - I was less than pleased since the walking was now very difficult.

I continued, having soon to transfer to the top of the bank. I looked around and the diver kept stopping finding it difficult with an air tank and weight belt. I opened a can and decided to wait for him but just then he headed to the lake and the last I saw of him was diving towards the mainland. The whole experience was rather serial.  It's almost as if I dreamt it all. 

 

The rest of walk was tiring and I just got to the end before some serious drizzle started. After a cup of tea from the kiosk I drove back to Abbotsbury, stopping in a good woodcraft centre and picking up some nice ideas on doll's house furniture. I picked up the bike and came back to Weymouth. The streets were narrow and confusing around the harbour and busy along the front. I ended up near the place where my wife had booked for us to go to at half-term. I booked into a B&B around the corner -Keithlyn - not of Welsh origin but an amalgamation of the proprietors names, clean, quite busy and a pretty good breakfast!  I ate in the pub next to our half term flat and what a pub it was - in the Good Beer Guide, good food, a children's room, collie dogs.... I had a very early night - too tired to go to see the firework display on the beach.