Jane's Midlife Journey

I have set myself the challenge of walking the South West Coast Path. Initially, this was something my brother was trying to achieve. But after he died, I decided to pick up the mantle.

The South West Coast Path stretches for 630 miles, running along the coast from Somerset, through Devon and Cornwall to Dorset. Starting in Minehead in Somerset, the path runs along the north coast of the peninsula as far as Lands End, before turning and running along the south coast to South Haven Point near Poole.

My guide book divides the trail into 70 sections. As I live near what is traditionally considered to be the end of the trail, I plan to tackle the route in reverse, starting with Section 70.

Section 64 of the South West Coast Path starts at Ferry Bridge on the outskirts of Weymouth and continues along the shores of the Fleet Lagoon, with sweeping views of Chesil Beach. At Rodden, you turn away from the coast. After a roughly 5 km long uphill, inland section, you descend into the historic village of Abbotsbury. This section is quite rural. Take sufficient provisions as there isn’t really anywhere to stop en route.

South West Coast Path Section 64 at a Glance

Starting Point	Ferry Bridge
Finishing Point	Abbotsbury
Distance	17.5 km
Ascent	291 metres
Timing	4 hours
Grading	Easy
Settlements	Abbotsbury
Points of Interest	St Catherine’s Chapel Abbotsbury Swannery Abbotsbury Abbey Ruins St Nicholas Church Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens
Accommodation	East Farm House B&B
Take a Break	The Swan Inn Ilchester Arms

Starting Point – Ferry Bridge

Ferry Bridge is 3 miles west of Weymouth, right on the coast path, which crosses the road just south of Ferrybridge Roundabout and reappears the other side pretty soon after (via Ferrymans Way).

Public Transport

The nearest train station is Weymouth, which is on the South West Main Line to London and the Heart of Wessex Line to Bristol.

Bus No 1, which runs between Weymouth and Portland, stops at Ferrybridge. During the summer, the No 11 Jurassic Coaster in another option. I decided to break the sections slightly differently and took the No 12 bus, which runs between Weymouth and the holiday park at Littlesea Camp a couple of miles further along the path. This is a good option if you are of a certain age as there are toilets here.

Chesil Beach

Note: The official coast path runs along the shores of Fleet Lagoon on the mainland. To the south of this is Chesil Beach, an 18 mile long shingle spit. Interesting to look at but hard to walk on. Bear in mind if you do opt to walk along Chesil Beach instead, it is extremely hard going and once you’ve started there is no way off. You’re committed to walking the full 8 miles to Abbotsbury (or giving up and returning to the start). Note: Chesil Beach is out of bounds between May and August to protect ground nesting birds. There are also regular closures when the army firing range is in use.

Ferry Bridge

This section of the coast path starts at Ferry Bridge. This is the point where there used to be a ferry to the isle of Portland, but now there’s a bridge. You can pick the path up on the western side of Ferrybridge Roundabout.

There’s not much in the way of landmarks on this section. The path follows the coast for a few miles, with the exception of a detour up and around some MOD land. There may be a second detour if the army firing range at Chickerell is in use. There are flags to tell you whether it is safe to proceed along the coastal path or you must take the inland detour.

Around 4 miles from Abbotsbury (take no notice of the distances written on the signs, they’re very misleading), you head uphill and inland and walk through a series of fields with many stiles in various stages of decay.

After we fought our way through the wind whilst balanced precariously on a ledge above a field full of cows, we finally descended into Abbotsbury.

Abbotsbury

The village of Abbotsbury is just off the trail, but is a popular overnight stopping point. The village has two well known tourist attractions, two pubs and a few more points of interest.

St Catherine’s Chapel

St Catherine’s Chapel is a 14th Century chapel perched on a hill on the edge of the village. It was built by the monks of Abbotsbury Abbey as a place of pilgrimage and retreat.

According to English Heritage, who manage the site: “Make your way up the hill, take in the fantastic views of the abbey ruins, and explore the nooks and crannies of this curious little chapel, including the ‘wishing holes’ where local women used to pray to St Catherine and ask her to find them a husband.” Frankly, I was very much over hills by this point. If you are less averse to hills than me, the chapel is free to view.

Abbotsbury Swannery

Abbotsbury Swannery is home to over 600 mute swans. As well as swans, there’s a swan maze, gift shop and cafe. We decided that we were 1) too cold and wet to spend any more time outdoors and 2) had arrived too late in the day to justify the entry fee. So we had to make with the swans on the village pond.

The swannery is open daily from 10 am until 5 pm between March and October. There are daily swan feeds at midday and 4pm. Adult entry costs £15.

Abbotsbury Abbey Ruins

Abbotsbury was once home to a great abbey. Abbotsbury Abbey was founded in 1044 by Orc, a thegn of King Cnut. In 1539, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the abbot surrendered the abbey and Henry VIII bequeathed it to Sir Giles Strangways. Today’s remains date from the 13th/14th Centuries. Nearby is the abbey’s tithe barn, which was built around 1400.

St Nicholas Church

St Nicholas’ Church dates back to the 14th Century. An interesting fact told to us by our landlady: The pulpit still has two bullet holes from a skirmish in 1644 during the English Civil War.

Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens

Just outside the village, you can find Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens. The gardens’ origins can be traced back to the 18th Century, when the aforementioned Strangways family had a house built here. When it burned down, they moved but the garden was maintained. It contains a range of features including formal and informal gardens, exotic plants, woodland walks, camellia groves and a Victorian walled garden. Facilities include a cafe, gift shop and plant centre.

The gardens are open daily from 10 am until 5 pm. Adult entry costs £15. Or you can purchase a joint ticket to visit both here and the swannery for £20.

Dinner at The Swan Inn

Upon arrival in Abbotsbury, we headed to The Swan Inn to warm up, dry off and refuel. The Swan is a traditional pub offering a traditional pub grub style menu. I had the scampi and chips, which was perfectly adequate.

Lots of reviews recommend the pub’s beer garden. We wouldn’t know. By the time we arrived, a cloud had descended over Abbotsbury and we were soaked.

The Ilchester Arms

The village’s other pub is The Ilchester Arms. My brother dined here and liked it. Mind you, my brother had 4 pints of Madri, so probably not most reliable judge! We opted against it due to the lack of vegetarian options.

Accommodation – East Farm House B&B

We stayed in the centre of the village at East Farm House B&B. The rooms are clean and cosy. Warning: There decor is rather busy and there’s a lot of ornaments (and I mean a lot). Climbing the stairs with a rucksack was nerve racking. The owner is absolutely lovely. Our first encounter with here was when she was attempting to round her geese up, who were making a dash for it down the main road.

In the morning, we took our breakfast with other SWCP walkers, sharing stories of our adventures. Breakfast included eggs from the farm’s own hens, tomatoes also from the farm and marmalade made by our host’s mother. All absolutely delicious!

Getting back to the Start

The X52/53 buses run between Bridport/West Bay and Weymouth via Abbotsbury roughly once an hour.

Next Section

Section 63: Abbotsbury to West Bay