Log No 293. Wed 23rd Apr 2014 - Eype to Langton Herring, 15 miles (4481 miles walked)

This morning was the first time there was no condensation on the flysheet and I was able to take down a dry tent. While I was packing it away it did start to rain and I set off in waterproofs at 07.40.

The reception office/shop in this campsite was closed when I got here yesterday and when I left I had still not seen anyone to pay for the site.

There was a short steep hill to start the day to get to West Bay then a slightly smaller one to get to Burton Bradstock and after that it looked like being flat right up until the campsite which was up a hill.

The rain was coming down heavy now and head on but the flat path from Burton Bradstock did have a bit of shelter with some hedges and the odd clump of trees. I stood under one clump to eat a pork pie.

After passing Burton Mere on the inland side the path switched to the shore side of the next small lake. What might once have been a good grassy path was now part of the pebble beach and the start of Chesil Beach.

The pebbles were just like what you would have in your fish tank and I found them horrible to walk on.

I struggled on them in the rain for half a mile to the beach car park at West Bexington, there was 2 more miles of this to go before the path headed inland but I'd had enough and turned off at the car park.

At the end of the road I took the footpath up the hill into the mist to the top of the ridge. This path was the Hardy Trail and part of the South Dorset Ridgeway, it ran alongside the B3157.

I stayed on the footpath for nearly 2 miles, leaving it to walk on the road to come down into Abbotsbury.

Once below the cloud I did get a view of Chesil Beach and the lagoon of West Fleet.

I called in the village store in Abbotsbury to get the days supplies then continued through the village onto a minor road for the final 5 miles.

There was a short section of footpath to get to the next village of Langton Herring then back onto a bit of the B3157 to get to the campsite at Bagwell Farm. It was 14.00 and my earliest finish for a long while.

It had rained almost all the time I was walking, I may well have taken the tent down dry but I had to put it up in the rain. It did dry up later on and is supposed to be drier tomorrow.

I'm leaving the tent here for a second night while I go round Portland Bill tonorrow.

15 wet miles.