Tilly Whim Caves, Purbeck's Jurassic Coast

I was held together by Savlon (antiseptic skin cream) and caffeine, yesterday.

Out at 7.24, had to run for bus (with rucksack, with photo gear and all the refreshments needed for the day), at 7.30.

9.07 bus out to Swanage, from Bournemouth, via the ferry in yesterday's Blip.

10.30 ish am out on Swanage beach. Then up onto the start of the Dorset stretch of the south west coast path, which curls up to and round Pevril Point, with spectacular views, blue skies and the crooked white teeth of Old Harry Rocks glinting in the sunshine. Swanage nestling neatly in its bay... sweet...

Up a steep slope and onto Durlston Head, the Castle, its Park and its rather well known attractions, including its huge stone Globe. Spectacular view back out towards Bournemouth. Rather too many people around this part and so along the Path to Anvil Point and its Lighthouse.

Halfway between the Castle and the lighthouse are the rather romantically sounding Tilly Whim Caves - see Wikipedia for details. These were major excavations for Purbeck stone, a valuable building material and in my picture, the middle 'newer' bit has been built to cover up the entrance, so to stop intrepid photographers and stragglers like me from entering.

Spoilsports. LARGE

This image is rather different from other images around, as I've used the 10mm ultra-wide and sat down! The whole 'floor' is one whole Jurassic living museum, with fossilised (I'm not a geologist, so the correct words are failing me, but you'll know what I mean). It also allows for the tiny figures from the walkers) and YES, the top of that giant cliff is the official coastal path!! and you really do concentrate whilst clambering down, I can tell you!!

The Lighthouse isn't much further on and is about where I had managed to walk on a previous occasion, about 5 years ago. Further on, westwards, up high I stopped for half an hour and just sat and watched the world and the universe going (slowly) by, the odd white yacht and the occasional tiny dot of a figure of a walking human in the distance.

Eventually, as reality started to needle my conscious, I decided that I couldn't realistically go much further along the coast as I hadn't been feeling that well anyway and I had to consider getting back to a bus route and to a town. I get through a stupid amount of calories and I would need yet more....

Lovely curling (and straight (ish)) dry stone walls up there and the well signposted (carved in slabs of Purbeck stone) directions pointed to Herston. Lovely change to the scenery, with slanting, angular trees that brave the sea-breezes in winter and right alongside a small quarry that seemed to have pile after pile of cut and dressed stone.

The view over the next hill, toward Corfe and its Castle (previous Blip) to the west and Swanage itself to the east, was breathtaking. I would get the Swanage to Poole bus, I had decided. However, it took ages to walk through an endless holiday chalet site and then the outskirts of Swanage itself. Back there, FOOD and all the way back down to the seafront for the absolutely requisite fish and chips - The Fish Plaice - recommended - and you sit outside on stone benches and watch the (busy) world go by. Then ten minutes in Swanage Museum, free and rather lovely; small and accessible.

Anyways, got the Poole bound bus at 5pm, which winds its way up past the point I had come down the hills from, up and down and along winding roads, the huge double deckered bus heaving and sighing loudly as it became a roller coast trip of outstanding gorgeousness. The neat houses and cottages, all in the same local stone, the view over Corfe Castle again and the so-tight zig-zag stand on the brakes drop into the valley.

Once past Corfe and the the journey is less spectacular and almost boring, especially as it seems to go around every village and housing estate between Wareham and Poole.

6.30 Poole. No time for Poole, straight on the shuttle bus to Bournemouth. Which still takes half an hour...

7.00 Bournemouth. 7.10 bus home for Salisbury. 9pm Home. Straight to bed. But yawning so hard, I feared lock-jaw and parts that weren't just tired, they hurt. And heartburn. So couldn't sleep, anyways.

Thank you for reading this far, if you have!

A superb day and now one today for a bit of a rest and a good old Blipfoto catch up with you all!

Lens is Nikkor 10-24mm, with polariser