Dorset Diaries: Part I
Last June, during Arran’s work on BBC’s Springwatch, Julie headed down to Wareham to join him for a weekend on the Dorset coast. In preparation for this year’s show that would begin in late-May, we visited Corfe Castle in mid-April to set up some equipment to capture footage of the peregrine falcon and raven nests that had taken up residence in the castle’s ruins. Julie was predominantly there for the chance to further explore the quaint village and castle but ended up assisting Arran with various tasks.
We travelled in style, taking Arran’s cherry red MGB Roadster for the ride. We arrived in Corfe around midday and picked up some doughy treats from the village bakery before setting to work installing internet between the castle and the ticket office. We were lucky enough to see one of the peregrine falcons in a playful tussle with the raven, whom had been ousted from its own nest by the brooding falcons and had subsequently taken up the penthouse suite in the eves of the castle ruins. Since peregrine falcons can stoop at up to 240 mph, it was quite the sight to watch the avian skirmish against the brilliant blue sky. After all the commotion, the falcon retreated back to its nest and stuck its beak over, surveying our work below.
After a hard day of labour, which Julie (whose strengths sit outside the realm of technology) even participated in, we headed for dinner at The Pig on the Beach in Studland Bay. This is part of a bespoke group of hotels and restaurants dedicated to the local, the homegrown and the picturesque. We were immediately welcomed by a buttery yellow house, radiant in the evening sun. It is situated right by the beach, providing uninterrupted views of long stretches of Studland Bay. We arrived a little early and were invited to get a drink and have a stroll through their grounds. We ordered an Aperol spritz and a fizzy lemon cordial at their outside bar which was covered by charming floral umbrellas. Drinks in hand, we wandered through their walled kitchen garden where nasturtiums were blooming, and early-summer produce was sprouting.
For dinner we were sat in their charming conservatory. Terracotta pots full of plants line the windows and you sit at tables with mismatched chairs; colourful glasses; candles providing a warm glow and the most wonderful sea views.
The Pig’s menus are dedicated to the local. They grow their own produce in their walled garden and whatever they cannot grow or rear themselves, they source locally, up to 25 miles. We started our meal with baked crab and pickled vegetables, followed by a delicious pork loin with cabbage and rhubarb ketchup and a rich shepherd’s pie. For dessert we chose a cheese board and a warming bowl of rice pudding with homemade strawberry jam. We left Studland to a crescent moon that shone bright against the midnight blue sky.
April was the warm-up act as Julie returned to Dorset in early-June to spend the weekend with Arran who was on a break from Springwatch filming.
The weather that weekend was glorious. We started our first day by picking up breakfast from The Goat in Wareham. We took our lemongrass and mango smoothies and freshly made sandwiches along the River Frome, fuelling up before our afternoon activity. We then headed to Studland Bay to begin a circular coastal trail that delivered magnificent views of the Jurassic Coast.
From South Beach car park, head past the Bankes Arms pub and turn left onto the coastal path signed for Old Harry. The first landmark that you come across is two concrete buildings that date back to the Second World War and tell a story of the changing fortunes of war. One was built in 1940 in anticipation of an enemy invasion and the second, Fort Henry, dates from 1943 and was an observation bunker. In April 1944, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, King George VI, American General Dwight Eisenhower and the British General Bernard Montgomery visited the bunker to watch the Allied Forces prepare for the D-Day landings. They witnessed a rocket bombardment of the beach, followed by thousands of infantry coming ashore abroad landing craft. Codenamed Exercise Smash, this was the largest live ammunition exercise of the whole war and proved a mighty successful practice as two months later Allied Forces arrived on Normandy’s beaches.
Foxgloves, ferns, wildflowers and long grasses – all humming with the sound of busy insects – dot the route. We soon arrived at the view we had wanted to see: Old Harry Rocks and the Pinnacles. These unique rock formations jut out into the sea, their white chalk composition a striking sight against the blue waves and seafoam. Old Harry Rocks is reputedly named after an infamous Poole pirate, whose ship hid behind the rocks awaiting passing merchants. The rocks mark the most eastern point of the Jurassic Coast. We sat for a break in the grassland, enjoying views of the Pinnacle stack.
We turned away from the sea to continue the circular trail along Ballard Down, an area of chalk downland on the Purbeck Hills. We soon arrived at a junction with sign to our left for Swanage and stone bench on the right. We turned right down the hill, back towards Studland. This was the final stretch of the journey and involved walking through a wheat field that danced in the early-summer breeze. At the bottom of the hill, we had to climb a stile into a field full of grazing cows. While they caused us no bother, we were instead greeted with a morass in which there was no viable path to continue the final leg of our route. This left us no choice but to brave the mud, which ended in one pair of cream linen shorts turning brown and two pairs of trainers waterlogged. Our spirits, however, were not dampened and we certainly gave the cows a memorable performance.
