Dorset Double Hike: Bank Holiday Monday Bonus Walk

'Part 3' of a "Dorset Double" - now 3 Walks 1 BH Weekend!

If you're not too weary after doing the entire coastline from Tyneham to Swanage over the preceding two days, why not extend the weekend's walking and delay saying goodbye to new-found friends by enlisting for this short, linear walk across the eastern Purbeck Hills to the natural wonders of Old Harry Rocks?

Starting at 11.30 you'll have time to pack up your tent or vacate your B&B, and finishing at 15.30, you'll have time to get home. Even if you're not doing the Dorset Double, do enlist anyway.

Using the Purbeck Way to take us to Old Harry we'll cross Challow Hill, Brenscombe Hill, Nine Barrow Down, Godlingstone Hill and Ballard Down. Here we'll see another series of sea stacks called The Pinnacles, while heading to a headland called The Foreand will reveal Old Harry and his associated coastal landforms. Old Harry (a nickname for the Devil) lost his wife, an adjacent sea stack, in 1509, but the relentless action of waves and weather on the ancient chalk has given him another. Although at 66 million years old the chalk dates from the Cretaceous Period (Latin: creta = chalk), the Old Harry formations mark the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

All along the walk (please click the link in red to see the route and elevations at the Ordnance Survey website) the height of the chalk ridge (up to 200m) will give fabulous views of the Isle of Purbeck to the south, while to the north the view of Godlingstone Heath fades to Poole Habour and the Poole-Bournemouth conurbation. As we approach Ballard Down, the Isle of Wight will come into view and the full sweep of Swanage and Studland Bays will materialise.

Dogs are very welcome on this walk but the strength of the sun could be a problem and the presence of sheep on the hills and the cliff edges could limit their freedom.

IMPORTANT! - Participation Statement

You MUST complete a Participation Statement, here, in addition to booking your event space before attending an OutdoorLads event. You only need to complete this Participation Statement once, not for each event you attend. 

COVID-19 – IMPORTANT, Please read the following before you sign up to this event:

• Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, even if they are extremely mild, or who lives or is in a support bubble with someone showing symptoms, is asked not to attend. This is in line with the government’s coronavirus advice.
• You must also immediately self-isolate and not attend the event if you or someone in your household or support bubble shows coronavirus symptoms or tests positive. You can find the NHS self-isolation guidance here.
• The main symptoms of COVID-19 are a high temperature, a new continuous cough, and a loss or change to your sense of taste and/or smell.
• You may be subject to local lockdown restrictions, which you must fully comply with. Details of the location of these restrictions can be found here for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.   
• We do not encourage car sharing to events during the pandemic. Please comply with the safety travel guidance for England, Wales, and Scotland. Face coverings should be worn on public transport.
• OutdoorLads will support the tracing systems in place across the UK  and attendance at an OutdoorLads event is considered permission to use contact details for this purpose if requested by the appropriate authority.  
• All are required to practice social distancing – staying 2m (not 1m) apart at all times, including the lunch stop. Remember: Face, Hands, Space.
• Unfortunately, there won’t be any planned pub / café stops en route or at the end, and please don’t share sweets or snacks with others – we’re sorry!
• Please bring your own hand sanitising gel for your own use throughout the day. Use of face coverings is at your own choice, but please bring one with you just in case it's needed. Please bring any other PPE items required. Bring a disposable bag for any used PPE.
• Members are advised to bring their own small first aid kit for personal use..
• Be aware that opportunities for toilet stops may be minimal if facilities are closed.
• Please, please cancel at your earliest opportunity if you are unable to attend or are unwell, so that we can allow others to take up these valuable event spaces.
• Much as it's difficult - no handshakes or hugs!

COVID-19: Events Participation Statement

OutdoorLads draws your attention to the fact that travelling and being away from home increases the risk of receiving and transmitting Coronavirus, whilst it is present in the UK. You are likely to choose not to participate in OutdoorLads events whilst there is a risk of Coronavirus transmission. However, should you choose to participate in OutdoorLads events whilst the risk is present, you must be aware of and follow the law and government guidelines, both when travelling to and from events as well as when participating in events.

Please note that every person participating should be aware of (and accept) that those members perceived as ‘in charge’ or leading the event are not experts,  do not need to be experts, and are not regarded by OutdoorLads, or themselves as experts, but are amateurs with some experience in the event type and who are happy to impart their knowledge.  Any advice given should be considered with this in mind by the recipient.

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(Picture credits: Old Harry Rocks, Handfast Point: Photo © John Allan (cc-by-sa/2.0); Old Harry Rocks, Handfast Point: Photo © John Allan (cc-by-sa/2.0). Swanage Bay: Photo © Alex McGregor (cc-by-sa/2.0); View Towards the Purbeck Hills, Dorset: Photo © Peter Trimming (cc-by-sa/2.0); View From Nine Barrow Down, Dorset (2): Photo © Peter Trimming (cc-by-sa/2.0). The Pinnacles and Old Harry: Photo © Mike Searle (cc-by-sa/2.0). All pictures are copyrighted but are licensed for reuse under Creative Commons CC-BY-SA 2.0 and are here attributed to their copyright holders.)