The DORSET Walk
Chesil Beach and Abbotsbury Castle

Nigel Vile enjoys one of the wonders of Dorset and one of its most spectacular views Photography by the author

Abbotsbury from the path down to Chesil Beach Generations of geography students have spent many a cold and windswept hour standing at various points along Chesil Beach, measuring the dimensions of samples of up to 50 pebbles. The conclusion reached is one that the local fishermen have known for generations - the further west along the beach, the smaller the dimensions of each pebble. It has even been suggested that a blindfolded fisherman could pin-point his exact position on Chesil Beach from the size of a pebble. Fortunately, this walk spares you the anguish of collecting and analysing pebble samples, offering instead the opportunity to explore what has been described as the 'eighth wonder of the world'. The walk itself begins in Abbotsbury, a picturesque village of thatched yellow-stone cottages nestling beneath Wears Hill and White Hill. The abbey from which the village takes its name was founded in the 11th century by Orc, King Canute's chief steward. Little remains of the abbey itself, but the associated tithe barn, swannery and St Catherine's Chapel, perched 250 feet above sea-level on Chapel Hill, remain ever-popular with visitors. The swannery provides the only nesting colony of mute swans in Britain and dates from the abbey's earliest days, when the Benedictine monks reared the birds for meat. A further reminder of the abbey is a 13th-century statue of a monk in St Nicholas' Church, where the pock-marked pulpit is the result of the Parliamentarians storming the building during the Civil War. Chesil Beach Leaving the village, the walk heads down to Chesil Beach, which it follows for a mile or so. The undercurrents make swimming from the beach hazardous, whilst the pebbles make for laborious walking. This does have the advantage of creating a splendid sense of isolation along Chesil Beach. It is most popular for its fishing, with Abbotsbury mackerel attracting fishermen from far and wide. In years gone by, it was not unusual for agricultural work to be abandoned if word came from the beach that fish were shoaling close inshore. Chesil Beach has also held a fascination for poets and writers, perhaps on account of the ever-changing nature of this unique landscape. At one moment a lurid sky and a wind which is hard to face, at another a misty sunset with diminutive waves gently moving the pebbles along the shoreline.   A stile near Abbotsbury Castle Castle Farm, just behind Chesil Beach A stiff climb brings the walk to the ramparts of Abbotsbury Castle, high on the hilltops above the village. This hill fort encloses an area of some 10 acres and is unusual in being triangular in shape. The site was selected because it minimised the work of fortification, with the natural slope on the promontory side minimising the need for entrenchment. Most visitors will pay little heed to such niceties of construction, however, but will quite simply enjoy the outlook from this lofty hilltop, Portland, Chesil Beach and Lyme Bay presenting a magnificent panorama. FACT FILE Distance - 6 miles. Time - 2½-3 hours. Start/Parking - The signposted car park in Abbotsbury (fee payable). Maps - OS Landranger 194, OS Outdoor Leisure 15. Getting there - Abbotsbury lies on the B3157, midway between Weymouth and Bridport. The car park lies just off the B3157 on the Weymouth side of the village (OS ref SY 578853). Refreshments - Tea-shops and pubs in Abbotsbury, including the Ilchester Arms, which features in the Good Pub Guide.   The view across Chesil Beach from Abbotsbury Castle THE WALK 1. Leave the car park in the far right-hand corner from the entrance and follow that path between St Nicholas' Church on the right and the ruins of Abbotsbury Abbey on the left, with the Tithe Barn beyond. St Catherine's Chapel is on the hill ahead. Pass though an arch and turn right round the end of the churchyard. Follow the lane down to the village's main street and continue straight on, past the Ilchester Arms. Take the next left, Chapel Lane. In about 200 yards turn right, signed 'Chesil Bank'. Bear left at each of the next two track-junctions to skirt the edge of Chapel Hill and head towards Chesil Beach. Bear right by a sign, 'West Bexington 3, Tropical Gardens 1'. The path bends to the right and brings you to a handgate. Pass through this and follow the hedge on the right, scrunching along the shingle for about 250 yards to reach a paved lane by the entrance to a car park. 2. Carry straight on past a 'no through road' sign. Continue along the lane for a mile, past Castle Hill Cottages and the drive to Lawrence's Cottage, to a stone set in the right-hand verge indicating 'West Bexington' straight on and 'Hill fort' to the right. Turn right and follow the left edge of the field to a gateway near the top onto an enclosed track. Follow the track to the right of the buildings of East Bexington Farm as it curves round behind them to reach gates into two fields. Go through the right-hand one and head diagonally towards a house in a grove of trees on the far side. Cross a stile, turn right and follow the field-edge up to another stile. Shortly after the stile fork right (signposted 'Abbotsbury hill fort') and continue uphill on an enclosed path. It can be very muddy but where it might be impassable, there are well-trodden diversions through the vegetation on the left. At the top, turn right and follow a dry-stone wall to reach the B3157. 3. Cross the road and another stile and go straight ahead up the ramparts of Abbotsbury Castle. Follow the ramparts on the right-hand edge of the hill fort, past a trig point and an Armada beacon, to reach a lane. Cross the lane to a stile and bear right to join the ridgetop path along Wears Hill. Follow this path for almost a mile to a stile by a metal gate. About 125 yards on, turn right by a signpost. 4. Follow the path diagonally downhill and through some rocky outcrops to a gate. In the next field, follow the path as it curves down to another gate. Here head slightly left, aiming for the right-hand edge of some trees halfway down the field. Follow the path downhill alongside the trees. Go though a metal gate onto an enclosed path. Follow this down to the road and turn right. This is Back Street, which leads to the main street, where you turn left and retrace your steps to your car.

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