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Dorset & Wessex Trails

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8 Days From

~~$1104~~

$1055

Dorset & Wessex Trails

8 Days Starting in Lyme Regis and ending in West Lulworth

Visiting: England

Tour operator:

Walkers' Britain

Tour code:

WDC

Guide Type:

Fully Guided

Group size:

1 - 20

Physical rating:

introductory to moderate

From:

$1104

$1055 (USD) Exclusive Tourhub Members Discount: -$50

NB: Prices correct on 16-May-2024 but subject to change.

Tour Overview

From Lyme Regis to West Lulworth, parts of this walk are as beautiful as it gets in the British Isles. Yet you are in no wilderness area being fairly near attractive villages and towns throughout the journey. This is a walk of great variety, naturally concentrating on the popular Dorset Coast Path. The Dorset coastline is an area of outstanding geological importance as over 200 million years of rocks have been laid down, bent and twisted before being eroded by the sea to expose rock profiles on beaches, accessible to fossil hunters and scientists. So important is this area that it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However our walk also dips inland to visit a mysterious region of ancient hill forts, Roman and Saxon remains – the ancient kingdom of Wessex. You have a couple of nights in Dorchester, Thomas Hardy’s Casterbridge, with its beautiful museum and essentially Roman form. Here there are walking options within the town, or without, to the beautiful village of Cerne Abbas and out to find Hardy’s cottage in the woods. The tour starts from another town with literary associations: Lyme Regis with its medieval Cobb (harbour wall), which is a favorite place for almost everyone who visits it. John Fowle’s novel “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” is set there and the author lived in the town until his death in 2005. On the walk you also visit Abbotsbury a gem among English villages, while Maiden Castle and the Cerne Giant are spectacular archaeological sites of great importance. The last part of the walk roller coasters along the cliffs above the natural arch formation of Durdle Door and then down to Lulworth Cove – a perfect oval cove protected from the sea by rocky fingerlike peninsulas. The coastal villages can be rather crowded in high summer and are understandably popular, but you will also find many quiet areas whilst walking. The weather is generally warmer and more settled on England’s south coast than in other parts of Britain and some steep paths aside, the grade is on the easier side of our walking holidays in the UK.

Highlights

Far from the Madding Crowd
Walking the Coast and Hills of Dorset
Historic Town of Dorchester
Natural Wonders of Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove

Itinerary

tourhub | Walkers' Britain | Dorset & Wessex Trails | WDC | Route Map

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Day 1 : Arrive Lyme Regis

Make your way to Lyme Regis. Explore the town and in particular the medieval stone (Cobb) harbour. The Lyme Regis museum is a great introduction and insight into the natural history of the area.
Accommodation: We spend 2 nights at St Andrews house dates back to the 1850's and even boasts its own outdoor swimming pool.

Day 2 : Lyme Regis 13 Km/8 Miles, 3.5 – 4 H (Ascent/Descent: 405M)

Meals Included: B

Walk through the famous under-cliff, a nature reserve on the coast west of town to Axemouth and Seaton in Devon and return to Lyme Regis by bus or explore coastal cliffs for fossils. Note that on Sundays there is no bus so you will need a local taxi. (Bus or taxi at own expense).

Day 3 : Bridport 19.7 Km/12.2 Miles, 5 – 6 H (Ascent /Descent 835M)

Meals Included: B

Today is a beautiful roller coaster walk with fascinating features such as Golden Cap 191m, the highest point on the South Coast, an interesting pub at Seatown which was heavily involved in smuggling and some nice clifftop trails.
Accommodation: The West Bay hotel sits right on the edge of the beach.

Day 4 : Abbotsbury 16 Km/10 Miles, 5 H (Ascent 425M/Descent 365M)

Meals Included: B

This is a charming walk which takes you off the cliffs and along the first part of the pebbly long shore drift which eventually becomes Chesil Beach, the longest shingle beach in Europe. At West Bexington you climb steeply inland and then head off to the prehistoric fort of Abbotsbury Castle. You drop down to Abbotsbury, one of the most traditional villages in the UK. We recommend a stroll up to St. Catherine’s chapel at sunset or dawn. This chapel served as a lighthouse from monastic times and through the destruction of the monasteries as a reference landmark for shipping.
Accommodation: Wheelwrights BB is our first choice. For centuries it was a wheelwright's workshop, until it became a glass engraver's studio. It became a BB in 2011. Alternatively Ilchester Arms which is a family run pub.

Day 5 : Dorchester 17 Km/10.5 Miles, 5 H (Ascent 485M/Descent 453M)

Meals Included: B

Inland via Dorset Ridgeway path to Maiden Castle, a large ancient earthwork fortress sacked by the Romans in the 1st century A.D. and Dorchester. Maiden Castle is the greatest Iron Age fort complex in the UK and takes almost an hour to walk round. Find the remains of the Roman temple and look at the formidable ramparts. The Romans established Dorchester on the plain below the fort and the existing town still exhibits a plan set within the lines of the Roman design that was not broken until the coming of the railways in the 1840s. There is also a Roman house you can visit.
Accommodation: Westwood House Hotel is an early 19th century town house that has been converted into a 4 star guest house, offering spacious rooms and great comfort right in the heart of this busy town.

Day 6 : A Number Of Walks You Can Choose From Today

Meals Included: B

a) Walk Cerne Abbas to Dorchester 14km/8.7 miles, approx walking time is 3-4 hours.
Take bus the bus to Cerne Abbas and walk back to Dorchester visiting The Cerne Abbas Giant. This is one of the largest hill figures in Britain. Visit Sherborne which is without a doubt one of the most beautiful towns in England. With its abundance of medieval buildings and superb Abbey. Sherborne has much to offer the visitor.
b) Walk Dorchester to Hardy's Cottage and back. 14km/8.5 miles, approx walking time is 4 hours. Hardy's Cottage is tucked away in the wilds, set in beautiful Thornecombe Woods. This is an easy walk, only getting a little hilly in the last mile. Perhaps even more attractive is the church (13th Century) at Stinsford that you can also visit on the walk today.

Day 7 : West Lulworth 14 Km/9 Miles, 4-5 H (Ascent 770M)

Meals Included: B

While your baggage goes direct from Dorchester to West Lulworth, you return by bus or by train to the coast at the lively resort of Weymouth, take a local bus to Bowleaze and then follow the Dorset Coast Path eastwards along the brilliant white chalk cliffs from Weymouth to Lulworth Cove. On the way you pass the natural arches of Bats Head, Durdle Door and the long abandoned medieval village of Ringstead. This is another roller coaster day, but you can bypass the hilliest sections with a more inland route. Lulworth Cove is a beautiful spot, albeit a busy tourist honeypot. However most visitors do not stay the night and you could get up before breakfast to have the cove all to yourself or return to Durdle Door in the evening for beautiful sunsets!
Please note West Lulworth has a 2 night stay minimum over weekends. If you have a Saturday or Sunday trip departure date, you would be in West Lulworth over the weekend. You can
I) Have 3 nights in Dorchester (Nights 5-7)
II) Add a post night in West Lulworth, to stay on night 7 and an extra night 8.
Accommodation: The Old Barn was constructed in 1800 and has been through many changes through the years. Its been a winter store for the monks harvest. A garage and a winter store for fisherman boats. It has also been a childrens home and some of the residents have returned to say what a happy home it was. It has so much history, if only the walls called talk the stories they could tell.

Day 8 : Arrangements End After Breakfast

Meals Included: B

Trip concludes after breakfast

What's Included

Accommodation
7 nights in small hotels and guesthouses
7 breakfasts
7 nights accommodation in small hotels and guesthouses on a twin share basis with ensuite facilities where available.
One piece of luggage per person transferred from Inn to Inn, not exceeding 20kg. Please note all luggage moves over October dates will incur a Winter Transfer Supplement
Full route notes and map package.
Emergency hotline

What's Not Included

Lunch, Dinner and drinks
Entrance fees
Travel insurance
Travel to the start and from the end point of the trip
Personal expenses such as laundry and phone calls
Unscheduled transfers required during the trip
A supplement will apply if you are travelling solo or book a single room
Excess Luggage
Guide - this is a self guided holiday

Accommodation

7 nights in small hotels and guesthouses
Described is the normal accommodation that we use on this tour. At the time of booking please be aware that other places might be used instead, if these choices are full or closed for whatever reason. Rooms generally do not have baths. The main reason being that they take up a lot of space, some hotels/guesthouses may have a separate room in the house where a bath is available to guests, but in the main it is showers.

What You Carry

As the walks are fully supported you only need to carry a daypack with your daily requirements including raincoat, lunch supplies, waterbottle, warm top, camera etc.

Grading

Easy to moderate. There are some steep sections of coastal path that can sometimes be avoided, however the steep hills are a maximum of 200 metres of ascent/descent in one go and are often much less.

Reviews from travellers on this tour

C. Vardy(British Columbia, Canada)

Dorset & Wessex Trails

Great service in planning the trip and wonderful c

Great service in planning the trip and wonderful choice of routes and accommodation

C Kerlin(Lopez Island, Western Australia)

Dorset & Wessex Trails

All of the properties were very good. The highlig

All of the properties were very good. The highlights of the tour were Abbotsbury, the options for walks around Dorchester and the walk to Hardy’s cottage

J Painter(New York, USA)

Dorset & Wessex Trails

The B&B's that you arranged had very nice and help

The B&B's that you arranged had very nice and helpful hosts….. It was a great vacation. The scenery was terrific. We've done seven long distance hikes in the U.K. and we appreciate the work that you and your team put in to make this one special.

N Burkholder(Wisconsin, USA)

Dorset & Wessex Trails

I will definitely use Sherpa for future hiking adv

I will definitely use Sherpa for future hiking adventures. The route we selected was beautiful. B&Bs Sherpa selected were fantastic. Cozy, friendly, great locations to explore the towns and fantastic breakfast menu. Suggested side trips were fun. Notes on attractions were informative and made us look forward to the sites.

E. Squires(Armidale, Australia)

Dorset & Wessex Trails

Wonderful combination of coastal and countryside w

Wonderful combination of coastal and countryside walking with interesting historical connections and not too strenuous. Dorchester in particular was worth the extra day's stay.

P. Arsenault(New Brunswick, Canada)

Dorset & Wessex Trails

Baggage transfer was first rate. Accommodations al

Baggage transfer was first rate. Accommodations all had personal washrooms and the locations were great. Awesome trails; some a little more vigorous than anticipated but wonderful.

L. Duxbury(Widnes Cheshire)

Dorset & Wessex Trails

Our rep, Trina, went to a lot of effort organising

Our rep, Trina, went to a lot of effort organising taxis and discussing car parking as well as recommendations for pick up times on our Dorset trip. Would recommend: great customer service.

G. Sinyard(Rochester, United Kingdom)

Dorset & Wessex Trails

Of the 4 accommodations my wife and l stayed at, 3

Of the 4 accommodations my wife and l stayed at, 3 were excellent, but one was poor and would not recommend staying for even one night. For the walks, we did not attempt them all as some involved a 1 and a half hour+ bus journey to even start, but for those we did we completed and enjoyed them, walking guides were generally accurate.

C. Bates(Missouri, USA)

Dorset & Wessex Trails

Very memorable trip and would go again.

Read all 9 reviews

Dates & Availability

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May
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2024 Oct
2024

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Sunday - Sunday

May 19, 2024 - May 26, 2024

~~$1104~~ $1055 (USD)