Hiking England's Jurassic Coast

On May 11, 2021 I left Cedar Rapids to travel to England. It was not the best time for international travel because of all the restrictions related to the COVID pandemic, but I had postponed the trip twice, and so was determined to finally go.  My goal was to hike the Jurassic Coast Path along England's Southern coast (counties of Devon and Dorset), starting in Exmouth, one of the oldest seaside resort villages in England, and ending in Weymouth, about 70 miles away.  From Weymouth I planned to get a train to travel to several other places in England.

Getting into England and then out of England on May 26 was not easy.  To enter England I had to show proof of a negative Covid test taken within the last 48 hours (I had already received both of the Pfizer vaccine jabs). I had to purchase a Covid-testing kit from English authorities which cost over $200 and promise to test myself on days 2 and 8 during my stay, and lastly I had to sign a Geographic Locator Form giving the address of the hotel or residence where I would be quarantining myself for 10 days.  Well, there was no way I was going to travel to beautiful England for 2 weeks with the intent to explore the Jurassic Coast and then quarantine myself indoors for 10 days.  So, of course, after my stay on Day 1 at an airbnb in Exmouth with my lovely host and new friend Tricia, I broke quarantine and began hiking, planning to socially distance myself on the hiking path and intending to follow all safety precautions.  I told Tricia that I didn't want her to get into any trouble with the authorities and that if anyone should check to see whether I was following the 10-day quarantine, that she should be honest and plead ignorance.  Well, wouldn't you know, but on Day 3 a quarantine official checked at Tricia's home in Exmouth to see if I was abiding by the quarantine restrictions and Tricia was honest with the official. "Oh, Mr. Sandford, is not here. He left to go hiking, and I'm not sure where he is."  The official wrote down this information in his notebook and left.  When I signed the document promising to abide by the 10-day quarantine restriction, I was informed that the penalty for breaking quarantine was up to a ten thousand pounds fine and up to 6 months in jail.  I knew that the authorities had no idea where I was or how to find me, but they did have my passport # and the information about my Delta flight for my departure, so there was a possibility that I would be apprehended at the airport when I tried to leave the country. However, I'm an optimist and decided to enjoy my hike and my travels and not worry about the possibility of a huge fine of jail time if I were caught at the airport. (Note: I wasn't!)

As for the hike, it was a wonderful experience, but quite challenging as I was rarely hiking on level terrain. The coastal scenery was absolutely beautiful and the lovely coastal villages that I passed through during the hike were very picturesque.  During the hike, after leaving Exmouth, I passed through, and sometimes stayed at, the towns and villages of Budleigh Salterton, Sidmouth, Beer, Seaton, Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Branscombe, Seatown, West Bay, Burton Bradstock, and Abbotsbury.

 When planning to go long-distance hiking in England a person has to prepare to get rained on. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate during the 10 days of my hike.  England experienced the wettest May in 2021 since record-keeping began in the mid-1800's.  There were only two rain-free days during the hike. For the other days there were either brief periodic rain showers interspersed with sunny spells or it poured rain all day. On two occasions I used local buses to get from one place to another during periods of heavy downpours, and on the last day of the hike I was forced to terminate the hike in Abbotsbury and then take a bus to Weymouth because of terrible weather then involved heavy rain and gale force winds that made hiking on the exposed coastal cliffs very difficult and dangerous.

On this hike I travelled solo and carried all my gear with me in a large backpack (which started to feel very heavy on days when I hiked 10 miles or more). I also arranged all of my housing using airbnb; I had wonderful accommodations at reasonable prices and met some very friendly and welcoming hosts. When I finished my hike I did a little travelling before heading home. I love to visit English cathedrals and British castles, and so I travelled to Salisbury to explore the city and visit Salisbury Cathedral, followed by a visit to fascinating Bodiam Castle. Here are a few of the many photos I took during my time in England.

Coastal cliffs of red Triassic-age rock on the way to Sidmouth

Red sea stacks at Ladram Bay

Flower display in the lovely coastal town of Sidmouth

Sidmouth

England's South Coast East of Sidmouth

Coastal cliffs at Beer Head

Beer Harbor

Branscombe, a very picturesque village

Thatched cottage in Branscombe

The Axmouth-Lyme Regis Undercliff Natural Nature Reserve, one of the 
most biodiverse and valuable nature reserves in England.

Early Purple Orchid

The fossil-rich cliffs of Jurassic-age rock at Lyme Regis

The Sanctuary Bookshop at Lyme Regis

Golden Cap, highest point on England's 
South Coast

Golden Cap ahead

View looking East from the top of Golden Cap

Cliffs at West Bay

Cottage in Burton Bradstock

Stone stile and huge Plane tree upon
entering Abbotsbury

Tithe Barn at Abbotsbury, the largest in England

Salisbury Cathedral, with the highest 
spire of all Engling cathedrals  (404 ft)

Bodiam Castle

Bodiam Castle. Built by Sir John Dallingridge in the late 1300's  Sir John was a knight to 
King Henry IV, and fought against the Frency during the Hundred Years War.