Walks And Walking – Guided Walking Weekend In Dorset

Walks And Walking – Guided Walking Weekend In Dorset

I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch of the new Lulworth Lodge in Dorset for a weekend of wonderful guided walking, courtesy of HF Holidays.

HF Holidays Lulworth Lodge

I hadn’t tried a walking holiday before so was really looking forward to the experience, and what better place to start than the Jurassic Coastline in delightful Dorset.

Lulworth Cove and Village

Lulworth Lodge is situated a few minutes walk away from Lulworth Cove in West Lulworth. This 12 room lodge was a former mill and includes a large terrace with a rather special BBQ-in-a-boat and great views out to the surrounding countryside and cove.

As soon as I arrived I put my walking boots on and headed up the steep slope to visit Durdle Door.

South West Coast Path to Durdle Door

Durdle Door on the South West Coast Path on the Jurassic Coast Dorset

Unfortunately a lady had fallen over on the cliff, one of the perils of not wearing the correct footwear, and had to be rescued by the Coastguard and airlifted out.

Coastguard Rescue

When I got back to the lodge I, ironically, had a good chat with one of the guys from Hi-Tec about a new pair of walking shoes from their new Walk-Lite Collection, and a cool new top from Rohan!

After a great nights sleep at Lulworth Lodge I awoke bright and early for a quick walk around Lulworth Cove and Stair Hole, a future cove in the making.

Stair Hole Lulworth

A group of 14 of us then met for our guided walk around Tyneham village and back along the coast to Lulworth Cove, a distance of about 5 miles. Tyneham is a well preserved ghost village on MOD land and from here we followed the main track at the back of the car park to Worbarrow Bay.

Tyneham Village

HF Holidays guided walk leader letting the group know the next section of the walk

From Worbarrow we climbed the extremely steep hill to Flower’s Barrow and then continued our walk to Mupe Bay up another steep hill back to Lulworth Cove.

My expectations of a guided walk were quite low as I expected lots of stops and too much talking but our guide got it just right. Everyone was able to walk at their own pace and the talking happened on route or as we stopped at rest breaks.

The ascent from Worbarrow Bay up to Flower’s Barrow

Although this was quite a straightforward walk I can definitely see the benefits of guided walks, you don’t have to worry about the map reading and so spend more time taking in the views and learning a little about where you are and what you’re looking at.

The climbs were really steep and my knees and thighs took a bit of a battering so when I got back to the room I used some Flexiseq Sport and after about an hour I popped out again to visit the Fossil Forest.

Fossil Forest at Lulworth on the Jurassic Coast

The Fossil Forest at Lulworth is the remains of an ancient forest from the Jurassic era and is located at the other end of Lulworth Cove. There’s a steep climb up to the cliffs and then down the cliff face to a ledge by the sea where you’ll see some interesting looking rocks.

It is also a real sun trap so it was great to sit and recuperate there from a full day of walking before going back to Stair Hole to catch the most amazing sunset.

Sunset at Stair Hole Lulworth Cove Dorset

So, all in all, it was a great weekend and certainly ticked all my boxes for a thoroughly enjoyable guided walking weekend in Dorset.

About HF Holidays:

Walking and activity breaks are very sociable holidays, and HF Holidays is well known for providing a warm welcome to couples, singles and groups of friends alike. In the UK, Guided Walking and Activity holidays are based at HF Holidays’ very own Country Houses, splendid properties on some of the best Lakeland shorelines or beachside locations. In Europe and further afield, HF Holidays works with specially selected partner hotels, ranging from family-run Alpine retreats to upmarket 4-star hotels in the rolling Italian countryside.

About Flexiseq:

FLEXISEQ Sport is a drug-free topically applied gel, clinically proven to safely relieve pain and restore joint function. FLEXISEQ Sport contains no active pharmaceutical ingredients, so users avoid the well-documented serious risks associated with common arthritic pain medications. Each batch of FLEXISEQ Sport is screened to be free of any trace substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), meaning it can be used by elite athletes, members of the armed forces and anyone else subject to anti-doping screenings.