Day 1 = Bournemouth to Swanage on June 15, 2021. We have a few days before we leave for Bermuda and I have been trying to find the time and hotels to do some long distance trekking in UK. The only option for these three days is the beginning of the South West Coastal Trail.
Day 1 took us along the seashore. It was odd to wear a "heavy" pack again and I realized how out of shape I now am. We started with a soft ice cream cone which was great. The seashore promenade became rather boring, rather quickly. We took one of the shortest ferrys I've been on in a long time - about 10 minutes. It ran along a track across a very narrow seaway and cost £1. Then the sand started - it was awful and we ended up walking next to the water where the wet sand was a bit more supportive and easier. It turned out that a part of the trail went through a "naturist" reserve (nudist area) - my first. Interesting how it is only old overweight men who seem to do this. Also interesting that this trip aligned with National Nude Hiking Day.... It turns out that this hike goes along the "Jurassic Coast" of England and the limestone cliffs were pretty impressive. We first saw them as we got to the Old Harry Rocks. Just as we got there we came across a WW2 gun emplacement that Churchill visited around D-Day. We spent the night at the Grand Hotel in Swanage - nice room, no air conditioning. The weather today was sunny, hot and humid and a shower felt great. We ended up eating in a Chinese restaurant as everything else was either too far away, or did not have any room for 2 more. The Chinese food was pretty good!
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