Lucky me, luxuriating in this glorious, late summer English weather! With days like these, who am I to turn down a chance for an event packed S240 (Sub 24hr Overnighter), like the one we enjoyed in the Purbeck Hills last weekend.
Vish finished work in Bournemouth and made a dash for the chain ferry at Sandbanks. We met at Old Harry Rocks and dawdled atop towering Albion cliffs, glowing in golden hour splendour. From there, we plummeted through gauze and bramble to Swanage and pedalled into dusk to Worth Matravers’ forever-charming Square and Compass pub. Our favourite watering felt especially enchanting that night under an almost-full moon, particularly with a home pressed cider in hand. Retiring to a discreet bivying spot along the coast, the two of us rolled out our sleeping bags and chit chatted late into the night.
Morning brought a sublime and luminous sunrise, along with Coffee Outside, courtesy of the beans Vish brought back from a recent trip to South India. Plus, he’d packed a bag of chocolaty, tasty fare from Dorset’s own Firepot Food, along with a bowl of porridge infused with goji berries. Stomach satiated and brain buzzing, I jumped into the glassy sea for a beautiful, early light swim, splish-splashing my way between a giant jigsaw of Portland stone, through forests of swaying kelp, and amongst shoals of the very tiniest fish. Finally, we pedalled back from whence we came and bid each other goodbye at Corfe Castle, brimming with high vibes and happiness.
Also, Vish recorded some fantastic drone footage of this mini adventure, which I’m looking forward to seeing soon!
It’s always golden hour in the Purbeck Hills.
Vish: best hair in the UK bikepacking business.
Old Harry Rocks and the Square and Compass, two Dorset classics.
Home for the night. It was tempting to wear a helmet at night, though.
Morning came with a glorious sunrise… and the discovery of another posse of outdoor enthusiasts.
Vish rustled up breakfast, aeropressing beans brought back from South India after a recent family visit, and adding water to a packet of tasty Hot Chocolate Pudding…
Inviting, glassy waters lured me in for a swim. Vish droned the moment and captured some wonderful footage of this craggy coastline. I can’t wait to see it.
From there, we backtracked past the Square and Compass and its museum of local finds…
We finished up our mini adventure with a local favourite – the descent to crumbly Corfe Castle (c.1066) – and bid each other farewell!
B-Roll
The Route
Note that we wild camped and left the place just as we found it. There are plenty of official camping options dotted throughout the Isle of Purbeck, including a few near Worth Matravers, such as Tom’s Field (£9 a person).
For further ideas, I put together a gentle, exploratory amble a while back for Bikepacking.com – a Purbeck Bimble – and the Woods Rat Run, with begins and ends in the New Forest, passes through the Isle of Purbeck too.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. Any questions, fire away!
