Photography Blog
Photography Blog
SHORT TOUR OF DORSET
27/05/2021
For my first trip of 2021 following release from Covid "lockdown" I booked up a couple of nights in the Premier Inn in Weymouth.
I prepared an itinerary before setting off with a starting point of Lyme Regis.
A quick check on Google suggested that travelling via the M5 was as good a route as any. This route has the added advantage of passing one of my least favourite motorway service areas at Bridgewater, the advantage being that there is a Greggs kiosk there and I was happy to pay £2.90 for a sausage bap and coffee.
I have been to Lyme Regis before and have previously had quite a walk to the harbour so on this occasion I established that the Holmbush Car Park was closer and parked there.
On approaching the harbour I realised that there was one thing that I had not planned well at all....the tide was out! Despite this I took a series of images in and around the Cobb and made my way back to the car just as it started to spit with rain. Given the likelihood of further rain I ditched my itinerary and headed for West Bay. I managed about a dozen shots on the beach before the heavens opened and I had to console myself with a Cornish Pastie and coffee!
I decided to head towards Weymouth and eventually arrived in the car park by the lighthouse on Portland Bill. I’ve been here before when it’s been freezing and windy but today was different; torrential rain. It was pointless leaving the car so I set sail for the Premier Inn and arrived at about 5pm courtesy of some very heavy, and apparently typical, traffic.
I was booked into the Beefeater for 7pm and enjoyed a perfectly respectable dinner although it had to be accompanied by lager as the Doom Bar was "still settling”. I was also able to confirm that I was booked in for breakfast at 8:15 am the next day despite the man on reception at the Premier Inn being unable to locate the booking and advising that “the earliest slot is 10 am”
Arriving at my allotted 8:15 slot I had the Premier Inn “full English” which, unfortunately, is no longer buffet service given the Covid restrictions. The restaurant was very quiet, probably because most prospective customers were put off by the earliest slot being 10 am!!
My itinerary for Day 2 began at Durdle Door and I was soon paying for 4 hours parking. I took some shots from the cliff top and it was noticeable that there were several cruise shops anchored in the bay waiting for the Covid restrictions to end. I then looked at the descent to the beach and after a few seconds hesitation set off down. I took several shots using my “little stopper” filter to blur the sea. None of these images were particularly successful but I did get a nice image of Man O’War Cove on the way back up which I subsequently uploaded to the Photohound website. I reached the car just as it started raining!
The weather forecast was reasonable but I again amended my itinerary and set of for Wareham where I took some images of the Quay and walked a short way up the river Frome taking several images on the way. After a sausage roll lunch I decided to head back to Portland Bill. On this occasion the weather was much better and I took a lot of images although only one, which included quite a nice reflection of the lighthouse, made it into the Dorset Galley.
Returning to the Premier Inn I called in at the adjacent Sainsbury’s and bought some sandwiches and deserts for dinner in my room.
No breakfast for me on Day 3, back to the 16:8 Diet, or sort of!
I was heading for the Beech Avenue on the B3082 near to Shapwick but parking was at a premium so I headed for a less well known beech avenue at Moor Crichel; there is an image in the Dorset Gallery. From here I made my way to Shaftesbury but not before stopping to capture an image of a "wide" landscape viewed from the B3081 between Tollard Royal and Cann Common, again there is an image in the Dorset Gallery. Arriving in Shaftesbury I grabbed some images of Gold Hill. Although it was a sunny day the majority of the cottages were in shadow but I managed to bring out the details in Snapseed. Before heading home I grabbed a sausage roll and lardy slice from the local bakery. I would pay for this when I stood on the scales the next morning!
All in all not a bad trip despite some inclement weather.
I prepared an itinerary before setting off with a starting point of Lyme Regis.
A quick check on Google suggested that travelling via the M5 was as good a route as any. This route has the added advantage of passing one of my least favourite motorway service areas at Bridgewater, the advantage being that there is a Greggs kiosk there and I was happy to pay £2.90 for a sausage bap and coffee.
I have been to Lyme Regis before and have previously had quite a walk to the harbour so on this occasion I established that the Holmbush Car Park was closer and parked there.
On approaching the harbour I realised that there was one thing that I had not planned well at all....the tide was out! Despite this I took a series of images in and around the Cobb and made my way back to the car just as it started to spit with rain. Given the likelihood of further rain I ditched my itinerary and headed for West Bay. I managed about a dozen shots on the beach before the heavens opened and I had to console myself with a Cornish Pastie and coffee!
I decided to head towards Weymouth and eventually arrived in the car park by the lighthouse on Portland Bill. I’ve been here before when it’s been freezing and windy but today was different; torrential rain. It was pointless leaving the car so I set sail for the Premier Inn and arrived at about 5pm courtesy of some very heavy, and apparently typical, traffic.
I was booked into the Beefeater for 7pm and enjoyed a perfectly respectable dinner although it had to be accompanied by lager as the Doom Bar was "still settling”. I was also able to confirm that I was booked in for breakfast at 8:15 am the next day despite the man on reception at the Premier Inn being unable to locate the booking and advising that “the earliest slot is 10 am”
Arriving at my allotted 8:15 slot I had the Premier Inn “full English” which, unfortunately, is no longer buffet service given the Covid restrictions. The restaurant was very quiet, probably because most prospective customers were put off by the earliest slot being 10 am!!
My itinerary for Day 2 began at Durdle Door and I was soon paying for 4 hours parking. I took some shots from the cliff top and it was noticeable that there were several cruise shops anchored in the bay waiting for the Covid restrictions to end. I then looked at the descent to the beach and after a few seconds hesitation set off down. I took several shots using my “little stopper” filter to blur the sea. None of these images were particularly successful but I did get a nice image of Man O’War Cove on the way back up which I subsequently uploaded to the Photohound website. I reached the car just as it started raining!
The weather forecast was reasonable but I again amended my itinerary and set of for Wareham where I took some images of the Quay and walked a short way up the river Frome taking several images on the way. After a sausage roll lunch I decided to head back to Portland Bill. On this occasion the weather was much better and I took a lot of images although only one, which included quite a nice reflection of the lighthouse, made it into the Dorset Galley.
Returning to the Premier Inn I called in at the adjacent Sainsbury’s and bought some sandwiches and deserts for dinner in my room.
No breakfast for me on Day 3, back to the 16:8 Diet, or sort of!
I was heading for the Beech Avenue on the B3082 near to Shapwick but parking was at a premium so I headed for a less well known beech avenue at Moor Crichel; there is an image in the Dorset Gallery. From here I made my way to Shaftesbury but not before stopping to capture an image of a "wide" landscape viewed from the B3081 between Tollard Royal and Cann Common, again there is an image in the Dorset Gallery. Arriving in Shaftesbury I grabbed some images of Gold Hill. Although it was a sunny day the majority of the cottages were in shadow but I managed to bring out the details in Snapseed. Before heading home I grabbed a sausage roll and lardy slice from the local bakery. I would pay for this when I stood on the scales the next morning!
All in all not a bad trip despite some inclement weather.
