This is a much larger post for a change. Steve had some annual leave up his sleeve so we took off Friday in order to get some traveling in before the run on Saturday.
As this run was down in Dorset territory it was a great opportunity to visit a place that is the iconic home to one of my favourite, inspiring shows – River Cottage. Although Hugh was no where to be seen we did arrive early enough to have breakfast. To be honest, the breakfast was nice but the selection available was far from what I imagined there should be. Steve had a bacon roll and I had salmon with fresh baked bread. Both very delicious but only 2 of the 5 or 6 choices and of which there we no eggs at all to be found on the menu. Not sure what that was about? The coffee however was also great.
After lunch we slowly headed out of Devon and into Dorset stopping along the way at Charmouth to do a bit of fossil hunting. We found a few small ones but nothing like the intact dinosaur that is on display nearby. I think you have to really be visiting on a daily basis with hammer and chisel to be finding all the good stuff. Me, I’m just content to have a wander and see what I find.
We stopped for fish and chips in West Bay which is a nice little seaside town, however it is very much a retirement destination but still has quite a strong fishing business by the looks.
We next moved on to Chesil Beach which is basically a huge spit running parallel to the mainland for miles. It is entirely made up of the most amazing coloured pebbles. I have never seen anything like it before. They make the most amazing noise underfoot and although tiring to walk on I found them far better than having annoying, grinding sand in your shoes.
Finally we headed into Weymouth which was far larger than I expected it to be. Again, due to the proximity of the sea, fishing and cargo are the main stayers here. It seems to be a town that has everything going for it plus access to stunning waterways. From Weymouth you can catch the numerous ships leaving for France etc. I believe imports and exports go through this town port as well.
We decided not to stay the night in town and headed out to The Lugger Inn located in Chickerell.
Saturday morning we got a sleep in for a change as we normally get up really early and arrive in time for the race briefings etc. This time it was a leisurely breakfast and a short drive to race base at the Portland and Weymouth Sailing Academy. Talk about a great set up they have here and tons of kids learning to sail. I could see myself living quite contentedly for a while in Portland. I suppose it helps when the weather is glorious so the sea, sky and rock look spectacular.
So far, of all the runs, this was by far the most spectator accessible where I was able to arrive at certain points along the way to provide some encouragement to Steve as he ran and try to snap a few pictures. I was very fortunate to catch up with him as he was going far quicker than I had catered for. The hardest part was the long stretch down Chesil Beach – pebbles all the way. Gotta hurt!
Anyway, here are some pictures from this fabulous weekend.
