Starting from Lulworth Cove

OK. So it’s not all “stunning scenery”. Nevertheless, here I am in the car park at Lulworth Cove, kitted out and ready for the off at about 11:45, just waiting for my hand-held GPS thingy to lock on to a few satellites.

Here’s Chris ready to go and waiting for me to get my act together.

The coastal path took off up a steep hill at the side of the beach cafe. That expression on my face is not actually a smile; it’s more of a rictus grin as I pause for a panting break on the upward march.

Of course, after going up, you have to come down! These are the steps descending about 300 ft back down to the beach level, but it’s also a panoramic view of Lulworth Cove and you can just make out the Isle of Portland in the far distance. This image, and several of the others, have been enhanced using a computerised process called “high dynamic range”(or HDR). This uses three separate photos of the same scene, taken at slightly different exposures (a technique known as “bracketing”) and combines them to bring out more detail. It also disguises the fact that it started to rain just about now. To see a full-sized image of this photo, just click on its thumbnail.

Here’s Chris descending the steps. The photo is deceptive; he’s still quite a long way from the bottom of the steps! The fence on the left is the edge of the military firing range. On this Sunday, the range walks are open to the public, which is a good thing as the coastal path will shortly enter the firing range.