By the numbers
20,993 steps
15.66 kms
The funny part about the journey so far is that there are
reports of heatwaves in Europe. I think I will believe the stories as I got
burnt while wandering around on my journey through Weymouth. I should start at
the beginning. I decided to sleep in a touch and wanted to get the train to
Weymouth after I had some breakfast. I was told about a place nearby as the pub
doesn’t open until 11am, which doesn’t bother me much at all, but I think
people are surprised, I don’t stay in bed until then. The day is basically gone
by the time that happens. I had an English style breakfast with a coffee and
was satisfied by the time I left.
Weymouth was only one station away from Dorchester and while
I could get a bus, I thought it was easier to get a train. I thought the
weather was going to turn out to be wet and I had taken my jumper with me until
it became too hot to wear. I think it is now time that I no longer require my
jumper. I took a wrong turn as I wanted to head towards the Portland area where
the Portland Bill Lighthouse was located. I ended up at the beach near the
train station, so went for a walk to have a look at a typical seaside town. You
could hire out deck chairs and at that time it looked like it was going to rain
until it cleared up later on. I even found a statue about King George, which
was weird and even included a bathing cart replica that was used to be dragged
out to sea so he could go for a swim. It did seem that this place was also a main
bus stop for the town. I did see several sets of amusement park type places,
although I have no idea if they are temporary or permanent.
There was a fort nearby that I could have visited, but it
was another one in Portland that I wanted to visit and one that I was trying to
make my way to when I was getting distracted by everything else in the town of
Weymouth. A train used to run down one of the streets next to the wharves until
it was taken away as it wasn’t making money or popular enough. That was around
the late 90s that the train stopped running along the tram way. Nearby was a
bridge that opened at certain times of the day to let the boats through and it
was unique as it was of a similar type like the Tower bridge in London. Not
realising the sort of distance I was wanting to walk and realising the sun was
coming out, I put on my sunnies as it was getting too bright outside and
steamed my way up the hill following the road that would take me out to
Portland. I was looking at the bus stops along the way contemplating getting
one, but I kept on going as I didn’t want to miss anything. By the time I could
see the causeway I was really sweating like it was an Aussie summer. I was
making suire I was on the right track as I didn’t want to get stuck. I could
see the growing hill that was where the light house was on. I was actually
starting to think my ambitious plan was doomed as the hill looked a bit big
especially on a steamy day. The causeway part was the fun part as it was
concrete and I had found a rail trail that I could have taken to cut my walking
trip down quite a bit. It was at that point that the distance from Weymouth was
4 miles or 6 kms. That short cut was a rail trail that once had a rail line
running through from Weymouth. The walk through the marina bought me to a cafe
that I had to stop at for lunch and a drink or else I might not stop until I
drop.
While sitting down at the cafe with my chicken and mayo
sandwiches, I looked up how far it would be from my current location to walk to
the light house. Turns out that would be another hour. I don’t think the bus
makes it that far, but I decided to see what happens when I walk to Portland
Castle I found the building alright once I headed off, but I was also feeling
the sting from the sun. I was wanting out of the sun at that stage. The castle
was another English Heritage site and so far I have made my money back from
entry. I really would once I visit Dover Castle. Turns out the castle isn’t actually
a castle, but a coastal fort that had been built during King Henry VIII’s time
around the 1500s. The king with all the wives with several being executed and
divorced, plus the separation of the church from Rome. The fort was linked with
several others including the one in Weymouth that I dismissed earlier. When you
have three forts within firing distance of hitting ships then you have
everything covered. The other fort I mentioned was now a ruin. The fort was involved
with the English civil war on both sides and more recently was apparently part
of the D-Day operations. There was even what they called Phoenix Caissons that
were meant to be part of the invasion. They are huge floating concrete boxes to
create an artificial harbour. I did impress the guy at the counter that I had
walked from Weymouth.
I walked to where I could catch the bus back to Weymouth as
I wasn’t willing to visit the light house and I was feeling a little fried from
the sun. That told me I should call it a day. I actually arrived at the stop 5
mins before the next bus arrived, which was great timing. The destination was
the king’s statue, which was exactly where I was earlier in the day. I did have
a look at the arcade games and it was a noisy area that included an 18+ area
with pokies, but there were several that were not in the restricted area. It wasn’t
actually far to the train station and it was like catching the bus as I had
gotten there on time and the train was waiting. Once we pulled into the
station, I went looking for something that was close by known as the Maumbury
Rings. It was an old fortification dating further back than the Roman times as
they had settled in the Dorchester area and were used again during the English
Civil War. There does seem to be a bit of things like forts being reused in the
UIK by many groups. The museum was mentioned and I thought that would be good
to spend a couple of hours. Turns out that wont be open until next year as its
being refurbished. When I got back I realised I was actually sunburnt from the
day of walking in the sun and I had not even realised it even though I was
trying to get out of the sun at the end.
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