Summer Trip 2023

Day 1 (I can’t remember what day of the week it was ??)

This trip, for Beth, Frankie, Louis, and I, began at 10:00 in the morning (pre-departure) with an obligatory trip to the best supermarket in the whole of Bath and its notorious middle aisle. It had quickly become apparent we had different levels of hangovers from the Summer Social on Day 0.

• Cheese
• Bread
• Apples
• Honey
• Linda McCartney
• Bakery Bread
• Ultra Horrible Taste Milk \(\times 2\)
• Cereal Bars
• Peanuts
• Tonic Water
• Mints
• Werther’s Originals
• Eggs
• ??

Whilst that might be the tail ends of my shopping list, through some miracles of the universe, 12:00 had arrived, and pretty much everyone was on time at big sainos. As far as I can work out the journey down was uneventful, apart from a small 10 mph max race between Matt and Claire to find our camp spot on the spaghetti of tracks in the campsite, and parking due to the pimply grass of the campsite. But we had arrived, and the first job was to pitch tents and make tea.

Jon’s expert Van Packing

Here is where I get flustered, apparently I look like a leader-type person. Having talked about going on a few walks while in Dorset, I was asked more times than I cared to count what we were doing. A group meeting was required. It was quickly established that this trip would be sort of a free for all, provided Claire could contact you and you promised not to do anything stupid.

That afternoon some climbing happened at Dancing Ledge. I can’t comment on that. I wasn’t there or took much notice at this point. There was a bit of rope and those clippy things that climbers use so they don’t die. It looks like a right faff if you ask me. Instead, I went on a walk along the coast path turning right out of the campsite, to Chapman’s pool.

Chapman’s pool, where I think we annoyed a local, as she kept moving her towel 5 metres further away every 5 mins.

The way back avoiding Worth Matravers, for no other reason than we had walked through on the way there, was much more challenging. I think someone in the governments or council or OS maps had forgotten what the meaning of a path was. So for all future policy makers (I know at least one of you reading this studies politics), taken from Collins online dictionary:

Countable Noun A2

What we were met with were stairs, and I mean stairs. More stairs than someone who went to the gym to use the stair machine would do. More stairs than are in the chancellor’s building. We lost count at over 120 in one flight. Honest to God felt like a climber, going up pointlessly for no apparent reason. Along the top of the cliff line, there was a worrying number of gravestones. I started questioning the mental health of the people of Dorset and the Isle of Purbeck. Things became much clearer, St. Aldhelm’s Chapel, St. Aldhelm’s Head. Donc maintenant, mon télephone a décidé d’annoncer “Bienvenue en France, les appels et les sms sont gratuits” This is all despite remaining firmly in Angleterre.

Amy met us briefly that evening to give Claire her gift and celebrate the end of a fantastic year of BUMC.

Day 2 (First Proper Day)

I got up early, not as early, however, as those stupid enough to either not unpack their van or sleep in their own tent. After sleeping 5 in a bed instead of 4 (maybe the Channel 5 remake), who complained all morning about how uncomfortable it was and how everything was damp. Everyone got up and going for 08:30 except the boulder bros, which meant that by 08:45 the walkers had left the camp.

Before the mildly moist happy campers went to bed. Mann was here too!

Grace, Claire, Sam and Reuben went off to do some seee cliff climbing. Grace put it simply, “abseiled down to a shelf, set up and climbed back up”. I am assured that they had a fantastic time, despite being outside of phone signal all day.

The walk can be summed up by one image, a mysterious castle in the valley of a fault line from an ancient volcano. Or at least that’s what the tourist board want us to believe – Corfe. Blown up by some civil war Republicans. It was a game of logistics, Matt drove his car full, and Jon drove the MPV, but we had one extra person (shame on enterprise sending us a welfare unit instead of 9 seater). I was left behind to do the crossword and listen to the radio. It was absolute bliss. It felt like mid-morning now when my day got started. Probably about half 9. Just as Jon arrived back at the campsite to pick me up.

Going past Corfe castle for the 4^th time that day, Jon and I met up with the other walkers at Lulworth Cove after their brief trip halfway to Durdle door. We set sights for the campsite, walking along the beach towards the firing range. Having checked the firing times many times online. This involved a reversal and going the other way up the coast path. Seeing Durdle door and ending up at Ringstead.

Stumped by the Military

Durdle Door

Due to delays in writing this and the lack of photos uploaded to the album, it is unclear what the boulderers got up to, but I think they had fun. We all finished the day with fish and chips on Swanahhage Beach, where there are just about as many seagulls as in Bath.

Beth got dropped on by a seagull

Day 3 (Second Actual Day)

Very much like the first day this consisted of a plethora of walking and climbing. Jon and Claire got up early to have a go at doing some difficult climbing only to get lost on their way and not find the bit of crag they were looking for. So at breakfast, the plan for the day emerged. A walk with me to see the most astonishing landmark in the area, Corfe Castle. Beth and Raffi to take some bouldering. A walk with Adam to see old Harry, sadly his wife fell in the sea a few years back. Then the rest of the roped climbers sort themselves out.

The Walk with Me failed due to a lack of participants. Adam failed to complete his walk due to sheer tiredness and sore feet, with the rest of the walkers successfully arriving at Old Harry.

It is no secret that I don’t particularly appreciate climbing. I think it is a pointless exercise for people who don’t understand the risks of heights. I have mocked them the entire time. It was under this pretence that Jon joked I should join them to learn to trad climb, which weirdly I accepted, becoming their guinea pig. The session later involved: gear, gear placement, building anchors and then depending on climbing experience a little bit of seconding or having a go at supported lead climbing. All I can say to sum it up is, I get it now.

Day 4 (Final Day/Half Day)

Somewhat of a rest day, with people spending time climbing/bouldering closer to the campsite and a trip to Studland Beach in the van. We packed up the campsite and gently returned to Bath, marking an end to a year of BUMC.

I thank the rest of Committee for working hard to put on such a massive range of activities the entire year and Claire for organising this trip.

Ollie Howell
Walking Sec 22/23