|
by
Cass Gilbert
From WhatMountainBike magazine 24.
ISLE
OF PURBECK, SOUTH DORSET
ESSENTIAL INFO
Rating: Moderate
Distance: 26km (16 miles)
Duration: 1.5 to 2.5 hours
Best time to go: Good all year round.
Getting there: Corfe Castle is just past the junction
of the B3351 and the A351 from Wareham. Or, it's a six-mile
ride from Wareham station, served by South West Trains
direct to Waterloo. From Poole or Bournemouth, you can
start the ride near Studland. Take the B3369 to Sandbanks
and hop on the chain ferry (90p one way) and ride up the
B3351.
Where to stay: The Old Curatage, East Street (01929
481441) is reasonable, or a B&B. www.virtualswanage.com
has a list of local places.
Tourist Information: Tourist office, Wareham in
Holy Trinity Church, So Street (01929 552740). Swanage's
tourist office is by the beach on Shore Road (01929 442885).
YHA: West Lulworth (01929 440564) and Swanage (01929
422113). Both are closed Mid-Nov to Feb.
What to take: Take an extra layer for when you
stop. The usual emergency tools are recommended and a
spare inner tube for the stony descents. Take enough food
to keep you going for the day. Halfway stop Studland is
a good place to replenish fluids and have a snack.
Bike Shops: The nearest to the start/finish is
Bike About at 71 High St, Swanage 01929/425050, it also
hires bikes. In Poole there's Bikelab, 2 Wimborne Road,
Poole (01202 330011).
Maps: Landranger 195. Explorer OL15 deals with
the whole Isle of Purbeck and South Dorset.
There's a lot more to Dorset than Thomas Hardy novels
and quaint thatched cottages. For a start, it's home to
some of England's quirkiest place names - Scratchy Bottom,
Puddletown and Durdle Door to name a few. Just a couple
of hours from London, it's also riddled with empty bridleways
and one of the most geologically stunning coastlines in
the South West - a string of bite-like coves that munch
their way round the Isle of Purbeck. While the name itself
is something of a misnomer - Purbeck is actually a peninsula
jutting out to sea - there's definitely an isolated, island
feel to the place. Very much a local outdoor paradise,
its clear and clean waters pull in the surfers at the
first sign of a swell, its raw and exposed chalk cliffs
draw free climbers too, happy to plunge into the sea if
they miss their footing. Its buckled ridges rising high
above the countryside provide ample excursions for MTBers
too.
The ride begins at the bottom of the valley in Corfe Castle,
with a short but sharp gully climb emerging at the top
of the ridge. As the trail levels out, the body hugging
singletrack becomes a broad, grassy trail, rising and
falling gently into the distance. It's the first of the
stunningly big views that characterise the day ahead,
so don't forget to look back and make the most of the
gap-toothed ruins of this 11th century medieval castle,
rising out of the valley floor. The mile markers point
you along Nine Barrow Down towards Studland, until the
trail reverts into a sweeping, rocky descent, twisting
and turning as it dives through the valley. Watch out
for the gate round the first bend. Don't worry though,
there's plenty of time to pick up some serious speed for
the second installment of this blistering descent.
In the Purbecks, what goes down must go up. After a short
spurt on Tarmac, a bridleway climbs steeply onto the ridge
again. But the effort is more than worth it. A narrow
finger of land points out towards the sea, with fantastic
coastal views on either side. On a clear day the Isle
of White glimmers in the distance, the town of Swanage
sprawls out to your right, with vast Poole Harbour and
Godlingston Heath to your left. It's the perfect excuse
for a quick break: look out for the bench tucked into
the hedgerow. Shaded by one of the many trees sculpted
by the wind, it's the ideal spot to soak up the scene.
Back on the saddle, the track tilts downwards once more.
Don't be unduly concerned if it seems intent on plummeting
straight ahead into the sea... At the last moment, a steep
bank to the left saves you from dropping off what seems
like the end of the world. As you sweep further round,
Old Harry's Rocks come into view; a stunning collection
of crumbling stacks and stumps, topped with grassy tufts
of hair. The pathway continues to shadow the cliff edge
before descending into Studland.
Heading through the village, pick up the B3124 towards
the chain ferry. For a quick dip, take a quick detour
down to Knoll beach, a ribbon of soft sand backed by miniature
dunes. On the road, a track to the left crosses the nature
reserve of Godlingston Heath to Greenland farm. The conditions
here are stony but flat, and it's easy to pick up some
speed as you delve into the forest. Wide trails, singletrack
and soft sand make up the terrain. It's a peaceful scene
with the marshy shallows of Poole, the second biggest
natural harbour in the world, to your right. Past the
BP nodding donkey, the track briefly morphs into a silky
stretch of Tarmac, before it's time to head into the forest
for a fast trail that's soft and sandy in places.
Emerging eventually back on a country lane, Corfe Castle
looms over the hedgerows. The last stretch is back on
the B1324, guiding you back to the car park. Corfe is
a tourist magnet in the summer and at weekends, so there
are plenty of places to grab a snack before scrabbling
about the ruins. Treat yourself to a cream tea for the
ultimate Dorset experience! Packed with stunning coastal
views and real variety of terrain, the ride is non-technical,
though the steep climbs make it Moderate in rating.
The Start The car park on the left just before
entering Corfe Castle on the A351 from Wareham. Map reference
Explorer OL15 959824
1. 0.00m (0.00 mile) Turn left out of the car.
Take the second left (the Castle is to your right) passing
under the steam railway bridge. Look out for the gate
with a bridleway on your left
2. 0.69km (0.43 miles) Climb the steep, stony gully
to the top of the ridge, where the surface levels out
and becomes a grassy trail. Take the bridleway to the
immediate right of the telegraph mast and ride along the
top of the ridge towards Ulwell, climbing slightly onto
Ailwood Down. Follow the signs to Swanage and Studland
3. 4.53km (2.81 miles) At the wooden five bar gate,
continue along the ridge, then take the sign to Ulwell.
Soon after a metal gate the trail veers to the right past
the set of radio masts. The descent is fast and stony
- watch out for another gate around the corner. Drop all
the way down the valley to a Tarmac road.
4. 6.67km (4.14 miles) Turn left onto the road
for a gentle climb. Look out for the bridleway on the
right a short distance up, past the Purbeck Way footpath,
also to the right.
5. 7.35km (4.57 miles) Turn right onto the bridleway
up a stony tough climb back onto the ridge to the obelisk.
Through a gate, go straight ahead and follow the wooden
sign to Old Harry. Look for the bench in the hedgerow
on the left with great views to Studland Bay.
6. 9.38km (5.83 miles) Follow the track along the
ridge, through two gates and past the stone marker to
Old Harry. The track begins its steep descent towards
the sea. Banking sharply to the left, watch out for the
ruts that can be slippery in the wet. Follow the coastline
on the grassy, rutted track to Old Harry.
7. 11.75km (7.30 miles) Past Old Harry, continue
along the bridleway, shadowing the coast and finally emerging
back on tarmac at the toilet block. Take a right, past
the Scott Arms, followed by a left opposite the Manor
House Hotel. Turn right onto the B3351 signposted Bournemouth
via Toll Ferry, passing the National Trust's Knoll Beach.
8. 16.09km (10.00 miles) Take a left at Greenlands
farm, just before a bus stop, onto a stony track signposted
Rempstone Forest. Fork left away from the farm, then follow
the signs to Rempstone as the trail twists and turns before
reaching Tarmac.
9. 17.87km (11.10 miles) Turn left, then immediately
right back onto a track signed Ower. Stay on this track
as it veers round to the right, through a gate and behind
a house. Through the next gate, head straight ahead across
the meadows, along a narrow trail that becomes sandy as
it climbs.
10. 19.38km (12.04 miles) Turn left when you emerge
at a T-junction with a stony track, followed by an immediate
right, signposted Ower Quay. Shortly after, sweep round
to the left, ignoring the sign to Ower, passing a BP nodding
donkey instead. The track becomes Tarmac. Ride to the
next junction, taking a left signposted Wellsites F and
M. Head off the road on the first forest track on your
right, signed Wytch Farm.
11. 21.32km (13.24 miles) Following the forest
trail, veer round to your left (away from the Wytch Farm
signpost) onto a track that becomes sandy in places. Shortly
after, turn off the track as it curls 90-degree to the
left, instead heading straight on along a narrower, grassy
trail. Crossing a small wooden bridge hidden by thick
undergrowth continue onwards through the forest, on a
track that becomes hardpack.
12. 22.83km (14.18 miles) Take a left when the
forest track meets a Tarmac T-junction, following a winding
country lane until it emerges onto the junction of the
B3351.
13. 24.47km (15.20 miles) Turn right onto the B3351,
which brings you out at Corfe Castle. At the junction,
turn right and right again, back into the car park - alternatively,
head left into the village for a well-earned bite to eat.
Total distance 26km (16 miles)
This route was provided by WhatMountainBike? magazine.
Buy
online and save money. Click here to subscribe to WhatMountainbike?
magazine.
|
