Previously on Jurassic Soap: A pre: Lulworth Doodle
I left you last time walking from Dungy Head and into Lulworth Cove, and now…[Majel Barrett voice] the conclusion ! Well another few days in the life of an artist trying to work sustainably, ethically and green and smart – a backpack, a tent, a sleeping bag and some art gear and nothing more. So I walked into Lulworth and out again a few times as I wanted this time to walk along the coast.
There was some confusion about where the coast path really is? It takes a diversionary route walking almost to West Lulworth up the road and turns off before the Church on the left. It was very quiet up there. I looked back and saw the sea of cars almost swallowing Hambury Tout, glittering in the sun. This is mass tourism, and mass motorism…when oil get scarce what will places like this do?
So I walked along the top with the amazing views of the crab like formation that is Lulworth Cove, with the two headlands either side. This is a result of the aforementioned Purbeck Beds eroding and forming a natural cove – apparently the same is happening in miniature at Stair Hole. Apparently that curved shape is caused by wave diffraction – something I noticed and painted at the Man O War beach – those radiating waves.
I then hit the Ministry of Defence ranges. I have not mentioned these, that famously the M.O.D. took a big chunk of the area back in WW2 and refuses to give it back. I didn’t get to the ghost village of Tyneham where apparently the school still has jackets of the children hanging on hooks. I grew up near a bunch of army ranges, so I know what it’s like – the unexplained bangs, the arrogance of the M.O.D. vs the locals, the weird contradiction of nature taking things over in between the shelling.
Walking down the side of the range towards the far end of Lulworth Cove I was interested in the flying red flag and signs – the weird juxtaposition of holiday destination and military armaments. The title ‘We’ll Keep The Red Flag Flying Here’ is a dig at the army, a joke that maybe they are secretly socialists with all these red flags? They used to always leave the flags flying on the ranges I used to go to, even when they weren’t firing or using them. At least here they seem to be maintained and notices posted online.
Then I walked down the very steep steps – very glad I didn’t have to walk up them – I realised I could have saved all this by walking along the Cove’s beach – but that’s only when the tide is out. I found out later that you have to time it well and know your tides. I walked onto the beach and up on the path through the swampy lands and darkness of the bushes. Then upto what I found is called Pepler’s Point, declared on a stone monument nearby. It was weird to be the other side of the cove, alone.
I did an abstract piece sitting there, with gouache. I’d already had the idea of dots and dashes, the dashes of the Purbeck Beds and the dots of the rocks strewn between, and you get some amazing greens and purples under the water. Sadly I wasn’t happy with it – and also didn’t have a brown in my gouache set so had to fudge it. You can see the far better inspiration next to it, that’s what I was going for. The comment from the child at Durdle Door about ‘abstract yet representational’ inspired this piece.
I then wandered further along the coast, finding an amazing place called Mupe Bay – but it was too late to stop and paint as I had a dinner date – well a date with dinner. I’d had to book TWO days in advance to get a meal on the Sunday night at the Lulworth Cove Inn, and I wasn’t going to miss my only booked meal!
Although during the big rainstorm on Saturday I did get takeaway meal from Castle Inn that turned into a nice table meal as people hadn’t turned up. That makes me angry that I was phoning and asking everywhere – almost begging to get food because I was a bit sick of fish and chips at this point…and then those people just don’t even cancel, just don’t bother cos it’s raining. I did speak to a lovely couple from Portsmouth about art, and then got some tea with some locals. It was a good laugh and made up for the Londis Woman.
Anyway back to Sunday, I noticed the tide was alarmingly high and beach a lot smaller so stomped quickly around the beach at high speed- not wanting to climb those steps and I’d be late going that way. I didn’t get my feet wet and I got my ‘official’ meal, and then went out onto the headland before the light went and painted a rather quick and loose watercolour as the boats came in.
You can see how high the tide was then, how there is no shoreline at 8-9pm. We also got a red moon, which I added – sorta. It was very dark and very quickly done, but I quite like it now. I then saw that the infamous steps were free, and absent of Guardians of the Steps Watching The Sunset While Taking Selfies. So I did another, later and much darker ‘Lulworth at Night’ ink piece above. I then left before it got too dark and I blundered off a cliff (also I think I’d forgotten my torch so used my phone – I tried not to make that mistkae again.).
I keep forgetting to say this – but this work like all the non-sketchbook pieces is for sale.
As I left the Guardians arrived, holding hands and waving a very big torch. Time to leave…I took the road and wimped out on Hambury Tout…it’s a bit spooky up there with the burial mound and also a really big climb and I was a bit drunk – so I pissed off the few locals heading home walking on the roads again….but I spotted three glow worms on the way. It’s amazing what you miss if you just whizz by in cars.
So contented I climbed into my tent for my last night locally….well it would be contented if it wasn’t for the new tent next door making so much noise. I talked about Durdle Door Holiday Park and the lack of party tents…how wrong I was. Turns out a mass of families in several tents the menfolk had congregated in the large tent next to me and although not speaking English, seemed to be having a massive argument about a guy from MMA. Until two in the morning….
I had to leave the next day and they kept the whole campsite awake, and the security guys were hiding in reception as they’d had so many complaints already, but I told them they were playing music (which they were) and they came down. They worked out it was me and kicked out my guy ropes and bent the pegs sarcastically saying ‘sorry mate’. It was very much something from Nuts In May but I didn’t threaten them with a tree branch. I was tempted.
They were told to leave the next day but of course it was their last night…and mine. I gladly left and had decided to stay in the area but go to the campsite at the Red Lion at Winfrith Newburgh. I’d be dependent on the bus or walking back, but at least it would be cheaper and hopefully have food on-site unlike Durdle Door. I moved my tent there via the bus (and after cleaning off the bird poop) and then headed for Lulworth Castle and then back to Mupe Bay to paint it.
I almost missed the bus because actually the bus shelter and stop over the road is a trap – they actually stop right next to the Red Lion, unmarked.
This was the scene of the infamous ‘Lulworth’ Catweazle bus driver even happened mentioned in a previous part. ‘What Bus Am I? Riddle me this!’ Seriously ‘The bus is going this way’ wins the best prize for dumbest response to a query of where a bus is going this year. Given the confusing nature of the two stops (one seemingly a secret?) it wasn’t a dumb question but it got an dumb answer. So beware the bus drivers, they think they are witty or clever, and are neither.
What was dumb – but annoyingly hard not to be dumb about is I decided to walk from Lulworth Camp to the castle. There isn’t a bus to the castle…or seemingly a path or pavement bar the footpath from the coast I was planning to walk along (and which turned out to be not that much better either). There is though a really busy B-road with many cars per minute. It is weird that there isn’t an easy way – partly cos of the MOD ranges – to get from Lulworth Cove or West Lulworth to the castle without a car?
So I get to the castle – rather harried by cars – and wander in. I debate whether to just paint the outside or pay to go in. I go in, and find that it’s basically an empty shell after a fire in 1929. Only thing that’s worth it is the view from the tower – so I did a drawing from there of their chapel, St Andrew’s Church. The grounds are well worth visiting though, and free – just skip the castle. Again, it’s the Weld family, they live next door in a house with a massive fountain.
But I dawdled too long so scampered out when they closed and onto the Ranges Walk, This takes you through the numbered hills and rusty tanks used for firing practice and onto Arish Mell, mentioned as a place they tried to get water from during the fire but the hoses weren’t long enough or didn’t fit. A nice walk until you get to the massive exhausting hill that is Bindon Hill. It’s not the biggest along this coast but it’s taller than Hambury Tout at 162m and my legs were already a bit shagged from previous walks.
After that you have the scary descent into Mupe bay along some very precarious steps. A sample picture:
So by the time I got to Mupe Bay, looking all amazing and very picture-skew, I had to leave again, partly because my legs were screwed and partly because I was aware that if I went for the later 9pm-ish bus I’d probably be trapped by the tide and have to go up those steep steps. A walk I didn’t want to do in my condition – and given the ‘you need to book even for a drink’ common in the pubs there, I might not have anywhere to wait.
Sadly I left and drove some of the mountain sheep they let loose to keep the grass short around 1/2 mile or so to almost the Fossil Forest (you can call me Timmy the Sheep Dog…actually don’t. They kept walking down the path, and not to the side.
After all that, I missed my bus! They retimed it – it used to be 7:30pm but now it’s 7pm, and of course unlike the rest of the week it actually came on time, if the First App was correct. Thankfully I’d been offered a lift by a couple who had seen me walking along the road to Lulworth Castle, who said hello on the cove beach when they recognised me. This wasn’t the first time this would happen by the way…
So I got a lift back to Winfrith Newburgh, and some strawberries!
- Part 1 – White Horses, Parachutes, Amazing Pebbles & Kites
- Part 2 – Man O War Went Thru The Durdle Door And Got A Dungy Head
- Part 3 – What’s a Sheep Lulworth with All MOD Cons?
- Part 4 – Mupe Bay & Great Fossils of Rock
- Part 5 – Corfe Castle & St Edward The Martyr
- Part 6 – Corfe Castle – Escape from the Model Village
- Part 7 – Swanage Around The Globe On A Tilly Whim
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