Our trip commenced at Kimmeridge, a charming horseshoe shaped bay and part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, as well as the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve (the marine centre is situated near the slipway, as is the coastal watch station which is manned whilst the Army ranges are open. These guys are equipped with a rib and have been known to rescue sea kayakers, it is therefore worth noting their phone number - 01929 404819 and that they operate on channel 85).
Kimmeridge is situated about 5 Nm to the East of Lulworth Cove and about an hours drive from Southampton (off peak). We parked in the convenient car park (complete with toilet facilities) and opted to trolley our kayaks the 50 meters or so down to the slipway.
The stepped rock ledges in and around the bay create some sizeable breaking waves as the seabed rises steeply from a depth of over 50 feet just half a mile out, to an average of 4 feet in the bay. It is wise to resist the temptation to surf at any time other than HW as more than just a scattering of jagged rocks (complete with Barnacles) wait patiently just below the surface for their next victim; Fibreglass, plastic, skin or bone - they didn't look too fussy.
Although we had a mild SW there was still plenty of evidence of the previous days F7 and we opted not to take the western channel out of the bay, the surf was up and it would have taken us through the highest concentration of breakers (In these conditions we would have needed our wits about us to avoid being unceremoniously dumped onto the hideous rock ledges - complete with cavernous craters and Barnacles, that protrude over a quarter of a mile out to sea).
Equipped with our 'Mark 1a sense of self preservation' we followed the Eastern buoyed channel on a bearing of 230 degrees for about half a mile, taking note of Clavel Tower standing high on the Eastern headland (a good land mark for the return trip) before heading 245 degrees and rounding the surf that was crashing onto the ledges.
Here we entered the prohibited area of the Lulworth Gunnery Range which stretched before us for 4Nm across the Bays of Hobarrow, Brandy, Worbarrow and Mupe. Not relishing the thought of a 16Nm paddle out to sea and around the restricted area we had checked with the range prior to setting off (whilst the Army normally gives the local Bunnies the weekend off from being blown up, it is best to check first).
Once clear of the ledges we hand railed the shore at about 200 meters out, where we were provided with some stunning sun drenched views of this incredible stretch of coastline. Looking across to Gad Cliff felt like we were paddling on a flooded Grand Canyon and I half expected to see the Heads of the Presidents of America carved into the towering rock face. It suddenly dawned on me that it would take a life time to explore and fully appreciate the 20 Nm of coast from Studland to say Osmington Mills, every bit of it as likely to be as amazing as the next - and it's all on our doorstep! - mind blowing (well for me it is).
It is worth noting that the Bays are relatively shallow and choosing to paddle in the surf zone meant that we needed to keep a wary look out for rogue breakers. In contrast, by the time we had reached Gad Cliff, where the sea crashes against cliff face, we were experiencing a white knuckle ride on the back of a substantial amount of clapotis. (Also worth noting is the fact that during a previous paddle in strong Northerly winds the cliffs provided little shelter as the terrain behind them, being generally higher, only served to funnel the wind into our path).
The timing of the trip meant that we were heading into the tidal flow but a combination of Neap tides and keeping to the shallow water meant that we were unhindered (On Springs the trip Westward can be timed to benefit from tidal assistance by starting 3 hours after Portland HW but you'd need to time the return trip for 3 Hours before Portland HW to get assistance both ways - not really practical unless your camping).
Worbarrow Tout marks the entrance to Worbarrow Bay, here we noted a sheltered 'get out'; 'Pondfield' is a small stony beach on the Eastern side of the peninsular, as you'd expect, it comes complete with submerged rocks so care needs to be taken.
From Worbarrow Tout the 1 Nm mouth of the Bay can be crossed by heading 275 degrees and over the deeper water to Mupe Ledges which would provide some interesting rock hopping in appropriate conditions (on our return trip a Gale warning was issued so we opted for the quickest route, straight across the Bay). Due to time restraints we resisted the temptation to explore the beaches of this enticing Bay but hugged the coastline whilst making a mental note that it is well worth a trip of it's own (Launching from Lulworth and exploring Bacon Hole, Arish Mell, Mupe Bay and the remaining Worbarrow beaches would make a great trip in calm conditions).
As previously mentioned, the large scattered rocks of Mupe Ledges provide the potential for some fun, although on this occasion we declined the invitation of the sizeable breakers to stay around and be toyed with. Instead, we timed our rush through the gaps in the rocks with the utmost precision, missing out on getting our boats redesigned by a minute or two (Probably best to go round them in these conditions next time). We were gutted, in all the excitement we totally missed Bacon Hole!
There then followed 1Nm of the most incredible clapotis (I thought my fillings were going to come out) before finally we surfed into the sanctuary of Lulworth Cove and a well deserved cup of coffee.
The video below shows the remainder of our outward trip from Lulworth to Durdle Door where we stopped for lunch. The return trip to Kimmeridge was a bit of a sprint, we could feel the wind gaining in strength and were mindful of the F8 that was forecast later that afternoon.
Some really useful information there Simon, thanks very much for this!
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