South England Beach Reviews 7: Chapman’s Pool - the wrong side
Studland Bay lends itself to an immensely civilised Sunday stroll, but the Isle of Purbeck (‘Purbeck’ being a handy saxon term for ‘beak-shaped ridge which is home to bittern or snipe’) has much, much more to offer. If you drive just a little further than Swanage Bay, you can have all sorts of adventures. Turning off the A351 just beyond Swanage, for example, you can follow signs to Worth Matravers and then make your way down to the famous Jurassic Coast. Worth Matravers has a well-advertised car park, but if you are short of time and want to get to the sea, you’d better drive straight on, even though your road is now advertised as a dead end. Passing a farm, you eventually get to a fork in the road where there is another farm to your right and signs to a car park on the left. That car park is where you want to go. Getting out here, you can either walk up on the cliffs to St Aldhelm’s Head , or you can descend to Chapman’s pool which is a little bay cut quite deeply into the Kimmeridge clay.
Chapman’s Pool is a bit like Lulworth Cove, only much less busy. The reason for that is perhaps, that getting there is not for the weak and feeble. You start walking across fields, climb over a stile and then, suddenly, the ground seems to drop right in front of you. 
That makes for a spectacular view, and for a good workout.
The slope down to the beach IS steep. 
Halfway down the hill you can choose between a convenient path which leads you to the southern end of the bay in broad serpentines, or several eroded sheep trails which take you straight down the steepest slope to the middle of the bay. As I was allowed to choose which path to take, we slithered down one of the sheep trails. We also heard much grumbling from the husband whilst doing so. The ground has a high proportion of clay, and I wouldn’t recommend taking the quick way after a good night’s rain. Or else you’re downhill far quicker than anticipated.
We arrived just where a small stream cuts the bay in two. Having come from Studland Bay, where each forgotten napkin gets cleaned up diligently by the good wardens of the National Trust, we were in for a nasty reality check. The pebbly beach of Chapman’s Pool was full of plastic rubbish.
It was also full of rotting algae.
And it was like a living museum.
Wherever we looked there were broken ammonites mixed in with the weed and the plastic. At first we picked up whatever fossil we saw, but the ammonites and rocks were so fragile that they just crumbled away under our hands. We started heading northwards to the end of the bay, hoping to find slightly more stable fossils elsewhere, but the hydrogen sulphide stench emanating from the stranded seaweed forced us soon to retreat. I hadn’t realised that the UK side of the channel has a seaweed problem, too. We decided to try the southern end where we could see some brave souls bathing. The air was better here.
Chapman’s Pool is not a beach-life beach - no surfing nor water sports, nor did we see any fishing. Just two swimmers. When the tide is high, the water comes close to the cliff, leaving little beach.
We carried on walking south-east past some romantic-looking boathouses and on over big pebbles towards St Aldhelm’s Head.
I don’t know if the place has been conceived for giants, but the further we walked the bigger the pebbles got, and in the end we were hopping over deep gaps from one stone to the next. The beach and high cliffs seemed to go on for miles like this without any redeeming feature in sight - and the ammonites had long disappeared - and so we decided that we had seen enough, that our mode of transport was cumbersome and that it was altogether time to head to Swanage for some fish and chips. It took a while to hop back. At the boathouses we therefore took the easy serpentines up the hill and then ascended via some steep steps back to the top of the cliff. Here we stood for a short while to catch our breath and gawp at the romantic sight of some small fishing boats arriving in the bay. The sunset was stunning.
We thought that maybe Chapman’s Pool was nicer from uphill. The future should prove us wrong…but we didn’t know that yet.
In Swanage, we parked on the A351 (Victoria Avenue) as close to the beach as we dared. We walked down Shore Road towards the centre of town until we found a Fish and Chips Place (a full 200 yards). The place had a busy restaurant attached to it, and plenty of customers, so we decided to try it.
Sadly, the fish (whilst fresh) was a trifle bland and the oil just on the brink of being too old. Had the fish been left to drip off for a minute or more all might have been fine - but as it was, it was just too oily. The scenery, however, was perfect. The stone wall separating the sandy town beach from the road is great to sit on. It was a balmy evening, the sea was gently lapping onto the shore and the city lights of Swanage were very prettily reflected in the still water. People were ambling past on their evening walk and more than one doggy friend stopped by to see if they could get a share of our dinner. The atmosphere was friendly and peaceful, and I think I would come again on a warm night just out of season, old oil or not.
Facilities: The car park in Worth Matravers has public toilets, which I tried to use on the way back. When I touched the door handle of the womens toilet somebody suddenly seemed to hold on to it from the other side, all very quietly. The cubicle was dark - and it was dark outside - and so I felt creeped out and decided that, really, I didn’t need to pee.
Parking: The car park in the village costs a trifle, the car park closer to Chapman’s Pool is free. There are no toilets there, though. Parking in Swanage on an evening out of season is ample and free. Between April and September you have to pay and display.
South England beach reviews 6 - Knoll Beach to South Beach
Having stopped at Studland Bay for just an incidental stroll whilst on the way to elsewhere, we decided to return to the bay some weekends later to explore it’s second half. Before going back to the beach, we wanted to walk to Little Sea, a freshwater lake that got cut off from the sea when the current dune system developed. You can get there over the dunes from Knoll beach, or you can park halfway up Ferry Rd and walk over the beautiful heathland. The heath is a site of special scientific interest, and is not only populated by dragon flies, but also by all six native reptile species - including the three native snakes. Yes, three…and I’m not counting slow worms. If you, like me, have only heard of adders and grass snakes: apparently there are also ‘smooth snakes’ in the uk.
Little Sea is amazingly deserted and peaceful, at least on an autumn day. It is also dreamily beautiful. Standing at the shore we felt we had discovered an enchanted place. It’s not surprising that local lore tries to sell us Little Sea as the lake into which Sir Bedivere threw Excalibur. Geologists have revealed, though, that the Little Sea didn’t exist at Arthur’s time, so save your swimsuit for the beach. If you’re a birder, however, you might want to look at the great bird hide the National Trust has set up here just for you. We didn’t see anybody apart from some cootes.
Back at the sea, Knoll beach turns quietly into Middle beach. The only thing that changes apart from the name is the hinterland. The dunes disappear and are replaced by beach huts discreetly tucked away behind some birches.
Further south, a little reddish cliff rises and culminates in Redend Point, a tide cut off. The red and yellow sandstone that forms the base of the cliff is very pretty to look at, and the pipe clay formation above it holds plant fossils from the Eocene. The clay also makes the ground very slippery…
If the tide is low you can slip walk around Redend Point, and so get to the cosy and unpretentious world of South Beach. If that way is blocked, you have to follow the path leading up from Middle Beach Cafe.
South Beach - very different from the other beaches - is a small bay enclosed by low cliffs with trees. There is a barbecue area next to the red cliff, some more beach huts and most importantly Joe’s Cafe where you can not only get tea and biscuits but can also hire deck chairs and sand toys.
I immediately fell for South Beach’s peaceful hippie atmosphere. Here, you can easily spend a whole day dreaming away in your deck chair with a book, or building the most amazing sand castle ever with your borrowed equipment.
Or you can spend some time collecting cockles for dinner at the southern end of the bay.
Facilities: no shortage thereof. National Trust cafes and clean toilets can be found at the Knoll Beach car park and near Redend Point. The Knoll Beach cafe sells very nice Purbeck ice cream. There is also a visitor centre here where you can learn about wildlife and geology of Studland Bay.
The South Beach toilets are apparently situated on the path back to Studland village. I didn’t see them. Joe’s Cafe sells refreshments and hires out deckchairs and toys. If you like bringing your own sausages, you can use the barbecue area.
Parking: there are car parks at Knoll Beach (follow signs off Ferry Rd) and in Studland. We didn’t explore the Studland car parks, but the one at Knoll Beach is spacious and costs £3 out of season (2011) for the whole day.
South England beach reviews 5: Shell Bay to Knoll Beach
Coming across all these fossils at Alum Bay made me curious to see more. We decided to try the Isle of Purbeck (which is a Peninsula) next.
Purbeck, just like the Isle of Wight, is famous for it’s geology.
Approaching Purbeck by car from the Southampton side, there is either the A348 around Bournemouth and Poole towards Wareham, or the A338 leading through the centre of Bournemouth and then along the coast. We took the A338, and that was the better choice as we learned later.
The road leads down to the edge of Poole harbour , where the sandbanks chain ferry takes you across to the Isle of Purbeck. The queue for the ferry started halfway down Ferry Rd, but I love chain ferries and the wait wasn’t very long. The harbour entrance is a great place - there are a multitude of boats flitting in and out at all times, it seems.
The weather was glorious and when we arrived on the other side, we were greeted by a beach with such white sand and such blue water that we had to stop.
This was Shell Bay beach - part of the Studland Bay nature reserve.
We ate our sandwiches on this spotlessly clean beach, watching sailing boats, kite surfers, some jet-skis, some swimmers and the big ferry to France.
Walking along the waters’ edge we turned a corner and got to Studland Bay - which has a long sandy beach and fine dunes as far as you can see. Leaving the surfers behind, we got to a little sign telling us that “Naturists may be seen beyond this point”. And so it was. We spotted naked sentinels on many of the dune summits. Or maybe they were kings of the castle. They all seemed to be middle aged men, in any case, and their job seemed to be to stand on a dune. There were also a number of couples of different ages sunning themselves on the beach.
I was amused: being a Northern European myself, the sand, the dunes and the naked people made me feel very much at home. Apparently, though, not all is good at this popular naturists hang-out: naturists and other beach users alike have in recent years complained about voyeurism and sexual misconduct in the dunes. A beach patrol has therefore been enlisted during the most busy months of the year to ensure that all is as it should be.
We walked along the shore until we came to a path which we thought might lead us back to where we had left the car. We soon found out that the wonders of Studland Bay Nature reserve were far from over. The path lead us back to the road via an enchanted forest and an area of beautiful heathland buzzing with dragon flies. Neither should be missed, really.
Facilities: at the northern end of Shell Bay is a restaurant with cafe. There was also an ice cream van on the beach. Looked-after loos are on the National Trust car park.
Parking: the National Trust pay & display car park is located just after the ferry payment booth. Just beyond the car par is a little strip of sandy roadside parking which costs nothing. We were lucky and snapped up the last of maybe 7 spaces.
South England beach reviews 4: Alum Bay, Isle of Wight
After we had been to Compton Beach, we took the car to Alum Bay. If you want to get down to the beach, you will - it seems - have to pass through ‘The Needles Park’. Unless you have small children with you, who start a song and dance on seeing giant plasticky tea-cup rides, you will probably try your best to leave that area behind, and fast. On a breezy autumn day the joy rides looked extremely forlorn.
The cliffs at Alum Bay are high, and the views grand. On calm days an ancient chair lift can take you down to the beach. I might have been tempted by it’s sixties ski chic, had it not been closed due to high winds. We hence took the stairs down, which felt incredibly healthy.
Alum bay would be a little prettier without the rather derelict-looking concrete platforms which are there for the chair-lifts’ sake. They practically split the bay in half. The half with the beautiful coloured sand cliffs and views of the needles sans concrete-and-rusty-metal-hell was sadly closed. No explanation why.
We joined the other disappointed tourists for an amble along the northern end of the beach. Alum Bay seems to be a favourite Algae hang-out, and we could smell it. There was a number of people combing the forecourt for fossils. The best area for that is apparently where the London clay hits the chalk at the (closed off) southern end - but you can also find fossils where the Barton Clay joins the forecourt towards Hatherwood point in the north.
At the end of the bay rocks block the passage. As the tide was low, though, we decided to go for a short climb over the rocky shore towards Totland Bay.
It was a good decision. We spend some time climbing from one pretty bay to the next. There were no people around, but we saw seabirds and many fossils on the way:
We had to turn around sooner than I would have liked, but we had to catch our ferry back. And we did well to be at the ferry port on time - Bestival was on that weekend and the ferry was packed with wasted folks who were desperate to lie down asap. Amusing to watch, but we just about managed to get a seat.
Should I ever return to Alum Bay I think I’ll make sure to find out if the southern end of the bay is open.
Parking: The ‘Needles Park’ has a big car park for which you have to pay. If you come late (as we did) the booth is closed and you can park for free.
Facilities: whatever you wish, really…loos, refreshments, joy rides, souvenirs. All up on the cliffs, mind. Nothing down at the beach.
South England Beach reviews 3: Compton beach, Isle of Wight.
One Sunday morning last September I suddenly felt a serious urge to see the sea. I googled my nearest beach and the search returned Cowes beach on the Isle of Wight. I had never been to the Isle of Wight - it sounded like a good adventure. The cheapest way to get there, was to buy a day return with the ferry from Southampton. We had 2h to get there, so we jumped into the car. Getting to So’ton is easy, finding the ferry port less so. Not only do you have to cross the whole town, the ferry port is also very poorly signposted. We got there with 2 minutes to spare and frazzled nerves. The journey time on the ferry is about 1h - double as long as the ferries from Portsmouth or Lymington. The journey is a pleasant one, though, the views are great and the tea on board the ferry quite bearable.
Needless to say, we had decided to go to a beach a little more scenic than Cowes beach. An interesting sounding beach relatively close to Cowes appeared to be at Compton bay, and that’s where we went.
Compton beach is a pleasant strip of sand at the bottom of pretty, multi-coloured cliffs. As you can see in the photo, the cliffs are very unstable. Our car park seemed to be half as big as when it was first built.
At the northern end the bay is framed by slightly grander grey limestone cliffs. The beach is popular with surfers - the waves seem to be reliable and consistent, especially when south-westerly winds prevail.
The beach was very peaceful and empty when we were there. When the tide is low, you can apparently spot Dinosaur footprints. We didn’t, but then the tide was on the rise. The cliffs are made of clay - something we only spotted after we had got stuck in the ‘rocks’ over which we attempted to walk at the northern end of the bay. There, we also found beautiful tree fossils in a dark green matrix with golden sparkly bits. I took a small piece, but it crumbled completely as soon as it got a dry.
We moved on after a shortish walk, because we wanted to see the needles as well - but I’d like to come back and go in search of the dinosaur footprints.
Parking: there are two car parks along the road to Freshwater Bay. You have to pay and display if you use them. Some locals just parked at the side of the road, but we thought it fair to pay some tourist money.
Facilities: both car parks had bearably-clean loos and, as far as I could see, showers for surfers. And an ice cream van.
South England beach reviews 2: Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset
I would have never chosen to go there: Weston-super-mare happened by accident. Quite literally. We were driving back from Devon and there was a pile-up just beyond Weston. I made a split-second decision to exit the Motorway at the last opportunity.
We arrived at the beach as the tide was high, and I think that was a redeeming factor. The water was the brownest I’ve ever seen, but there were plenty of satisfied kite surfers who didn’t seem to mind getting splashed by that goo.
We got fish’n chips from Winston’s Fish Bar which we took down to the beach to eat while the sun was setting. Haddock, chips and mushy peas were very good, as was the ambiance:
So much so, that we have been back a second time, which was just as amusing.
I wouldn’t ever want to stay in Weston for longer than an hour, but for fish and chips and sunset after a nice walk at a different beach it is just perfect. Sandbay, which has fossil beds, is near Weston, so we might return.
Parking: pay and display along the whole beach front
Facilities: public toilets every 20 meters, most with attendants as far as I could see. The ones I used were clean with paper and soap.
South England beaches review 1: Bantham Beach, Devon
Uncharacteristically, I’ve been gripped by a weird need to see the sea, and often - and so, for the first time in 20 years - I’ve started to hang out on beaches.
I thought I make some notes in case I ever want to visit one of them twice.
So here’s Nr 1, which I went to in August: Bantham Beach.
Apparently, this is Devon’s best surfing beach and there were certainly a great many kite surfers, looking as if they were having a fabulous time. The beach is beautiful, with lots of white sand, a hint of dunes, a little island in the background (which is connected to the mainland when the tide is low) and some interesting rocks where it curves round to the mouth of the Avon.
The mouth of the Avon is another of the beaches scenic appeals, really - there is a little harbour, a quaint cottage and a ferry, which takes you across to the beach on the other side of the river. I would have loved to cross over so as to get to the beach from which one can reach the island, but the last ferry of the day goes at 4pm, and we arrived at 4.30…
While we missed the ferry, we were so late that we could use the car park for free.
We found a path leading away from the beach and up the cliff towards the next cove…and beyond.
Bantham has a pub - but when we got hungry we decided not to eat there which was maybe a mistake. We went back to Kingsbridge instead, but weren’t very impressed with the poncy ‘Gastro-pub’ we found there. The food was boring and the portions stingy.
I do want to come back to this beach.
Facilities: didn’t notice any - but then I had no need to.
