Worth Matravers to Dancing Ledge

I particularly like the stone built village of Worth Matravers on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset. It’s a small village with a wonderful pub, ancient church, central green and duckpond from where this walk begins. Parking is very restricted in the village itself but there is a public car park at the northern end of the village with an honesty box. £2 for the day seems good value.

I left the green and joined the footpath which descends south towards Winspit Bottom and Winspit Quarry. The sea is immediately visible and the stark nature of the landscape is both appealing and quite wild. It’s exposed and likely to be windswept apart from the calmest of days.

On leaving Worth Matravers I did turn round, to look back at the village houses. The views from these homes must be rather special.

Winspit Bottom is a valley between the hills of West Man and East Man and on reaching the coast itself there is a quarry on the western side and although it is possible to explore the quarry there are warning signs – ‘Danger’, ‘At Your Own Risk’ etc etc.

I may return and explore the area one day but on this occasion, I turned left and climbed the steps which rise up to a gate and the continuation of the South West Coast path. There are good views of the quarry and there is a pathway to the top of East Man. This wasn’t on the itinerary either although I could imagine how good the views must be from the top.

And so begins the most rewarding and spectacular section of the walk. A path which follows the coastline above the cliffs of the Jurassic Coast with great views to the East and the West. Luckily for me the weather was at its best. The sun started to appear through the clouds, there was little wind and the effort of walking warmed my body, so much so that my jacket came off and stored in my rucksack.

From East Man the path leads towards Seacombe Quarry, before turning inland for a short section only to return to the edge of the coast above Seacombe Cliff.

The pathway is broad grassland, soft and easy underfoot. A post and wire fence separates the path from the cliff edge providing a feeling of security. Th rather attractive stone signs point the way.

There are numerous photos to be taken but here are a selection as I headed eastwards towards the next stop at Dancing Ledge.

Dancing Ledge is a great spot. There are stone steps which lead down from the main path to a limestone plateau where I sat and had something to eat and drink. You can scramble down to the ledge itself but I am much less adventurous these days so I satisfied myself with the dramatic view from above. Dancing Ledge is so named after the rippling of the sea as it ‘dances’ on and off the ledge.

I suspect the tide needed to be a little higher to truly appreciate this phenomena, so a quick check of the tide time table might be a good plan for a return visit.

With a sandwich in my hand I was joined by a very tame rock pipit. An aptly named bird for this location.

The sun and warmth of earlier in the walk had departed and it was now time to leave Dancing Ledge and the coast and head inland towards Langton. A sign made it clear which way to go and I followed the official footpath through the gorse bushes which was steep and extremely muddy. I was grateful for my walking poles to provide some support and prevent me slipping back down the hill. I had noticed another track branching left and I should have followed this path which would have taken me around the area of gorse only to rejoin the main path. This option would have been much easier.

Having escaped the quagmire, the farm track eventually meets the Priest’s Way. An ancient trail named after the priest who walked between Worth Matravers and Swanage looking after his church followers.

This trail passed through a number of quarries with more distant views of the sea off to my right. Eventually it joined the road at the eastern end of Worth Matravers and It wasn’t very long before the welcome sight of the Square and Compass pub came into view.

The walk completed and it was definitely time for some much needed refreshment served up by the Square and Compass. Inside the pub is full of character and the roaring open fire is very welcoming but I chose to sit outdoors and enjoy the view.

The Inn is no gourmet pub, with a very limited menu, mainly pasties or pies and delicious apple cake of course. Fine ales and ciders are on tap to wash the food down. It is rare these days to find a pub offering such a simple fare but that is its charm and in the summer months I imagine it can be incredibly busy as walkers put back all of the calories lost on the their walk.