Wanders in West Dorset January 2022

 In an attempt to show more sea views in 2022 I am planning to do a monthly posts with lots of sea! With more grey skies than blue at this time of year the seaside doesn't always look so appealing and  January is always the quietest month in the bay.

With slightly more time on our hands the dog walks taken are further afield and we still come across new discoveries. Our spectacular coastline is part of the Jurassic Coast along it's 95 miles stretch where you can walk through 185 million years of history. This year it is celebrating it's 20th Anniversary of becoming a World Heritage Site for its outstanding universal rocks, fossils and landforms. It is a living landscape and unfortunately rock falls and landslips are happening more frequently.

There was once a coastal road between Charmouth and Lyme Regis, long since gone and the footpath was diverted inland many years ago. You can see from the first image behind the largest gorse stem where a cliff fall has recently taken place and is gradually being washed away.

Another day with blue skies and sunshine the same beach looks much more appealing!

The cliffs at Black Ven are famous for the location where Mary Anning discovered so many fossils, look closely and there are other things to discover here, but only when the tide is at it's lowest it can be a very dangerous place.

As you walk along the beach you come across metal objects and other strange objects. How did an old heating boiler and wheel end up on the beach and why are there lots of broken glass and pieces of old pottery in amongst the stones. Fossils aren't the only treasure to be found! The coastal road wasn't the only thing to disappear. A refuse site started in Victorian times was also located on the cliffs above and this too has fallen down the cliff into the sea. How many meals were eaten off that fragment of plate? Can you imagine how different the beach would look in 100 years time if it was our rubbish on display?

Some days it has almost felt like summer!

Not everything goes to plan our 2nd & 3rd attempt this month to watch the starling murmuration has failed but nature still gives us other compensations as the sun goes down...

I have been writing this blog for over 10 years now and throughout this time blogging friends have come and gone and while others have continued alongside me. It has been wonderful to rediscover so many old friends that I haven't been in contact for years over on Instagram in the last month and catch up with them once again! 

Hope you are managing to get outside and enjoy this month too!

Sarah x