Along the Jurassic Coast

This was the first time in a year in England that I experienced a traffic jam  on the highway from Bournemouth to the Lulworth cove. The day promised to be bright and sunny with those occassional bouts of chill laden winds. It was early September and the temperatures had already begun to drop and slight drizzles were self-invited. All I wished for that day was a unperturbed walk along the renowned Jurassic coast. Just in time for brunch, I arrived at the Lulworth caravan park almost an hour and a half behind the planned schedule. The weather looked perfect, I  quickly grabbed a  snappy burger with fries from Harry's cafe bar and walked off towards the coastline. What I saw from the top of the cliff, was just a snapshot straight out of those glossy bollywood movies. Blue water, picturesque shore, bright coloured canoes and innumerable rainbow coloured beach umbrellas.The water was so clear that I could actually see shades of green water , which appeared coloured because of the wild growth around the reef. Lulworth is a huge private property in Dorset. It has a 300 years old castle, which once was used as a hunting lodge. The other end of the estate was a caravan plus camping site. Another asset to it's name is the naturally formed horse-shoe shaped harbour created around a 1,000 years ago. When planning a trip this side, one should without second thoughts atleast set aside an entire day and night to enjoy the serenity of the place. The interesting fact about this place is that the cove is still evolving. The Fossil forest and Mupe bay offer stunning walks along the cliff tops for nature lovers. Apart from Harry's cafe bar and Costcutter's general store, there is a cafe down the beach  serving ice-cream, waffles and drinks. The Durdle Door and Man O'War beaches are crowned as the jewels of the Jurassic coast. The walk down the mountain to the roach arch was steep and uneven, but definitely worth all those occassional stumbles and falls.Those not very keen on taking the rough route, can always opt for a walk around the cotour of the mountains. The beaches bustled with activities. From snorkelling to diving to canoeing, people engaged themselves in every possible sport. One could spot young tots jumping from the reef as if they were diving into their bath tubs. Being a pebble beach, walking to a good spot in flip flops was rather uncomfortable. Somewhere down the end of this corner of the beach, we parked ourselves. The idea was to swim across to the reef, laze around for a while and then head back. I, accommpanied by my friend slowly stepped into the ice cold blue water. The sea felt smooth and the fact that there was nothing wobbly and slimy near my feet pacified me. A thousandth fraction of a nautical mile into the water, we stood still to be sure if we wanted to go further. The swim would be worthwhile, I thought. Even if I drowned, my partner in crime would save me. Within the next second, I was already on my way to the reef. Almost there, I felt the wilderness on the reef tickling my feet. I pulled myself up and there I was, in the middle of nowhere but witnessing the most picturesque view of the Atlantic ocean. Shimmering water and colourful canoes queued up straight in a line resembling multi-coloured stones in a diamond necklace.The sun was halfway down to sunset. The winds sent a shiver down my spine.The reef was covered with dull-coloured corals which made commutting to the other half painful. Standing on top of the reef, I considered myself to have established a commendable feat. Once, back on the beach, I quickly changed and picked up my duffle to head to the other half. This half was more crowded with people lying around leisurely but the view of the arch was spectacular. The arch had been naturally formed by the powers of the sea and erosion of the mountains. When seen against the light of the sun, the arch resembled the bent neck of a dinosaur, quenching its thirst with the sea water.The travel bug was  content to have captured such magnificance with its eyes. The walk up, back to the car park did not seem that long as it did the first time while  I walked down. My discovery of the day, was this small bent triangular gateway in a distant mountain. To me, it seemed like a door to the other side of the inaccessible coast with  lots more to discover and explore . And for those thinking how did I manage to return to the coast from the reef. A very kind English gentleman lend me a ride on his canoe till the coast, loyally gaurded my friend swimming behind us. Another well spent day into the travel bug's travel logs.