Just 3 on the bus from Dorchester, 1 of which stayed on to Lulworth and suntanned on the beach for us 2 to 'walk in' from Winfrith. We bought some nourishment from the store and awaited the X50 from Weymouth, but no one got off, so off we went. Perfect weather and ground conditions for this walk, namely warm but not hot and with a breeze

Stunning views of course, quiet downs and loads of wildflowers and daft cattle. On the coastal fringe then also vast numbers of butterflies, namely Marbled Whites, Lulworth Slippers and Six Fault Burnets. Also some beautiful beetles with shiny round green wings. Some nature lover uttered 'Shield Beetle' but they looked different to what the www shows Shield Beetles look like.

1 went down to DD beach as it was still relatively uncrowded, I walked on to the LC Inn to meet the beach dweller. The pub was quiet (it was still only 12.30, what difference an early start makes) and walker 3 joined us later for a drink.

Up on to the ridge then on into Lulworth Park, where 1 paid to go into Castle and Chapel, while 2 went to the shady tearoom for tea and ice cream.

We reached Wool at 17.30 and had a drink at the Black Bear, then took the (delayed by an hour) 16.58 to Dorchester.

Great day out, and deserved a much higher attendance.

Usually reliable sources suggested to me that the beetle in question might have been a Rose Chafer, and having goggled it, I'd have to agree.

Looking for tickets I discovered an anytime day return from Surbiton for £39.05 (senior railcard) valid for trains changing at or passing through Woking. The 0905 doesn't stop at Woking but it must go through it. Surbiton is an approximation to the boundary zone so acts as an extension ticket for freedom/London pass holders buying online. This fare is also the boundary zone 6 fare from ticket machines and offices, and is cheaper than advance tickets.

Grateful for an understanding of the 9/10 difficulty rating. It’s twice as long as the Hastings walk, which I think is 10/10, and has more fearsome looking contours.

Hi David. Fair question.

And quite happy to answer: Winchelsea - Hastings (Book 1) and other old walks were rated against the other walks available then, 20+ years ago, which were all softer than Hastings walks, ie 9/10. But since then we have gained many tougher walks on the website, so those old ratings are often out of whack with newer ones. Plus, there have always been and still are massive inconsistencies between walk authors, as every walk author/maintainer uses their own system (or none). Any attempt to correct that have been in vain.

I for one rate all the walks in my postings just based on objective data (length and height gain) against what are now the toughest daywalks on the website as a 10/10 benchmark, regardless of what the respective walk author rates their walks as.

So my ratings are consistent with each other, even if sometimes different from what the website shows.

As an illustration, just look at Hastings to Rye (7/10 acc. to the walk author), and Winchelsea to Hastings (9/10 acc. to the maintainer of that walk). Although they are near identical routes. So, in my system, rated against the toughest daywalks now on the site, their ratings are lower anyway but more consistent with each other: Hastings to Rye is a 5.5/10 for me and Winchelsea to Hastings a 5.7/10. Consistency in my system and across my postings, but inconsistency on the rest of the website.

I also always include distance, height gain and net walking time in my postings, as further help for punters to make their mind up. Always based on the gpx file and on Naismith's formula, always consistent. No guesstimates.

With that in mind, and if still confused by this ratings malarkey, it might be useful to look at just length and height gain for the walks you consider, as shown on the walk postings (in my case) or on the height profile at the bottom of a walk's webpage (in other walk poster's cases). And develop a feeling for what is right for you...

I hope that helps...

It does help; and is interesting. Thank you.

7 on this walk in weather that was warm with a breeze , with 1 other SW London based walker having been spotted on the train but not on the platform (she walked Corfe to Lulworth by herself, it turned out). Others, staying in the area, had walked the first half the day before. My main interest was to text check the Main Walk route including the bits going through Lulworth Castle's grounds, which meant no dawdling, no diversions to pubs, no long lunches, no swims, to beat the 5 o'clock cutoff for entering the grounds.

The group gamely stayed together through the first quarter of the route, which in effect is just a means to get to the rest, which is then highlight after highlight.

The start is not without interest (a fine wood, plenty of mildly undulating corn fields swaying in the breeze), but not THAT world beating.

Then there are a succession of quiet, scenic downs, framing the blue sky with passing clouds, a farm, a couple of barrows and - bang - you are on the ridge beside the sea, sloping off to downs left and right and with vistas to Isle of Portland/Weymouth and down the Purbeck cliffs.

That's where we picnicked.

On along the coast, with several sharp down-and-up moves to negotiate the dry valleys that fall off into the sea. We lost 1 walker to her falling behind and another to Durdle Door beach (for a swim) and then 2 others to Man o-War beach (for a swim).

Having passed the most multi-racial spot in the British Outdoors (the top of the steps down to Durdle Door beach), the rest of us marched on to Stair Hole and West Lulworth (ice cream stop) and up the steep slope to leave the sea behind and transfer through another scenic valley to Lulworth Castle.

We reached Clare Tower with 15 minutes to spare, to then realise that even a few minutes after 5, several local dogwalkers were happily entering the grounds and no one seemed too bothered with the 'closure'. On through pastures and a heath with more barrows (the matt purple of the heather made for a great colour scheme together with the greens and browns of grasses and bracken), one very fine wood and through Wool's quiet back lanes.

1 walked on to catch the 18.45 train, 2 of us retired to The Black Bear for dinner, where the 2 Man o'War swimmers had just arrived by bus. The Durdle Door swimmer walked in 15 or so minutes later, having improvised a walk route from there to Wool. Which left 1 walker unaccounted.

Food service was diligent but slow, so we could write off the 19.45 train.

The 20.36 then unfortunately had a medical emergency on board as we reached Brockenhurst, so we were held to await an ambulance.

We were then decanted an hour later onto the next (and last) train when it overtook us, which was then held at Basingstoke to allow the 20.36 (empty and dark) to pass us, so that train and driver could get back to base.

Waterloo at 00.15, a long day but it felt worth it.