Payne's Down Cottage to Lyme Regis

Another glorious day of walking on a warm sunny day, with masses of wildflowers and sightings of a fox and a deer. However it started with breakfast at Payne's Down Cottage and being introduced to the alpacas by Geoff Bugler. We left soon after 9am and walked back to the Wessex Ridgeway at the point at which we left it yesterday.

We could see Lambert's Castle Hill ahead of us, but we initially descended, passing first Grighay Farm (an impressive traditional farmhouse) then Gashay Farm (with an impressive barn conversion). We crossed a stream and climbed up to a road - with confirmation from a road sign that we were now in Devon. We knew exactly where we were, so were able to direct some people in a car to Gashay Farm, but it took is a little while to find our route because the 'rough track that heads steeply uphill' looked like a level lane (though it became more track-like and did indeed climb).

We reached a road, crossed it then climbed up very steeply through woodland to the minimalist ramparts of Lambert's Castle. The ramparts may not have been much of a challenge, but the stile that we had to cross at this point nearly defeated me, being both one of those type of stiles without a cross bar and wobbly. It was worth it though, we walked around the tree-covered summit and onto a grassy plateau with superb sea views, with the Isle of Portland clearly visible to the south East. We took advantage of one of the benches provided to stop for a snack.

There were a few dog walkers about, and grazing cattle as we descended to a road at the southern end of the plateau. We then followed a lane past Coney's Castle, with good views opening up to Charmouth. We descended across fields to the north of Wootton Fitzpaine, aware that we would need to climb again to get into the next valley, the one leading down to Lyme Regis.

After a brief stretch on a narrow lane, in which a car came past us far too fast and far too close, we took a delightful path signposted to Monkton Wyld Lane. We were walking along the edge of a wood and stopped for another break, thinking how peaceful it was; shortly afterwards we encountered first a man with a strimmer and then some motorbike scramblers.

Just before Stubb's Farm we turned left and climbed steeply, through woodland and then across a field of cows below Penn Farm. We reached the hamlet of Penn and then the main A35. It took us a while to get across, but the road noise was quickly left behind as we descended across a field to woodland. The path through the woods had been closed just a few weeks ago, but fortunately it was open today, and lovely.

We eventually emerged at Dragon Hill, where we have been before (on our slightly alternative South West Coast Path route just over a year ago). So that was us 'joined up' - we had walked all the way between home in Norfolk and Land's End! Furthermore, the sign told us it was just 1 mile to Lyme Regis. We crossed two fields, with cows and calves in the first of them, then where our previous route went right to Uplyme, we turned left for Lyme Regis, alongside the River Lim and on the route of both the Wessex Ridgeway and the East Devon Way.

The route meandered its way alongside the stream, becoming less countryside and more town. There is no advance warning of the sea and therefore of the end of the Wessex Ridgeway, and the route is unclear towards the end, but suddenly there we were, by Lyme Regis Museum, with views to Golden Cap to our left and to The Cobb to our right. It was about 3pm and we were hoping to catch the 4.36pm bus to Axminster, where we were staying, so we had time for celebrations! We walked back to the Town Mill, which had some shade and was a little quieter than the promenade, and we had local Mendip Moments ice cream and then tea and delicious cake.

We walked down to the sea and 'paddled' our boots in the water, then we walked along the beach towards The Cobb. The beach at this end was heaving with people; not surprising for a Saturday with such lovely weather, but amazingly busier than it was when we came this way just over a year ago. We walked back along the promenade and caught the 31 bus as planned, a single decker that was completely full by the time we'd all got on it.