So recently having sold up most of my Splinterlands cards I went on a bit of a superfluous spending spree. It was just NFT's after all. So with some of the cash I bought some silver, some other random assortments, and a metal detector as seen below.
It seemed fun to bring something off the hive block chain into the real world and I wanted part of what I bought to feature or be useful in future posts. I love to travel around the UK when the mood takes me, and metal detecting has always been a fascination. So for my first outing we are heading first to Durdle Door, and then Lulworth Cove in Dorset to try out my new toy. I've done a travel post on Durdle Door before though it was on the fly and I wanted to revisit it.
So it was a early start at five in the morning to drive down to the coast. When we arrived the place was dead quiet, windless, and shrouded in fog. Usually Durdle Door is heaving this time of the year, but I later came to suspect most of the holiday makers were probably still in bed. I've been before to find early morning people drinking on the beach at half seven so the quiet was a relief of sorts.
Once we made it down to the door we started metal detecting. All in all it was ok. We found a lot of change, around ten quid. But otherwise the main find was beer bottle tops and buried cans. Why people burry their trash is beyond me, but we cleared a lot of it. The whole purpose of the trip was to try out the new toy to see how well it worked. In the end we ended up doing a lot of impromptu rubbish collection.
It was sorta atmospheric wandering around as the fog lifted. We could hear the fog horns out on the water through the morning, and when it lifted we were able to see where the sound was coming from. The dog assisted where she saw fit, often digging as far away from me as possible pursuing some questionable smell. Apparently at one point we were competing in her head. It was nice to give her the run of the place though as we were the only souls on the beach that morning.
In the end after some luck with change we decided to call it quits. Over the course of the morning we decided we were expert bottle and can finders, and ok at finding loose change. I could see myself having fun with the metal detecting device in the future. Another reason I bought it was the fact that my house is built into the side of an old iron age hill fort and part of me wants to dig around the property. Who knows? I could be sleeping atop a hoard of buried riches every night? But past the household uses I have to admit that my coastal trips will now have metal detecting involved. It does sorta hook you once you find your first bit of change.
So we left Durdle Door and decided we would return the following day and check out Lulworth Cove. It's located right down the coast by about five minutes drive.
So the following day we headed back down to the coast. I was determined at some point to find a gold coin or something better than a pound or a beer can with my new toy. We picked Lulworth Cove as it has a history of things washing up in the caves and coast near it. We didn't leave early this time as... well... My partner only has one early morning a week in her, and always prefers to sleep in. If I woke her again at five in the morning to go wander a foggy coast... the metal detector or some other foreign object would have been used to bludgeon me to death, or ended up lodged somewhere only customs officials dare probe. So we headed down for the late morning.
I've walked most of Britain's coastlines at one point or another in my life. Many years ago I walked from Deal to Bournemouth in one go. I rough camped, stayed in B&B's, or popped by friends houses along the way to visit for a day or two before moving on. Something about the morning ebb and vibe of Lulworth brought back memories of those days. There's something special about our coastal villages here in the UK that's so distinctly different from coastal towns I've lived in. Though there's a lot o sameness, each can be terribly unique as well.
The village itself isn't that large at all. In fact the visitor car park is bigger than the village. It is a simple street lined with bars and cafes that ends in a former working beach. We grabbed a cup of coffee at the Lulworth Lodge, and scooted on just checking out the local life before heading off to the caves and cliffs for some metal detecting.
We headed back up to the top of the high street, but there was a necessary stop for the four paws. An ice cream parlour that serves dog ice cream. I figured she could use a little pick me up before we went scrambling over rocks.
Though that day we found little of worth while metal detecting the caves and coves, the dog felt she had struck the lottery. I'm normally really strict about her diet, but every once and a while I give her the odd treat. She was putting out a lot of energy running around with us, so I figured what the hell. After ice cream we had a quick nose about the gift shop before heading down to the caves and cliffs.
The view down into the caves in these cliffs is spectacular. The main reason people come here (outside of holidaying) is to hunt for fossils as the entire coastal region surrounding the area is basically a fossil forest. It is a site to behold though. Mother natures handy work over time has always been one of my favourite things about this stretch of coast.
The tide was shifting quick which is something that this area is known for. We really didn't find much outside of some spent rifle casings, and the odd discarded piece of rubbish or iron. We are going back at some point and will be better prepared to take the whole treasure hunt thing more seriously. The two trips were more about getting out of the house and trying out the new piece of kit I bought. The day out did bring lessons on how to use it correctly though which was a plus. They can be finnicky instruments I have found, but competency is increasing with it all with each excursion. The first time I find something big, it's going up on Hive.
This stretch of Dorset is always a bit hit or miss regarding visiting in the summer months. London tends to dump its holiday makers down this way in droves the minute the weather is warm so it can be a bit crowded. However, the walks around the area are awesome. If you hug the coast and go back towards Durdle door you come across a small coastal path that's worth traversing as it dumps you out onto a quiet stretch of beach that most don't go through the trek to get to. It's worth the effort. At the end of the post I'll add some photos of the entrance for anyone who ever finds themselves in this part of the world so they know what their looking for. It's sorta overgrown and unmarked so it's easy to miss.
Well guys that's it for this post. Just a quicky really to get Lulworth Cove up on pinmapple and share some bits and pieces with you folks in the travel tag. If you made it this far thanks for reading, and as always looking forward to all your amazing posts and projects. :)
Image credits: My ipad