Escaping Samsara

The Jurassic Coast in the Winter: A Photo Journal

The South of England felt eerie at first. The trees are shorter but are spookier than the ones I am used to in the US, their branches skeletal and long-nailed like a witch’s wart infested hands. The houses are smaller, made of brick and retains an old world charm reminiscent of the classics that finds its place in English literature classrooms all over the world. The sky was overcast, the sun was rarely visible, the cold was overwhelming at times, especially as we drove north.

The people though are always polite and quick to offer help. But in the little middle-of-nowhere Puddletown with its lone grocery store, there were not many people around, especially given the cold climate. Internal United Kingdom can wear you out with its spooky atmosphere. Moreover, unlike the European claims to the contrary, not all of Europe is walkable and accessible with public transportation. The buses in internal Dorset were infrequent and pavements were not omnipresent. I did not spot many bicycles either, maybe that is a mainland European thing. The cities of Dorchester and Weymouth were more accessible though. However, except for the few old churches and mediaevel building, the cities are not what you come to Dorset for, it is the coast.

I will highly recommend a visit to the Jurassic coast. I could admire the cliffs that mark the southern boundary of England and its chalky hue for hours as it stretches on as you walk through the low-cut grass sparsely populated by grazing cows. I would have paddled along the ocean water if it has been warmer. There were not many tourists, the few visitors there seemed like locals on an afternoon walk. The rocky beach was a new phenomenon for me and the absence of fine sand on the shore threw me off. But given the weather, I was there to admire the beach anyways and not get in the water.

Next time, I am thinking of renting the small log cabins on the coast if I come in the summer. The drive to the coast is also beautiful giving you a panorama of ranches in all directions…

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All images shot on Olympus E-M10MarkIV by Sreekuttan “Sree” P S unless otherwise credited.

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