There are many wonderful things to being in one’s seventies. One of those is friendship built up over decades, which Sue and I treasure dearly. But never before have any of our friends taken us to see two naked giant people, one a man and the second his temporary lady friends whom in 1997 students at Bournemouth University created temporarily to keep him company. The above picture was on display at the local parish church at Cerne Abbas in Dorset, so it cannot be a fake, surely. Today he is back as a bachelor high above the hillside and overlooking the countryside and village of Cerne Abbas.
The village of Cerne Abbas, famous for the overlooking naked giant on the neighbouring hillside, derives its name from, “ Cerne- stony stream”, and “Aba – the Aramaic for my father – which became the English word Abbot” and the monastery established there. The village with a pre Tudor heritage, Roman artefacts found there too, grew because of the ready supply of good water and surrounded by what became good arable land. In time breweries were established there, one remains, and the monastery is still there, looking very fine. With a population of under 1000, the 3 splendid Pubs do depend upon tourists. This part of Dorset with its rolling agricultural landscape and woodlands is lovely, but like all of England this summer of 2026 is brown and parched. We walked under and clockwise around the “ giant “, a bit steep on the way up, lovely views from up top, super slippy limestone in the way down, overall not a bad little loop walk. Views of the “ giant”, best from the car park across the valley.
Folly by the English Channel at Swanage, Dorset
The Victorians, they that had too much money that is, often commissioned unusual sculptures or buildings, sometimes towers -which collectively are called “follies”.On the Dorset English Channel coast near Swanage and close by to Corfe Castle, which is a “real castle- albeit now in ruins after a Roundheads sacking in the Civil War”, Durlston Castle was never a castle, but made to look a bit like one. Built by a Wealthy local quarry owner from local Purbeck Stone its now owned by Dorset County Council for tourists to enjoy and as an educational centre. The South West Coastal Path runs by it, ideal for a coffee or lunch stop, and onwards as it winds along the coast above the English Channel. We have walked a bit of this down in Cornwall as well as in Dorset , a lovely day for a stroll and great views eastwards to the Isle of Wight and Poole Harbour.
A long weekend in Dorset with great friends from our college days comes to an end and its been a delight,concluding with a supper at the local and excellent Bangladeshi Curry House where the staff were celebrating their first Test Cricket win over Australia
Travels with My Wife 