Hills and views 4-St Catherine's Chapel

View from the road above Abbotsbury St Catherine's Chapel with The Fleet, Chesil Bank and Portland in the distance

St Catherine's Chapel dates from the 14thC and sits high on a hilltop above the village of Abbotsbury. It seemed the perfect place to sip and quaff a flask of coffee whilst offering thanks for the first cloudless day in weeks. 
Just a short scramble uphill from the village and you have gained an outlook that would bring out the poet in anyone.

The chapel is the focus to one of Dorset's most sublime views. 

Far below, the Fleet lagoon sparkles silver  and Chesil Bank sweeps away in a gentle crescent that culminates in the mysterious Isle of Portland in the blue distance, while at the foot of the hill, the village clusters around the scant remains of the Abbey that gave it its name.

Negotiating groups of inquisitive heifers, a scramble downhill brings you to the sloping shingle and the tumbling surf of Chesil Bank itself. If all this leaves you feeling spiritual, services are still held at the chapel several times a year.