Downloads: GPX File | KML File | Google Maps File | OS Online route
About Durdle Door | About Lulworth Cove
Parking Location | OS Map | Current Weather
No trip to Dorset would be complete without a walk along the Jurassic Coast. What turned out to be an unexpectedly warm, sunny day brought us to Durdle Door.
Durdle Door is a limestone arch, naturally formed from sea erosion, and still attached to the mainland’s stunning chalk cliffs.
Being the first area in England to be designated as a natural World Heritage Site, this landmark is most definitely Dorset’s most photographed and best-known areas. The iconic arch is known the world over.
The day started out cold and overcast, there was a threat of rain in every passing cloud and a bleak forecast. We decided to dress for the worst and took along layers and our good waterproofs.
We started our walk from Durdle Door car park, right next to the Holiday Park. From here we made our way down to the Man O’ War beach and then onto Durdle Door itself.
This place is very popular. Even though we got here reasonably early, there were many people here already. However, a wide stone path made it feel more spacious and gave us a pleasant stroll down to the edge of the cliff, regardless of the pedestrian traffic. In fact, the numbers of tourists and the slow mill of people did make it feel like a mini pilgrimage, all of us setting off to see an age-old wonder.
It must be noted that many people do only walk as far as the top of the steps before taking photos and retreating up the hill again. This first part is as busy as it gets, the crowd thins out a lot after this.
Care needs to be taken on the way down to the beaches. There is a long series of steps cut into the earth which can be wet and slippy. Proper footwear is needed as the steps aren’t particularly even either. The sheer number of steps can get exhausting, especially on the journey back up again. But we do recommend any abled body to do so as the view of the arch from the beach is stunning and well worth the work out.
After visiting the beach, the sun decided to start showing itself and the day started to warm up, only giving way to small clouds being blown over by a fairy strong breeze. We quickly tired of the people and set off on the coastal path in a westerly direction. This route gave a much different view of Durdle Door and the beautiful chalk cliffs. Interestingly, just a hundred yards along this path and we found ourselves to be far from the bustle of people and on our own for much of the walk in this direction.
During this part of our walk, we discovered a plethora of insects, moths and bees, each one focussed on the beautiful purple flowers which had popped up for the summer months. It was a wonderful experience to walk over flowers, with every petal brimming with wildlife. We carried on this steep and rolling path until we got to Bat’s Head. Here we decided to turn around and explore the East side of Durdle Door. By this time the sun had come out full force and a pint in Lulworth Cove was calling us.
A much more popular route, the path between Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door was wide and well-trodden. Walking along this path for a little over a mile, we got to Lulworth Cove. A picturesque cove with a quaint yet bustling village. Just before we got to the near circular cove, there was a small peninsular where Stair Hole is situated. Rich in geographical history, Stair Hole shows off its vertical striations of hard and soft rocks.
We spent a bit a time milling around Lulworth Cove and bobbing in and out of tourist shops. There was a great many ice cream and café shops to choose from. Originally walking into the cove in search of a Pub, the warm weather quickly made us change our minds and we sampled some of the many flavours of ice cream on offer.
The walk back to the car park was a lot slower with our bellies full of ice cream but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have a last look at Durdle Door before we headed off again.
If you are planning on visiting Durdle Door soon, we would really recommend making a day of it. Lulworth Cove can keep a family entertained and the best part of the day was discovering the rich wildlife just yards away from the main drag along the SW coastal path. Just make sure you wear your walking shoes!
