If you don’t have any plans for this Sunday, I have put up blog posts about three different walks you can take on the Jurassic Coast cliffs. The routes are mentioned from the easiest to the most difficult. The things they have in common are breathtaking views, the calming sound of the sea, beautiful soaring seagulls and the unforgettable experience of walking in the footsteps of dinosaurs.
- From Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door
Easy walking challenge
Distance: 1.3 miles (one way); walking back is easier as it’s downhill
Facts in a nutshell:
- The structure of the cliffs, rocks and fossils can tell you the story of Earth across 185 million years.
- Lulworth Cove came into being because of a collision of continents.
- Durdle Door is an iconic arch of limestone standing in the sea.
- The area owned by a family called the Welds. They own 12,000 acres in Dorset in the name of the Lulworth Estate.
You can read my blog post about it here.
2. From Old Harry Rocks to Swanage Beach and back
Moderate walking challenge: Walking towards Swanage beach is easy, but up the hill, back to Old Harry Rocks, is more difficult and depends on your fitness level.
Distance: 1.4 miles to Swanage beach
Time: Down to the Bay via the South Coast Path: 59 minutes; 1h 10 minutes back to Old Harry Rocks.
Facts in a nutshell:
- Old Harry Rocks were formed 65 million years ago.
- Old Harry is the name people used to give to Satan.
- Old Harry had a wife (another stalk of chalk) but she collapsed to the sea 100 years ago.
- 50,000 years ago, Swanage beach was still connected to the Isle of Wight.
You can read my blog posts about it here and here.
3. From Worth Matravers to Chapman’s Pool (through Winspit Quarry)
Difficult walking challenge: If you decide to walk the same way back, it’ll be very challenging, but there is an easier, flatter path from Chapman’s Pool to Worth Matravers.
Distance: 4.7 miles one way
Time: 1h 40 minutes one way
Facts in a nutshell:
- Seacombe’s rocky beach is where a horrific shipwreck happened in the 18th century
- A quarry which was used to extract limestone to build the cottages in Worth Matravers called Winspit was also used by the Navy during the Second World War
- You can do fossil hunting in Chapman’s Pool.
You can read my whole blog post about it here.
Have you ever walked these routes? What’s your favourite part of the Jurassic Coast?
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