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The Jurassic Coast

October 2020 - April 2022
Walking the Jurassic Coast (a UNESCO world heritage site) from the Old Harry Rocks in Dorset to Orcombe Point, near Exmouth in Devon. Read more
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  • TravelerThe Jurassic Coast
    Day 1

    1. Old Harry Rocks to Swanage

    October 12, 2020 in England ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    We walk across high chalk grassland to reach the Old Harry Rocks; these mark the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast (a UNESCO world heritage site) which starts here and finishes at Orcombe Point, near Exmouth. The rocks are chalk and the original formation used to stretch as far as the Isle of Wight, linking up with The Needles there. They are really impressive, but you do not want to get too close to the edge of the steep cliff!

    Not far from here are the pointed chalk stacks known as The Pinnacles. We walk further, crossing the end of Ballard Down at Ballard Point and the start of the Purbeck Way, to reach the steep, but stepped, descent to New Swanage. From here we see Ballard Down behind beach groynes, which help intercept water flow and sediment movement.

    We have good views of Swanage as we enter it, noting the Wellington clock tower (originally built for London Bridge) and Swanage Pier in the distance, as well as beach huts closer by.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Jurassic Coast
    Day 2

    2. Swanage to Dancing Ledge

    October 13, 2020 in England ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    We proceed through Swanage to Peveril Point - a promontory where there is a National Coastwatch Institution look out point manned by volunteers - and on further to Durlston Bay, a renowned site for fossils.

    The bay borders Durlston Country Park where Durlston Castle, originally built as a folly by George Burt on Durlston Head, is now the visitor centre. Burt also commissioned the Great Globe which is made from Purbeck Stone; at 3m diameter and 40 tons in weight, it is one of the largest stone spheres in the world. A little further on are the Tilly Whim Caves, originally quarries for the valuable Purbeck Stone; the "Purbeck Beds" extend from here to St Aldhem's Head. Now closed to tourists, the caves are a sanctuary for bats. Still within the grounds of the country park, we reach Anvil Point and its lighthouse.

    Leaving the park area and a couple of miles futher on is Dancing Ledge; this is a flat area of rock at the base of a small cliff that was also used for quarrying, since ships could come right up to the sheer edge due the depth of the water. There is a lot of rock climbing going on and the views are splendid.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Jurassic Coast
    Day 3

    3. Dancing Ledge to Chapman's Pool

    October 14, 2020 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    The walk from Dancing Ledge brings us first to Headbury Quarry, where an old cannon on the rocks is visible - it is from a ship wrecked in a storm in 1786 whilst on its way to India. Next, we pass Seacombe Cliff and reach Winspit, a disused quarry with caves that has been used as a TV setting for Blake's 7 and Dr Who. There are great views before and after Winspit; for the latter, we can see back to Anvil Point and its lighthouse.

    We reach St Aldhelm's Point, the most southerly part of the Isle of Purbeck peninsula, where is another National Coastwatch Institution look-out point. There is also a Radar Memorial and St Aldhelm's Chapel, a Norman Church rebuilt in the 19th century.

    There is a very steep descent followed by an ascent up Emmett's Hill before we enjoy a wonderful view of Chapman's Pool, a small cove below, and of Egmont Point; the Kimmeridge Ledges and Kimmeridge Bay are beyond.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Jurassic Coast
    Day 4

    4. Kimmeridge Bay to Durdle Door

    October 15, 2020 in England ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Kimmeridge Bay, aka Purbeck Marine Wildlife Preserve, is renowned for fossils and is a site of Special Scientific Interest; it is semi-circular in shape with a wave cut platform and rock pools beneath the cliffs. Clavell Tower on the overlooking Hen Cliff was built as both an observatory and a folly.

    Next up is Lulworth Cove, one of the world's finest examples of a natural cove; the nearby Stair Hole, an infant cove, shows how it may have looked many thousands of years ago. Lulworth Cove has been shaped as a result of wave diffraction through the narrow, hard Purbeck entrance into the softer clays behind it which are bordered behind by hard greensand and chalk .

    We walk on to Durdle Door, a natural limestone arch; the same rock strata as Lulworth Cove have been folded 90 degrees. Wonderful!    Read more

  • TravelerThe Jurassic Coast
    1
    Day 253

    5. Weymouth

    June 21, 2021 in England ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Weymouth is a seaside town situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wet halfway along the Jurassic Coast; built on weak rock, it has been protected by a barrier beach (Chesil Beach) and the limestone of the nearby Isle of Portland.

    Weymouth Beach faces Weymourh Bay and has a small fun fair on it; the Esplanade is full of Geogian Architecture and features the Queen Victoria Jubilee Clock. We walk through the town centre via the pedestran only St Mary's Street and cross the Tower Bridge to the southern part of town; this bridge can be raised to link the outer and inner harbours. The harbour was once used for cross channel ferries, but is now used for commercial fishing and private boats. We walk through Brewer's Quay, named for a converted Victorian brewery, to Nothe Fort; this is a historic sea fort built to protect the harbour, but is now a coastal museum.

    Our first visit to Weymouth and it has not disappointed.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Jurassic Coast
    1
    Day 253

    6. The Isle of Portland

    June 21, 2021 in England ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    The Isle of Portland is a tied island linked to the mainland by a barrier beach (Chesil Beach); traffic moves between the two via a bridge over the Fleet Lagoon. Portland is split into two geological areas; Underhill, a steep escarpment of Portland Sand in the north, and Tophill, a shallow angle decline of Portland Stone to sea level at Portland Bill.

    We stop off at the Tout Quarry Nature Reserve and Quarry Park. It is an abandoned 40 acre stone quarry park with stunning views of Chesil Beach and Portland Harbour and also many sculptures made on the Portland stone blocks (including Anthony Gormley's "Still Falling)); Portland stone has been used for the construction of many famous buildings, including St Paul's Cathedral.

    Portland Bill is a narrow promontory where there have been many shipwrecks over the centuries; it is an important way point for coastal traffic and there have been lighthouses here since 1716 - the current lighthouse dates from 1906. Portland Bill is a popular tourist destination.

    We visit Portland Castle next; grandly named, it is a fan shaped artillery fort built by Henry VIII as part of his defence programme against France and the Holy Roman Empire.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Jurassic Coast
    Day 254

    7. Chesil Beach

    June 22, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Chesil Beach, aka Chesil Bank, has its name derived from the Old English word for gravel or shingle; it is a "barrier beach" and one of only 3 shingle beach structures in the UK. It is 18 miles long and runs from the Isle of Portland to West Bay. Behind it is a shallow, tidal lagoon formed from ice-age meltwater known as The Fleet which is home to many wading birds.

    We reach via the coastal road along the Ridgeway and enjoy good views. We walk for a while on the shingle beach and can see St Catherine's Chapel, originally part of the monastery in Abbotsbury, from here. Later on we enjoyed views of Chesil Beach, and some of the old coastal defenses, from a viewpoint at the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens (see next post).    Read more

  • TravelerThe Jurassic Coast
    Day 255

    8. West Bay

    June 23, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    West Bay, also known as Bridport Harbour, is situated 1.5 miles south of Bridport at the mouth of the River Brit. It is a small town that developed as a result of rope and net trade from Bridport, but this declined and it then developed as a resort due to the (now disused) railway station there. It forms the western end of Chesil Beach which extends from Portland Bill 18 miles to the east and is famed for its towering, crumbling, golden cliffs - it was been used as the location for the TV series "Broadchuch" (which is excellent).

    We are staying in an apartment here and, after exploring the attractive town (harbour and harbour walls, church etc) set off on a circular walk to nearby Burton Bradstock. We skirt the Bridport and West Dorset Golf Couse and a static caravan / camping site (there are several of these in the area) to reach Burton, before heading down to Hive Beach for lunch. We walk back along the top of Burton Cliffs, then via Burton Freshwater (where the small River Bride meets the sea) and finally along the top of East Cliff back to West Bay to enjoy some local beer (Palmers, which is brewed in Bridport).    Read more

  • TravelerThe Jurassic Coast
    Day 255

    9. West Bay to Golden Cap

    June 23, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We leave West Bay via West Cliff, above the Esplanade; whereas the East Cliff is composed mainly of Bridport Sand, the West Cliff is composed mainly of the younger Frome Clay and has a much different look. We walk down to Eype Mouth and cross this to walk along the cliff face of Monarchs Way to Thorncombe Beacon. The path then goes along Doghouse Hill and descends down Ridge Cliff to Seatown.

    Seatown is a coastal hamlet just south of Chideock and Golden Cap - at 191m, the highest cliff on the south coast of England - is only one mile west. We walk up the steep slope to the the top of Golden Cap; it is named from the distinctive outcrop of golden greensand rock at the top of the cliff. There are great views at the top in both directions.

    We descend to St Gabriel's mouth and then double over the small river via the remnants of St Gabriel's Chapel; the old village of Stanton St Gabriel was situated here, but abandoned two centuries ago. We pass Langdon Wood on our way back to Seatown.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Jurassic Coast
    Day 256

    10. Charmouth

    June 24, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    It is a short drive to the town of Charmouth and we visit the Heritage Coast Centre with its wonderful display of fossils found on the beach - including the Ichthyosaur which starred in the TV documentary "Attenborough and the Sea Dragon". Typical fossils found here are small, bullet shaped belemnites and small, spiral shaped ammonites; we explore the beach at low tide and search for them - with a little success....

    We enjoy good views from the beach of Golden Cap to the East and Lyme Regis to the West.    Read more

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