I am forever amazed that after 33 years of life I am still inspired and excited by the stretch of coastline I live on in the UK. The Jurassic Coast spans a large piece of the Dorset and Devon Coastline and has some very scenic walks. I have many favourites but the most popular area of the coast seems to be around Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door.
Durdle Door is popular for good reason too. It’s an extremely scenic beach with a natural arch formed over thousands of years.
If you are visiting Durdle Door and enjoying walking and hiking then I really recommend heading east along the clifftop on the South West Coast Path towards Weymouth. It’s an incredible piece of coastline with a bit of a roller coaster start! There are some very steep up and down sections.
Recently we parked at Durdle Door and walked to Osmington Mills for a late lunch (there is a great pub, The Smugglers Inn right on the SW Coast Path) and then returned back towards Durdle Door as the sun was setting.
This is around a 12 mile round trip but you can head inland at Ringstead if you fancy changing up the route back to the car. Remember thought the start was very steep so on the way back this means the end of the walk has the steep up and down sections!
We had a perfect late summers day for our walk blue skies, warmth and a calm sea made for some excellent views and photos. There were also a few paragliders flying along the coastline and I was quite envious of the views they must’ve been getting from up above.
I am hoping to continually share my coastal walks and different locations of the Jurassic Coast on the blog. You can view more of the coastline my seeing my previous Jurassic Coast posts here.
If you are visiting Dorset and want some suggestions of walks and things to do then please get in touch. I will happily send you some maps of places to visit and might even join you on a walk!
Hi Tom
I’ve planned a weekend to Durdle door for my husbands birthday (it’s the first birthday together as a married couple so it’s super special)
We love hiking and the outdoors- please could you send me a map of the best hikes to do and any other suggestions you may have.
Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes
Marisha
Hi Marisha
What a fantastic spot for your husbands birthday. I don’t really have a map but this is a great website to find some walks in the area – https://www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/.
I would suggest heading west along the coastal path all the way to the smugglers inn for some lunch and also walk towards Lulworth Cove.
It is worth getting in the car and going to Portland for some rock scrambling and also into the Purbeck Hills there is a great walk along the hill ridge from Corfe Castle to Old Harry Rocks you can eat at the Pig on the Beach (quite expensive) or go to the Bankes Arms pub and then return to your car in Corfe Castle by bus.
Have a great time
Tom