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Lyme Regis to Poole

South West Coast Path - The Dorset Jurassic Coast

- 86 miles in total (easy 11 miles, moderate 47 miles, strenuous 21 miles, severe 7 miles)
- Options from 5 to 9 days including the Isle of Portland & Inland Dorset Ridgeway Path Options

Introduction to the Trail

Given World Heritage Status in 2001, The Jurassic Coast Path through Dorset is quite simply unique - this is the only location on the planet where in a few short days of coastal walking you will travel through a few million years of earth time. The path draws together a fascinating history of long lost deserts, lagoons and swampy forests. A land of the dinosaurs, revealed by today’s tumbling landslides and spectacular coastal erosion

The best way to experience all this is on foot. Expect soaring limestone buttresses and multi coloured sandstone cliffs, gleaming white chalk stack pinnacles and folded fossil lined rock strata. Completing the scenery a backdrop of encounters with glittering azure bays, spectacular caves, huge rock arches and soft sandy coves, part of the ever changing and always breathtaking backdrop of the ocean itself. On a trail with twisting ascents and descents from soaring cliffs to perfect little coves - put simply, this is a walker’s paradise.

The dramatic and isolated headlands offer the chance to spot Peregrine Falcons, dolphins, deer and kestrel whilst the hanging valleys and hidden little bays reveal carpets of rare wildflowers, orchids, butterflies and birdlife galore. Following in the footsteps of pirates, smugglers, quarrymen and fossil collectors a rich history of these activities and escapades will also be revealed throughout the walk.

Overnight, walkers will enjoy stays in a good variety of locations from impressive Regency Royal Towns, to tranquil little coastal harbours and ancient rural villages, giving this section of the Coast Path a real sense of an old England past..... but one not completely lost.

Why is this section so special for the walker? Be aware that there are challenging sections, isolated areas and Army Restricted Access sections to deal with but for those who take the challenge it’s the sheer contrast in scenery that only those on foot can find. Every day between Lyme Regis and Poole presents a different walking environment and terrain, from Inland lagoon to gorse covered peaks and along the way the follies, ghost villages, hill top forts and abandoned mines leave you with a walk that at every turn has something new, surreal or surprising to offer – and then of course there are the fossils......

Day 1 Lyme Regis to West Bay / Bridport 10 miles - South West Coast Path

Grade: - 3 miles moderate, 7 miles strenuous - (5 hours average walking time without breaks)
Highlights: Climbing Golden Cap, Fossil Beach at Charmouth, lost church at St Gabriels

You will overnight in the Fossil Fever Town of Lyme Regis before you start your trek down the Jurassic Coast. Click on the link to view information about the location and its facilities.

Your first section today to Charmouth introduces the living and moving coastline as you skirt the remains of the largest coastal mudslide in Europe by heading inland over the soft Black Ven cliffs and uphill through the woods of Timber Hill. Enjoy fine early views over the cliff face of the collisions and debris in Lyme Bay below you as you descend to the town of Charmouth for an early refreshment stop. The beach here is famous for its fossils and you should not leave without a quick scour before you drag yourself away to start an ascent of the ominous Golden Cap.

After crossing the River Char you gain height immediately climbing above the crumpled under cliff at Cairnes Folly. You can follow the hanging stream valley at Gabriels Mouth inland to find the atmospheric, ivy drenched ruins of the tiny 13th C St Gabriels Church. Said to have been built after a shipwrecked sailor prayed to the Angel Gabriel to deliver him from the mercy of the sea – these spooky remains on the flanks of Golden Cap are evidence he kept his promise. The ascent now begins in earnest with 600ft to climb through heather clad slopes to scale mighty Golden Cap, the highest cliff summit between Lands End and Poole and named after the yellow gold sandstone adorning the top of the peak. It’s a twisting and toiling trail with a rope handrail in one section to help but all is forgotten as you break out of the bracken and gorse to top out on the grassy trig point an old Napoleonic Look out Station with absolutely breathtaking views in all directions. You will still be smiling as you arrive back on the beach at Seatown after a long and welcome descent through the woods and pastures on the eastern slopes of the Cap. Seatown is where a drunk Henchard sold his wife at the village fair in the Mayor of Casterbridge and after conquering Golden Cap you may well wish to celebrate with your own drink at The Anchor Inn.

Smaller climbs now take you over the grassy flanks of Ridge Cliff with some testing trail past Doghouse Hill to Thorncombe Beacon where you will spot the lofty fire beacon, first ignited to send the message along the coast that the Spanish Armada had been sighted. After satisfying views back to Golden Cap above you descend to Eypes Mouth, the brave crossing the stream by stone steps just above the “Dragons Teeth” on the beach –old World War 2 tank traps that remain here. The last section today passes old quarries and lime kilns as views of the world famous Chesil Ridge Bank open up ahead. You finally arrive in the interesting old harbour of West Bay, skirting the fishing boats via a little quayside path in a location famous until the late 19C as the coastal entrance for nearby Bridport which you reach by following the river Brit inland.

For information about the location and facilities of Bridport and West Bay click on the link.

Day 2 West Bay / Bridport to Abbotsbury - 9.5 miles - South West Coast Path

Grade: 9.5 miles Moderate - 4 hours average walking time without breaks)
Highlights - Trekking the World Famous Chesil Beach before an inland walk to Abbotsbury

A complete contrast in scenery and walking today as the rolling hills and sheer cliffs from Lyme Regis disappear to be replaced by smaller compact sandstone faces leading you steadily into the graceful arc of Chesil Bank.

Your last climb for some distance takes you over the steep grassy slopes at East Cliff above the run of famous sandstone cliffs a vivid display of different layers and colours. It was here that local records report a mermaid was washed up in 1760 though this was more likely one presumes to have been a sea cow. The brave can then ford the mouth of the River Bride while the rest of us head inland along its banks to cross below Burton Bradstock. Burton Bradstock is a delightful resting spot, a simple and very unspoilt village of thatched cottages with its old spinning mill house, interesting 14C church and triangular green. If you worked up a thirst there is a 300 year old thatched pub on hand.

Back above the diminishing cliffs look out for peregrines above and dolphins below whilst at Bind Barrow where you pass a Bronze Age burial Mound and then a much more recent pill box before finally arriving on level ground at Chesil Bank. Chesil is the old Saxon word for stone....and you are now going to walk a lot of them !

This immense pebble ridge is one gigantic strip of living geology which is on the move heading 5m further inland every year. It’s the finest example of a barrier beach in the world and rightly a protected site of scientific interest. Formed over 8,000 years ago and stretching over 17 miles in a perfect crescent, 100 million tonnes of rock reach up to 25 metres high in places but never wider than a few hundred metres. It’s quite surreal, unique and ever changing, the rocks starting the size of peas in the West slowly turning to huge potato sized pebbles at its other end in Portland. This natural feature used to their advantage by the local smugglers as they could gauge where they had landed in the dark by the size of the stones. . Expect to hear more in the public realm about Chesil as the screenplay for On Chesil Beach , the novel set here by the Booker Wining Author Ian McEwan is due to start production here in 2011.

The coast path collides with the stones near the much loved Cogden beach then sometimes on and sometimes off the stones for the next miles as you head landward onto wooden boardwalks at the tranquil, tiny lagoon of Burton Mere source of the local thatch and reed and now a well know site for wading birdlife. The next section takes you along the shingle bank to West Bexington and as you tackle the pebbles you will come across patches of thrift, sea spinach, sea kale, sea holly & yellow-horned poppy as well as the chance to spot wild carrot and wild parsnips. Through the West Bexington Wildlife Reserve (Dorset Wildlife Trust) contrasting patches of reed bed & scrubby wet meadow hold Cetti's and Grasshopper warblers, snipe and little owls attracted by the rare presence of dormice and voles here

Some respite from the ridge comes at the fishing village of West Bexington with its handy hotel for refreshments and here there is a choice of routes as the Inland South Dorset Ridgeway option takes off inland.

For the majority of us, the coast path continues on the stones past Labour In Vain farm, which apparently refers to the poor soil here rather than your efforts to complete the Chesil Beach scramble.

The path suddenly then heads inland to the beautiful village of Abbotsbury, after the stones the glorious green pasture and hill ridges are a superb contrast. Cross Chapel Hill below the stark and iconic 14C St Catherine’s Chapel with complete panoramas now for miles back over the Chesil Bank, ahead to Portland and looking at tomorrows walking twist ....the Fleet.

For information about the location and facilities of Abbotsbury click on the link.

Day 3 Abbotsbury to Ferry Bridge /Isle of Portland - 11 miles - South West Coast Path

Grade: 11 miles easy grade 4.5 hours average walking time without breaks
Highlights – Inland Ridge Walking and the full length of the serene and peaceful Fleet lagoon.

A morning climb through scrub and woodland leads to open, rolling fields and a fine minor ridge way over the small summits of Linton and Merry Hill. The whole way the trail offers superb vistas across the east end of Chesil beach and the imposing looking Isle of Portland ahead. After some pleasant woodland descents from the ridge you rejoin the coast and reach the focus of the days walk, The Fleet. The largest inland saltwater lagoon in the UK, The Fleet is hemmed in from the ocean by the ever moving barrier of Chesil Bank (Fleet comes from the Saxon word ‘fleot’ meaning shallow water). The path faithfully follows the lagoon edge gently tracking in and out of picturesque bays holding dragged up boats, past tranquil willow beds and looping peninsulas. Its an absolute joy to walk the calming blue waters of The Fleet and happen across the hidden hamlets and villages en route.

There is a huge variety of wading birds on the waterside, Curlew, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Redshank mix with exotic Little Egret, Oystercatcher and Heron. Visiting migratory birds such as the Brent Geese are attracted by the rare meadows of eelgrass and Thrift locally known as Sea Pink, indeed Fleet is the second oldest nature reserve in the UK protected since 1393 on account of its swans.

The whole lagoon is not only a protected area of scientific interest, it’s also culturally rich in legend and seafaring history. At Lanton Herring, stop for a drink at The Elm and note the beam in the bar, fashioned from an old ships mast which was used to hang a wanted fugitive in 1780. Perhaps this was done at “Gore Cove” where the coast path takes you below the famous Moonfleet Hotel with its old Bell tower and boat house. This is the setting for J Meade-Faulkner’s famous novel Moonfleet, a tale of the local smugglers battles with the authorities in these parts. In the next bay, all you will see of East Fleet village is half a church, literally. The hamlet was ravaged by a huge storm in 1824 that was so vicious a boat was deposited in the churchyard and the sea left just the chancel behind. In Moonfleet these church vaults were the secret store for the Smugglers Kegs. The annual pagan May Day ritual here is the casting of flowers from a flotilla of boats into the Fleet to protect the local fisherman at sea hereabouts

More easy walking over small creek crossings and bays dotted with isolated fisherman’s huts bring you to Chickerall where you pass the Army Camp and firing range (The Fleet was one of the locations used for testing of the legendry bouncing bomb as it happens). The guard in the sentry box will divert you inland on a short detour if the army are on training amongst the yellow gorse covered shore.

Finish the day passing through Pirates Cove before arriving in the built up area of Ferry Bridge at the end of your peaceful journey down the Fleet. This is the entrance to Weymouth but first the enticing Isle of Portland to the south is your next challenge looming above you, 5 miles in length and 2 miles across and in the words of Thomas Hardy “ stretched like the head of a bird into the English Channel”

Your overnight will be on the isle in one of the close knit villages at the entrance to Portland. Click on the link for more information about this location.

Day 4 The Isle of Portland Circle (optional day but recommended) - 13 miles - South West Coast Path

Grade: 13 miles moderate - 5 hours average walking time without breaks
Highlights - Lighthouses, quarries, castles, views, Pulpit Rock and Dorset’s most southerly point

The Isle of Portland Circle only became part of the official South West Coast Path National Trail in 2003 but don’t be deceived into feeling you must doggedly walk it for this reason alone. Portland is completely different from anything else on the 630 miles of this trail and if you miss it out you lose out on not only an important part of the coastal context but a unique and fascinating detour into the past on an island that since the Romans, has been a wild and isolated frontier post literally hanging off the mainland UK. The walking, often high level above the cliffs, offers the most far reaching panorama’s on this entire coast and with every turn you will meet the bizarre, the unexpected and despite its ruggedness the beautiful as you twist through old castles, long abandoned quarries and isolated fishing shacks.

You arrive on the island along the route of the old railway from the Chesil Beach causeway, Thomas Hardy’s “Dead Mans Cove” on your right, his nickname for this notorious magnet for ship wrecks. Passing the Chesil Visitor Centre you climb through abandoned quarries where the land has been left to the wild flowers, and grasslands creating a unique habitat for many rare species of butterfly. These Quarries have provided Portland Stone, the most famous building stone in the world, to buildings around the globe from Whitehall and St Pauls Cathedral to the Raj buildings in New Delhi and the UN building in New York

As you wind past huge slabs of stone you pass remains of the hand cranes that somehow loaded the rock onto horse drawn trailers. All along here watch out for a huge variety of birdlife with kittiwakes, fulmar and peregrines and guillemots in the area. At Old Trout Quarry are 40 superb sculptures in the Portland Sculpture Trust site where the art work sits amid an area of protected wild orchids. The coast path takes dramatic turns joining old tramways under immense rock arches, past stone seats, old World War 2 Gun emplacements, tumbling screes and quarry spoil always above the sheer cliffs that allow uninterrupted views out over Fleet and Chesil and beyond to Lyme Bay and what was the distant start of your walk.

At the end of the isle you reach desolate Portland Bill itself, the most southerly point on this walk and along the entire Dorset Coast. Here is the notorious Portland Race where two tides meet in a churning angry sea so treacherous that even today you will find three lighthouses on the route, the original one coal fired ! At the gigantic stone plinth of Pulpit Rock those brave enough can shin up to the superb rock platform where you feel at the end of the World. For the less daring you can visit the Modern Lighthouse and climb the tower for the views. On a clear day you can see as far back as Start Point in mid Devon - an amazing 118 miles back down the trail if you have walked that far. You can see more of the coast from here than from any other part of the entire South West Coast Path - overall over one quarter of the whole route is visible.

Returning on the east coast the views change to no less impressive rolling chalk cliffs stretching towards Swanage from a trail that passes old fisherman’s shacks, then wide tracks through quarries mixed pleasantly with zigzag paths through landslips. At Church Ope Cove see the Cave Hole formation below the cliff top remains of St Andrews Church with its Pirate Graveyard. Close by you can see the aptly named Pennsylvania Castle built for the Governor of the Island in 1800. The nearby thatched Portland Museum is housed in the cottage Hardy used for the dwelling of Avice the heroine in The Well Beloved.

The path continues past the 15C Rufus Castle, above huge sea cliffs often being scaled by climbers, old Engine Houses, hand cranes, isolated chimneys and tramways complete the surreal walking route before you reach the towering Victorian Portland Prison now a young offenders unit. Beyond this the path takes you to the moat and tunnel of the impressive Verne Citadel built on huge ramparts for 1000 soldiers in the 1860’s and yet another prison today - due to its wild tides and isolation this has always been England’s answer to Alcatraz. One last battery fort at the grassy slopes of High Angle before the final part of the walking circle is completed above Portland Harbour the largest artificial harbour in Britain built, no surprises here, by convict work gangs, its far end now to be the site for sailing and water sports events in the 2012 Olympics

If time allows before leaving the Isle its worth visiting Portland Castle, probably the best of Henry VIII’s string of coastal forts. You can enter the Tudor kitchen and step inside the Great Hall as well as wander the canons and gun emplacements set with superb views of Portland Harbour from its ramparts.

Overnight will be in either the villages of Portland (2nd night) or 3 miles further on in Weymouth. Click on the links for more info on both.

Day 5 Portland / Weymouth to Lulworth - 15 miles - South West Coast Path

Grade: 15 miles moderate grade with an easy start - 6 hours average walking time without breaks
Highlights –Elegant Esplanades and Charm of Weymouth before a challenging cliff top rollercoaster past the iconic Durdle Door Rock Arch to the picture perfect Lulworth Cove.

From Portland enjoy some easy walking following the waterside Rodwell trail on the course of the old railway into Weymouth itself. The Coast Path passes the ruins of 16th Century Sandsfoot Castle another Henry VIII coastal castle, though this one is now disappearing into the sea. On low cliffs enter delightful Nothe Gardens where you can pick your path through to Napoleonic Nothe Fort standing in a prominent position overlooking Weymouth Bay with its 12 gun battery open to the walker to wander round. A short ferry ride takes you over the neck of inland Weymouth Harbour a safe haven for its cluster of working fishing boats before a stretch along the waterfront Esplanade one of the best in the UK

CLICK HERE to read about Weymouth, its facilities and attractions and information for those staying overnight.

Leaving Weymouth by the sea wall you head back to the countryside passing Lodmoor Country Park, an important RSPB salt marsh bird reserve, a network of intricate lagoons and reed beds holding the largest common tern colony in the South West. Then just off the path is the remains of the 4thC Jordan Hill Roman Temple as well as old Earthworks at Black Head. Look inland here to spot King George 3rd as he departs Weymouth (literally on horseback) in mighty style as a huge chalk image carved on the hillside above you. The fact he was depicted riding out of the town upset many of the locals here in 1815.

At Osmington Mills you can pause for a drink at the rather iconic 13th Century Smugglers Inn where the infamous smuggler Pierre Latour or French Peter was caught by Customs men craftily hiding up the chimney ! At this point those who took the inland DORSET RIDGEWAY option, rejoin the main South West Coast Path.

Walking now through bushes and scrub to the cliff tops pass old pill boxes and machine gun points at Bran Point, the wreck of The Minx (1929) visible on the rocks below and on a calm day oil can be seen rising from the seabed here part of a natural rock seep. Impressive woodland takes you to the old mounds of Ringstead an abandoned Medieval village burnt and destroyed its said by bands of French Pirates though the arrival of the Black Death in Weymouth is the more likely cause. As you pass the eerie mounds of the cottages and streets can still be made out.

The walking now picks up in its challenges passing the bizarre Burning Cliff, so called after the cliff literally combusted during the 19C becoming a major tourist attraction as it burnt for a year and smouldered for much longer, a reaction of the Iron Pyrites and the oil shale that forms here. Pause at the tiny church of St Catherine’s by the sea barely much more than a wooden hut but according to Hardy its real purpose was a store for smuggled goods.

Finally you reach White Northe where the path becomes narrower and more dramatic along mighty sheer chalk cliffs some over 500ft deep. Look out now for wild deer and rare butterflies attracted by the chalk lands. The roller coaster really takes hold now with three big ascents and descents from here to Lulworth Cove each one more stupendous than the last. First, the isolated triangular spur of Bats Head which has is own less famous rock arch before an immediate toil back up to Swyre Head this climb bringing the rewards of the first views of the stunning rock arch at Durdle Door beyond your amusingly named descent into Scratchy Bottom

Durdle Door (meaning Pierced opening) is a Coast Path Highlight, a breathtaking geological sea archway, 200ft high and probably the most iconic image of the South England Coast. Descend steps to reach the beach as you can’t miss this location for a paddle or better still for the brave a once in a lifetime swim beneath this towering natural wonder. Ahead now the views open up to reveal legendry Lulworth Cove its perfect azure blue bay circled by chalk hillside to give a natural coliseum , a sheer sided auditorium. Just before you reach this rather heavenly spot is Stair Hole, here go to the viewing platform to take in the impressive collapsed cave systems and rock arches surrounded by cliffs of folded rock strata know here as the Lulworth Crumple.

For information about overnight stays and facilities at Lulworth Cove click on the link.

Day 6 Lulworth to Worth Matravers. 11.5 miles - South West Coast Path

Grade: 7 miles Severe, 4.5 miles strenuous - 6 hours average walking time without breaks
Highlights – Unique green wilderness, the Ghost Village of Tyneham, Kimmeridge Bay Marine Area.

The remote route today to Kimmeridge Bay is one of the most demanding sections of the entire walk. The whole coastline is a protected site of special scientific interest particularly unusual as the absence of farming for over 60 years has led to a unique eco system developing with rare birds, flowers butterflies and the largest wild herd of Sika Deer in the Uk. All of it unfettered and untouched by fertilisers and modern farming techniques. Its a surreal landscape with abandoned tanks and armoured vehicles adding to the backdrop of the ocean.

You enter the firing range through scrub high above the chalk cliffs at the Fossil Forest, the most complete record of a Jurassic Forest in the World. Here spot bulbous fossilized remains of conifer type tree stumps from a forest that sat here over 100 million years ago, part of a long lost saline lagoon..

The trail skirts the stunningly unspoilt Mupe bay with its Mupe Ledge rock formations moving on to a series of zigzag climbs above sheer cliff through open grassland and gorse scrub Lulworth Castle creeps into view as you pass through the majestic grassy earthwork ramparts of the 4th C Iron Age Fort at Flowers Barrow. Another surreal sight with half of the original fort missing, having disappeared over the encroaching cliff edge but its a breathtaking spot.

The narrow peninsular of Worbarrow Trout and Worbarrow Point give superb views over this most remote bay with its multicoloured cliffs of red, brown and orange. Long abandoned remains of some fisherman’s cottages share a lonely spot on the cliffs with the kestrels here.

Slightly inland of the path you can now visit the deserted ghost village of Tyneham. A settlement since the 13thC, in 1943 the Army requisitioned the firing ranges as part of the War Effort and ordered the 252 villagers out, virtually overnight. A sign hurriedly left on the Church door said Please treat the church and houses with care; we have given up our homes where many of us lived for generations to help win the war to keep men free. We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly

Well sadly, the return has never happened - what is left is a fascinating and somewhat moving, time capsule of a Village from the middle of World War 2 left pretty much as it was on the day it was evacuated. 60 years on you can wander the lanes seeing buildings in various states of collapse while others have been restored. The Church and School in particular with its desks set out ready for a lesson that has never come, a platform at one end for the infants that never grew up here. Old agricultural equipment lies where it was left and there is a display in the church with some information and photos of the village before it was lost. Other than this there is little else here just an non-commercialised and uncorrupted glimpse into a village past and a lost community

Back on the coast path Tyneham Cap is the last big climb before you reach Kimmeridge Bay a nodding donkey oil well pump the unexpected welcome here. Oil was discovered at Kimmeridge in 1959 and at one time this was the most productive well in the UK. The bituminous oil rock here has long been fashioned since Roman times for trinkets, bangles and armlets, the oil rocks themselves can sometimes be set alight with a match. The superb Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve is sited here with interactive displays including a rock pool aquarium for those who don’t want to explore the beach itself. Its a unique and unspoilt marine environment due to its rocky ledges which make it one of the most accessible marine wildlife spots in the UK. If you have time during a lunch break you can hire a mask and a map and a short buoyed Snorkel Trail leads snorkelers through a variety of seabed habitats, including sandy seabed, rocky reef, Japanese seaweed garden, sea lettuce and kelp fields.

Inland of the bay the village has a welcome Cafe and in the church you will find 4 sobering headstones of coastguards all who died aged 26 in the “execution of their duty”

A steep ascent on steps brings you to the Clavell Tower a bizarre 19thC folly with its 12 Tuscan columns and parapets, its most famous visitor was Thomas Hardy who would bring the local coastguards daughter here in his early years ! This is the tower committed to print in The Black Tower by PD James. Perhaps most remarkably the whole building in danger of collapsing into the sea was dismantled in 2002 and re-erected stone by stone in its present position 82ft inland.

You now end a long day on glorious trail above the Kimmeridge Ledges past the waterfall at Freshwater Steps. Then a final steep ascent over the limestone topped Hounds Tout Cliff before the path descends around the compact bay at Chapman’s Pool to within striking distance of the village of Worth Matravers and the excellent Square and Compass Pub !

For information on the village of Worth Matravers and overnight stays click on the link

Day 7: Worth Matravers to Poole. 16 miles - South West Coast Path

Grade: 8.5 miles Strenuous, 7.5 miles moderate / easy. 7 hours average walking time without breaks
Highlights: St Aldhelm’s Head, Durlston Park, Old Harry’s Chalk Stacks, Sandy beach/dune finish.

Your first climb today brings the wild protrusion of St Aldhelms Head passing en route an isolated and poignant little memorial garden to The Royal Marines where you are invited to “Rest awhile and reflect that we who are living can enjoy the beauty of sea and countryside” .....and you will from here. The views are outstanding from the headland, back to Portland one way and now as far as the Isle of Wight the other, fulmar, kittiwake, razorbills and even the odd puffin can be spotted up here as well as dolphin in the waters below the huge cliffs. At the top you encounter the stark 12thC St Aldhelms Chapel with its Norman Vaults and tremendous buttresses and pillar. Originally the isolated abode of a solitary priest who said daily prayers for the safe passage of ships below and lit a nightly beacon.

Beyond this the walking is superb on a high level cliff top path traversing the occasional hanging valley, look out for the rare Lulworth Skipper Butterfly amongst patches of chalk milkwort and spider orchid. The remains of Winspit Quarry are the first of several on this route, this area so remote that rock drawn from the mines and quarry face by horse power was then lowered down the huge cliffs to waiting barges. Any boat in this area was taking risks, at Headbury Quarry you can see a canon lying far below you marking the resting place of the Halsewell sunk here on its way to India with 168 lives lost in 1786, the bodies buried close to the path in a mass grave..

Approaching Swanage you enter the Durlston Country Park passing nautical Daymark towers and the lighthouse at Anvil point (open for guided tours). You will encounter the square cut holes of the Tilly Whim Caves, cliff face limestone quarry shafts that became welcome holding sites for the smugglers hauls after the quarries shut in 1815 and these days they are the roosting holes for the rare Horseshoe Bat.

At Durlston Head you reach the bizarre 3m diameter globe made from Portland Stone weighing a mere 42 tonnes and somehow sited here in 1887. It illustrates a very Victorian view of the world inscribed with scriptures, geological data and quotes from the great poets. The viewing platform here is one of the best spots for seeing Peregrine Falcons and Dolphins. For those who need it you can pause here for refreshments at the Lookout Cafe in the splendid Victorian folly of Durlston Castle also now the new 'Gateway Information Centre' for the Jurassic Coast Path.

You then descend to the Promenade to walk through Swanage with its an attractive Victorian Pier. For those staying overnight here click on the link for more information about its facilities. You may want to take a day out here to visit nearby Corfe Castle.

Ballard Down has its own chalk loving flowers and butterflies including the Adonis Blue and takes you to the final headland on the Coast Path at the impressive white stacks of Old Harry. These towering pinnacles of chalk are the remains of what was once a continuous ridge that linked to the Isle of Wight, its famous needles being the mirror end of this formation. Have your camera ready, the towering stacks are beautifully white, sheer and very memorable.

Passing pretty Studland with its fine Saxon Church, you reach Fort Henry, here in 1944, Montgomery, Mountbatten, Churchill and Eisenhower met to watch the preparations for D Day on the beach below.

You now end your journey with a superb contrast in the walking on three miles of soft sandy beach bringing the walk to a pleasing and reflective close. Offshore keep looking if you are yet to spot a bottlenose dolphin on this trip, inland is the rough grass, dune and heath of the Studland Heath Nature Reserve, housing everything from roe deer and nightjars to sand lizards and the rare smooth snakes.

Much fun is made of the well known Nudist beach which is the last obstacle (or attraction depending on your point of view) before reaching the ferry at South Haven Point. You can choose to avoid the naked by taking the National Trust’s thoughtfully provided heather walk through the dunes. Either way from here your journey and your coast path ends with a boat ride into the largest natural harbour on the UK’s south coast at Poole.

Click on the link for information about facilities and accomodation in Poole

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