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Itinerary
South West Coast Path Section 9,
Lyme Regis to Poole.
South West Coast Path Section 9,
Lyme Regis to Poole.
To me the Dorset coast path is the final surprise of the 630 mile trail as the path follows a run of everchanging seascapes from Chesil Beach to hidden Lulworth Cove with the golden beaches of Studland bringing the curtain down in style
Bizzy - Finance Officer at Encounter
Dorset Coast Path Walking Holidays - Lyme Regis to Poole Jurassic Coast
86 miles in total (easy 11 miles, moderate 47 miles, strenuous 21 miles, severe 7 miles - what these grades mean
Options from 5 to 9 days including the Isle of Portland & Inland Dorset Ridgeway Path Options
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. Along the Dorset Coast Path follow in the footsteps of pirates, smugglers, quarrymen and fossil collectors revealing a rich history of these activities and escapades throughout your walking holiday.
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 South West 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...
Overview
Interactive Map
Pricing On This Route
Our average prices are between £110 and £160 per person per day for those sharing a room and between £170 and £199 per day for single walkers - A quote will give you an exact and fixed price as walk costs depend on factors like your accommodation choices and the time of year you want to walk.
Our prices include -
- Your choices of good quality en-suite B&B, Inn and small hotel accommodation with full breakfast (where available), together with upgrade options.
- Detailed walking route planning and ongoing support from specialist walking advisors from your enquiry through to the end of the walk
- A full booking administration and holiday management service including information on travel to and from your walking routes
- Secure and reliable daily luggage transfers between accommodations
- The best available maps & guidebooks along with your own personal detailed route notes & itinerary posted to you whether you are based in the UK or overseas
Please see below for six factors which affect your quoted price -
1 - The time of year you are walking - The low season (outside of May to September) is generally cheaper than the peak months.
2 - How early you book. Cheaper accommodation tends to book out first so to get the best prices and choice of accommodation we recommend you book as early as you can. Bookings open for the season the previous summer.
3 - Which routes and areas you choose - Cornwall, South Devon and Dorset are the more expensive regions while Wales, Somerset, North Devon and Dartmoor tend to offer better prices. We also often run seasonal special offers on certain routes so ask if these would be of interest.
4 - Type of accommodation - You can choose to upgrade to luxury hotels or downgrade to basic B&B's and we will try to match your walk to your budget. Quotes will show standard options and the costs for any upgrades so you can pick and choose to suit your plans.
5 - The number of walkers - rates are generally based on 2 walkers - the more walkers the cheaper prices get as we split the costs of providing the walk between the group.
6 - Luggage Transfers - our quotes include two prices - with and without luggage transfers so if you want to keep the costs down you can choose to carry your own luggage to avoid those charges.
If you want to try to get the lowest prices let us know your budget - we can advise honestly and openly what is possible - we don't want to see anyone unable to walk the routes due to costs.
To request a quote costs nothing and there is no commitment to book - so do try us! We usually have quotes emailed back to you within a few days and these documents are very detailed with accommodation choices, website links to the accommodations, route descriptions, daily walking grade and mileage, travel info to the trail and of course a guaranteed price to consider. All for the specific walk YOU want.
Options On This Route
Relaxed Route
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Daily average 9.2 miles
Lyme Regis to West Bay
West Bay to Abbotsbury
Abbotsbury to Portland
Portland Circle Relaxed
Portland to Osmington
Osmington to Lulworth
Lulworth to Worth Matravers
10 miles
9.5 miles
13 miles
7 miles
10 miles
6 miles
11.5 miles
Day 8
Worth Matravers to Swanage
9.5 miles
7.5 miles
Swanage to Poole
Day 9
Fast Route
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Lyme Regis to West Bexington
West Bexington to Portland
Portland Circle to Weymouth
Weymouth to Lulworth
Lulworth to Worth Matravers
Worth Matravers to Poole
16 miles
16.5 miles
13 miles
11 miles
13.5 miles
14.5 miles
Daily average 14.6 miles
Standard Route
Day 1
Lyme Regis to West Bay
10 miles
Day 2
West Bay to Abbotsbury
9.5 miles
Day 3
Abbotsbury to Portland
13 miles
Day 4
Day 5
Portland Circle to Weymouth
13 miles
Day 6
Weymouth to Lulworth
11 miles
Lulworth to Worth Matravers
13.5 miles
Daily average 12 miles
Day 7
Worth Matravers to Poole
14.5 miles
Undercliff Path Option - CLICK HERE to view. Add one day for the Lyme Regis Undercliff Path (8.5 miles)
Travel to and from the route
Arriving from Overseas - Those arriving from overseas will usually arrive in the UK at London Gatwick or London Heathrow airport from where you can connect to the rail network to catch direct trains to Axminster for Lyme Regis or to join the path midway along the route at Weymouth. There are a few direct international flights to Bournemouth airport - see below for details on getting to the trail from Bournemouth Airport.
Internal Flights - Exeter airport allows access to the starting point at Lyme Regis in a journey of around 2 hours. The Jurassic Coastline bus X53 runs directly from Exeter Town Centre to Lyme Regis.
Bournemouth Airport is very well placed for the end of the walk- after you finish your walk it is around 1 hour 20 minutes from Poole or only 40 minutes from Bournemouth to the airport on public transport. For those arriving at Bournemouth to travel to the start of the trail at Lyme Regis allow 3 hours by public transport to reach the trail.
