On our penultimate day in Dorset, we decided to make the most of the sunny weather and head to the coast, explore Lulworth Cove and then walk along the coast to Durdle Door. We then drove to Kingston Lacy (click here to read more on the latter)…
Lulworth Cove
Map of the various walks around Lulworth Cove
The visitor center, shops, cafes etc
Cute little cottages en route Lulworth Cove
Signs on the footpath to Durdle Door
Lulworth Cove
We arrived at the Lulworth Cove car park at around 11am- which was early enough we thought, but the car park was filling up very quickly- although given this was a very sunny Saturday in May this was to be expected. The car park was of decent size, and payments could be made online quite easily. There was also a visitors center just a 5 minute walk, as well as a few shops, cafes, toilets etc.
Getting to Lulworth Cove and the beach was very easy- it’s only a 5 minute walk to the beach, just follow the other visitors (and the path is also well marked). The beach here isn’t too big and is a pebble beach rather than sand, but the main reason we were here for is the view of the cove.
There is a walk up to the viewpoint (just don’t get too close to the cliff edge as there is risk of rockfalls, and you get a view regardless! There are really good views the other way as well…You can then follow the SW Coast Path footpath west to get a view of the Stair Hole (a stunning cove with caves and stone arches) before heading back to the visitor center.
Stair Hole information board
Lulworth Cove
Stair Hole
Walking to Durdle Door
We then carried on the SW Coast path from the car park to Durdle door. A word of warning that this walk may actually be challenging for some- it is quite steep uphill and whilst there are steps and not loose gravel, sensible footwear would be recommended (and not flip flops!). The gradient becomes easier after the first 10-15 minutes, and then mostly downhill towards the Durdle Door.
We’d also recommend having lots of water with you- there are no water fountains en route, but there was a very popular ice cream van near the Durdle Door car park. The walk from the Lulworth Cove car park to a viewpoint of Durdle door took us around 30 minutes- it depends on how much often you stop, whether you are walking with children etc.
The footpath towards Durdle Door
The footpath from Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door
Coastal views along the walk
Man O’War beach
When we arrived at Durdle Door, there is an option to walk down to the beach, or continue along the SW Coast path. There are also many points along the way which would be perfect for picnic spots. We decided to spend a bit of time just enjoying the view and impressive scenery and then heading back to Lulworth Cove.
Views from Durdle Door Cliff lookout viewpoint
We found this a very nice walk- and luckily it was not too busy so we were able to take in the views and the scenery, and this is a walk we would definitely recommend if in Dorset!
Following this walk, we went to Kingston Lacy– to find out more, read here, and to find out more about what else you can do in Dorset, check out our main blog post here.
0 Comments