Durdle Door is a great limestone arch plunging into the turquoise sea of the Dorset coast, and one of the most photographed landscapes in England. It is part of the Jurassic Coast, the first natural site in England to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site: about 150 kilometres of cliffs that tell 185 million years of Earth's history, extraordinarily rich in fossils. Not far away lies Lulworth Cove, an almost perfectly circular bay.
History
The rocks of the Jurassic Coast, between Exmouth in Devon and Studland Bay in Dorset, were formed in the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, when this region was covered by deserts, tropical seas and swamps. Walking from west to east you pass, layer by layer, through a very long book of geology. In 2001 UNESCO recognised it as a World Heritage Site.
At the beginning of the 19th century at Lyme Regis, in the western part of the coast, a girl of humble origins, Mary Anning, discovered with her brother the first complete ichthyosaur skeleton, and later a plesiosaur: she was one of the greatest fossil hunters in history, but for a long time the all-male scientific community did not give her credit. Her story is told in Tracy Chevalier's novel Remarkable Creatures. The arch of Durdle Door formed when the sea eroded a band of softer rock behind a layer of hard limestone.
- 250 million years agoStart of the Triassic, the oldest rocks on the coast
- 145 million years agoEnd of the Jurassic, the age of great marine reptiles
- 1811Mary Anning finds the first complete ichthyosaur at Lyme Regis
- 2001The Jurassic Coast becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site
What to see
Durdle Door
From the car park on the clifftop a steep path leads down in about 20 minutes to Durdle Door beach, a long crescent of pale shingle. The arch can be seen close up by going down the final flight of steps; in summer many people swim in the clear water, but beware of currents and the steeply shelving beach. On the other side lies the small bay of Man O'War.
Lulworth Cove
About two kilometres away, along the coast path, opens Lulworth Cove, an almost round bay with a village of thatched cottages, pubs and seafood stalls. Next to it is Stair Hole, where you can see the layers of rock folded like fabric, the famous "Lulworth Crumple".
Other places on the Jurassic Coast
Along the coast it is worth stopping at Lyme Regis and Charmouth, where people hunt for fossils on the beaches, the very long Chesil Beach, the white stacks of Old Harry Rocks near Studland and Corfe Castle inland. The whole coast is followed by the South West Coast Path.
Practical information
Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove lie on the private Lulworth Estate; access to the beach is free, parking is charged. On summer weekends it is very crowded. The path is steep and requires suitable footwear. The Lulworth Visitor Centre explains the geology of the coast.
Getting there
- By train: to Wool, on the London to Weymouth line, then a taxi or summer bus (about 8 kilometres).
- By car: from the A352, following signs to West Lulworth.
- By air: Bournemouth Airport is about 45 minutes away.
Nearby
- Corfe Castle and the Isle of Purbeck.
- Poole and Bournemouth, with their beaches.
- Weymouth and the Isle of Portland.
Tips
- How long: half a day for Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove.
- When to go: in spring or early autumn, when it is less crowded.
- A tip: arrive early in the morning and photograph the arch from the clifftop at Swyre Head before going down to the beach.