Walking Holiday Dorset Coast Walks South West Coast Path

South West Coast Path Somerset to Dorset

The South West Coast Path is a 630 mile long trail around the South West of England. The Path goes through some of the country's most beautiful coastal scenery through Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset.

The South West Coast Path starts in Minehead and is estimated to take 7-8 weeks if you want to do the whole route! More realistically, the South West Coast Path website, link right, has details of suggested walks along different parts of it, as well as a search function so you can find a walk to suit your ability and requirements. There's everything from easy strolls, feasible for all abilities, to more challenging week long hikes.

The Path is waymarked with the acorn logo and distances are signed at main access points. The weblink right also includes a distance calculator and links to transport and Tourist Information Centres - everything to help you plan your walk before setting out. You can also purchase guidebooks to the trail.

The South West Coast Path hugs the Dorset Coast along its southern section so not only can you tackle the Path, you can take in some of the country's most spectacular coastline such as Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove.

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Public Transport - Coastlinx53 Jurassic Coast Bus Service

The hugely useful CoastlinX53 Bus Service provides good links to the coast from major towns in both East Devon and Dorset. You can pick it up inland at places like Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Bridport and its route extends to Poole in East Dorset. Where it doesn't hug the coast, you can then pick up additional buses that will take you down to the coast.

This is hugely useful for those wanting to do coastal walks but don't want the hassle of leaving cars all over the place. You can buy a ticket for unlimited daily travel and low floor buses run every two hours.

You can download timetables and related bus leaflets from The Jurassic Coast website, link right.

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Lulworth Cove Coast Walk

Lulworth is famous the world over for its crescent shaped bay formed naturally around 10,000 years ago. The picturesque bay with its clear blue waters attracts thousands of visitors every year.

The beach is a thin shingle one, but as it's sheltered from the full force of the winds it makes a very pleasant place to while away the hours with a picnic or for the more adventurous a quick dip or a spot of snorkelling.

Head up the cliff paths for the best views of Lulworth Cove and you'll also see some interesting rock formations where the Lulworth Crumple shows how the layers of rocks have slumped to look like a rhinoceros hide. Arches are being formed in the rock at Stair Hole. In a few hundred thousand years or so the newish bay being formed at Stair Hole will erode back and merge in with Lulworth Cove.

Coastal walks lead out from Lulworth over the cliffs to the east and west. The land to the east is MOD land and can be inaccessible when they're firing. Heading east via the steps at the east end of the beach, a fantastic clifftop walk will take you to the Fossil Forest and ripples in the fossilised sand of an ancient beach and along to Mupe Bay. All along this coastline you'll find natural bays cut into the rock and interesting rock formations.

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Durdle Door Coast Walk

Heading west From Lulworth Cove you can follow the coast path for two kilometres that'll bring you to Durdle Door. The main attraction is the limestone rock arch that sticks out into the sea. If you're interested in the geology this is another good place to see a huge range of rock types in a relatively short space including Portland limestone, chalk, greensand and sandstone. If you're not up to the walk, you can access a coast path down to Durdle Door via the Durdle Door car park which you'll find after driving through the Durdle Door Holiday Park. It is signposted from West Lulworth.

You can access the beach on the Durdle Door side or take the steps down to the beach at Man O'War bay. The steps are steep and can erode in places and the coast path can be a little slippy so make sure you take appropriate shoes. You'll need to take provisions with you too as there's only a refreshment kiosk for drinks, snacks and ice cream so if you want something healthier or more substantial take a picnic with you.

The high chalk cliffs heading west of Durdle Door make for a stunning section of the coast path and you can see how the sea has eroded the chalk into a stack at Bat's Head and Butter Rock.

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Isle of Purbeck Countryside Walking

The Isle of Purbeck has long been a popular destination if you want to get away from the crowds and enjoy Dorset's unspoilt countryside. The rolling chalk hills of the Purbeck Downs are criss-crossed with footpaths and bridleways taking you past beautiful flower rich meadows, ancient woodlands and heath. There are several waymarked walking routes including the Purbeck Way - check the links right for downloadable leaflets. If you want to cycle round there are circular cycling routes and you can download leaflets detailing these from the link right.

For stunning views take the road from Stoborough towards West Lulworth. This will take through beautiful wooded countryside up on the hills to a viewpoint (with parking) for panoramic views across Purbeck and the rest of Dorset to the north. Lulworth Ranges operate up here so the road further west to West Lulworth can sometimes be closed, but it's well worth the trip just for the views.

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Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

The Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) covers most of the county and stretches from West Dorset, including the Jurassic Coast, across to the north east taking in Blackmore Vale and the south east covering the Isle of Purbeck.

It is an excellent area for country walks and bike rides and the Dorset AONB website has downloadable leaflets in the area, link right.

Charmouth is in a handy position for exploring the western side of the AONB and there are five bike rides in West Dorset to explore as part of the West Dorset Pedal as well as the footpaths that take you over the rolling hills of this part of Dorset.

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The Brit Valley Way - Countryside Walks

Beaminster lies in the valley of the River Brit and is a stop on the Brit Valley Way, an eleven mile walking route from West Bay on the coast up to Chedington, north of Beaminster, where you can pick up the River Parrett Trail that runs through Somerset. (Check the link right for more information on the River Parrett Trail).

The Brit Valley Way takes you from the Jurassic coast with its cliffs of fullers earth at West Bay through floodplains and grassy pastures. Above Beaminster the trail takes you up the chalk hills of Beaminster Downs with panoramic views of the West Dorset countryside.

You can buy "The Brit Valley Pack" through Dorset Countryside service by telephoning 01305 224258. There are also Individual route cards of the Brit Valley Way available from both Dorchester and Bridport Tourist Information Centres.

There is also a handy leaflet produced by the Beaminster Rambling Club and available at Tourist Information Centres that gives you five circular walks around Beaminster. All of them start from Beaminster Square and take you in all directions out from the town. All the paths are waymarked.

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The Dorset Jubilee Trail

The Jubilee Trail runs right through Dorset for 90 miles. It was established to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Ramblers' Association.

The Trail runs from Forde Abbey on the Somerset/West Dorset border then continues east and then north up to Brokerley Dyke in the north east of the county on the Hampshire border. It takes you through a wider range of Dorset's countryside and villages (including Beaminster) than the established public rights of way and footpaths where you can see a range of historic sights and beautiful panoramas of Dorset's rolling Downs and valleys.

You can pick up leaflets with a summary of the highlights along the Trail from Tourist Information Centres or there is a more details Jubilee Trail Guide Book also available from Tourist Information Centres or by contacting the following email: jtrail@dorset-ramblers.co.uk.

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Countryside and Walks around Blandford Forum

Blandford Forum is also in an excellent location if you want to explore the Dorset countryside as it lies between the downlands and chalk plateaux of the Cranborne Chase to the east and the Dorset Downs to the west. The chalk grassland that grows in these areas is incredibly rich in flower and butterfly species.

Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty lies to the west of the town and covers most of the county. These are excellent for country walks. The Dorset AONB website has downloadable leaflets on walks and bike rides in the area. "Walking the North Winterborne" has details of circular walks around the River Winterborne to the south west of Blandford.

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Dorset Poets - Thomas Hardy Trail Dorset

Thomas Hardy was born and spent most of his life in Dorset. He took inspiration for his novels and poems from real life incidents and the towns and villages that he was most familiar. He crafted his books around the county of Wessex and would often change placenames for the fictional stories but enough of the landscape and architecture was alluded to to give us clues as to where the stories were really set. Blackmore Vale over which Sturminster Newton overlooks was called the "Vale of the little dairies" by Hardy and "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" was set here.

Thomas Hardy lived in Sturminster Newton when he and his first wife set up home there. He wrote "The Return of the Native" while living in Riverside Villa, a cottage overlooking the River Stour. The Outer Trail of the Hardy Trail includes Sturminster Newton. Check the link right for more information.

There are also several publications available from Tourist Information Centres with suggested themed walks such as "Thomas Hardy Wessex Series An Insight to Hardy", "Walk around Dorchester with Hardy", "10 Hardy Novel Tours".

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Riverside Walks Stinsford to Higher Bockhampton

The River Frome flows near Stinsford and the riverside walk was apparently one of Hardy's favourites. It is mentioned in "Under Milk Wood" and it would have been well trodden by Hardy in his youth, going from the cottage at Higher Bockhampton to St Michael's Church.

The walk is a lovely wooded riverside walk over ancient bridges and past thatched cottages. The route is described at the Thomas Hardy Country link right.

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Countryside Walks Around Bournemouth

All around Bournemouth and Christchurch are accessible heathland and meadow nature reserves. With the Rivers Avon and Stour flowing around the outskirts of Bournemouth and down into Christchurch there are plenty of riverside walks.

The Avon Valley Path actually starts at Salisbury in Wiltshire and travels 34 miles south through East Dorset to Christchurch.

The route is sub-divided into five sections which taken individually make a good day out walking. The Avon is a chalk river with abundant wildlife along its banks including water and hay meadows, ditches and streams which are excellent for birdwatching.

You can download The Avon River Path from the link right.

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Stour Valley Way

The Stour Valley Way is a sixty four mile long distance walking route that starts in Christchurch where the river flows into the sea and wends its way 64 miles north to Stourhead in Wiltshire at its source.

The route follows the River Stour through the Dorset countryside via Christchurch, Wimborne Minster, Blandford Forum and Sturminster Newton. The path is marked by a distinctive kingfisher logo and a leaflet is available with further information about the route and the sights along the way.

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