Jurassic Coast Weekend Challenge

Day 1:

Meet at the campsite near Wool, Dorset, for a trek briefing, and get to know the rest of the group over dinner and an evening in camp.

There will be transport arranged to pick you up from Wool railway station if required.

Take a look at the Discover Adventure website for full details of this event.

Day 2:

After a good breakfast, we transfer (approx. 30 mins) to Durlston Head, a Country Park on the cliffs above Swanage. Setting off, we can pause at the impressive Globe, an enormous limestone sphere engraved with an 1880s world map. There are fabulous views from the Globe, which accompany us as we walk west along the hilly coastline. This area was long used for mining famous Purbeck Marble and Portland Stone, which is evident from the old quarries other remains we pass. The stone was often lowered by crane and taken away by boat, and you can still see 'rut-ways' cut into the rock-bed at spots like the beautiful Dancing Ledge. Smuggling stories abound in this area and the rocky coastline had a large number of shipwrecks. 

We continue west, over slopes cut into distinctive lynchets, or terraces, dating from medieval times, enabling the steep slopes to be farmed. Seagulls, cormorants and guillemots wheel overhead and wild flowers grow in abundance. Our route dips down to reveal small bays and ledges with access to the sea, before climbing sharply up again... and again, and again! Finally we see Kimmeridge Bay in the distance, with the distinctive Clavell Tower, and our route flattens out a little. THe bay is home to the most amazing rock-pool and, tide permitting, there will be time for a paddle or to look for fossils before we are transported back to our campsite (approx. 20 mins). 

Trek approximately 12.5 miles / 20.1km

Day 3:

After breakfast we set out to rejoin the coastal path and continue walking west. It’s not long before we enter Lulworth Ranges – land used as Army firing ranges. Not always open, this region is abundant in flora and fauna that, despite the military presence, has been protected from the development of farming, building and roads. It’s also notable for its steep sections as we follow the contours of the cliffs, but the remarkable views over Worbarrow Bay are worth the effort! Time permitting, we can detour inland to the poignant village of Tyneham, deserted in the 1940s when the War Office commandeered the land. The church and schoolhouse are now museums, and many houses remain. The villagers were not permitted to return once the war had ended. 

Continuing, there are more steep sections before us, but we are approaching famous Lulworth Cove, and our first view of this almost perfectly circular bay is breath-taking. Formed by glacial waters melting on the way out to sea, this area of the Jurassic Coast is a geologist’s dream. We have time to take in the amazing twisted rock layers around the cove before conquering our last steep uphill, over the white crumbling limestone cliffs that take us to Durdle Door, a clear arch in the rock carved out by the pounding waves. The sea is remarkably clear here, and it’s an outstandingly beautiful place to finish our tough weekend’s trek. After a group photograph at the finish point, we transfer back to our campsite to pack up and head for home after an exhausting but exhilarating weekend! 

Trek approximately 9.8 miles / 15.7km