Travel: Dorset
With soaring cliffs and perfect little coves, Gillian Thornton takes a guided walking break to discover the stunning beauty of Dorset’s Jurassic Coast
Looking down from the headland above beautiful Lulworth Cove, all those vaguely remembered school geography lessons about rock formations come vividly to life. In one direction, the village of West Lulworth nestles beneath the rolling chalk downs of East Dorset; in the other direction lies one of the most eye-catching features of Britain’s Jurassic Coast.
The perfect horseshoe of Lulworth Cove was formed some 10,000 years ago by waves breaking through hard limestone to meet softer clays behind. Standing on the cliff top today, you can almost see the coastline continuing to change. Next to Lulworth Cove, the sea is slowly breaking through to form another bay beneath dramatic folds of ancient rock. It’s all pretty humbling stuff.
A walker’s paradise
This glorious corner of Dorset is a haven for walkers and nature lovers. It’s part of the UNESCO-listed Jurassic Coast, which stretches for 95 miles from Old Harry Rocks at Studland through Weymouth and Lyme Regis to Exmouth in the west. And there’s no better way to explore than on foot.
I’m on a break with HF Holidays tailored to winter and spring walkers, but summer is peak season for guests staying here at West Lulworth House, one of 18 HF houses throughout the UK offering three-, fouror seven-night guided walking from £335 per person full board (hfholidays.co.uk).
Each HF house has its own character, from Georgian mansions to seaside properties, and all are located within National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. West Lulworth House was built in 1881, but has a fresh, modern feel, the blue decor of my bedroom mirroring the sea beyond the double windows.
There’s a stylish dining area and bar, and plentiful homecooked food that includes daily options for gluten-free and
other specialist diets. Outside, a pool is a welcome post-walk option for summer guests.
Take your pick
I visit in March, a week after the Siberian snow, but we bask in warm sunshine beneath blue skies. HF offer daily guided walks, and at West
Lulworth there are two options in low season, three in summer.
Each evening, routes are outlined by qualified walk leaders for the day ahead, the harder options usually involving a slightly longer or steeper route. Just sign up as the mood takes you, or take a day out to relax or explore on your own.
My first ‘harder’ choice involves a minibus ride to the start of a glorious ramble over Studland Heath, with sweeping views over Poole Harbour. We drop down to the National Trust’s Knoll Beach before heading up the hill for lunch at a 16th-century inn. Summer walkers collect a copious pick-and-mix picnic from base, but pubs or tea rooms are often included in low season.
Along the way, I fall in step with my companions, a sociable bunch who exchange experiences of other walks and snapshots of different lives. Our group includes couples, singles and pairs of friends.
Another physical geography lesson comes to life as we stride up the cliffs to Old Harry Rocks. These chalk stacks were once joined to the Needles, clearly visible today across the water off the Isle of Wight. By the time we reach Swanage for return transport, we’ve walked around eight miles.
Songs of the skylarks
Next day, we head out straight from West Lulworth House, the more seasoned walkers skirting the back of the coastal hills to climb steadily up through farmland to the top of the chalk downs.
Skylarks fill the spring air with song; buzzards wheel overhead on the thermals, and an occasional raucous cry heralds the arrival of ravens.
It’s an al fresco lunch day, with a picnic consumed on sunny benches in the tiny churchyard behind St Catherine by the Sea. With its panoramic view across the sea to Portland Bill, this quaint wooden church offers a peaceful resting place. Then we loop back along the coast to arrive at another Jurassic Coast highlight.
Spectacular scenery
The natural limestone arch of Durdle Door splits two sandy beaches, both popular in summer for swimming and snorkelling. We share the spectacular geology with some German schoolchildren and a few dog walkers.
Our final ‘easier’ adventure begins with transport inland for the start of a six-mile walk into Weymouth, dropping steadily down from open uplands with broad inland views, to sea level. It’s another clear day and as we round the bay, I look back and see millennia of geological colours clearly visible in the rippling headlands of this world-famous coastline.
There’s the chance to stroll on the beach, and I soak up the soothing sound of waves breaking gently on the shore, and shingle tumbling down to meet them. Then it’s breathe in, stride out, and head on into Weymouth for a restorative cuppa with my step-count and wellbeing both truly off the scale!