The Jurassic Coast is the only English natural World Heritage Site. It is located in southern England. It is not only engulfed with history, but it is also a truly iconic and dramatic sight to behold. No wonder it was featured on numerous movies. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in mid-December 2001. Here, the two must see sites are Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove.
Durdle Door is one of Dorset’s most photographed landmarks. To say it is iconic would be an understatement. This may well be my most favourite British site that I have seen. Lulworth cove is a beautiful naturally constructed cove or pocket of blue water! Geoligists conclude that the initial collision that occured to form these two natural wonders happened over 25 million years ago! With Durdle Door alone is said to be 140 million years old! Read more here.
Getting There
It is about a 3 hour drive from London. We visited while on our holiday in Bournemouth (40 mins away). We first went to and parked at the Lulworth Cove car park. It costs £5 for 4 hours and £10 for the whole day. This parking ticket is also valid for the Durdledoor car park. Both car parks are massive so you’ll find plenty of space.
We wandered around Lulworth Cove, took some pictures, had handmade ice cream (a lot of spots) and then drove to Durdledoor. It is about a 5 minute drive from one car park to the other (20-30 minute trek). We drove because I had my mother with me and we weren’t fancying a trek and a hike up to Durdledoor (most hike).
Do you need to be an experienced hiker?
It is quite a bit of a trek/hike from the Durdledoor car park to the point where you can actually see Durdledoor. It is a fairly easy walk down – wide walking path and ever so slightly steep – it takes about 10-15 minutes. You can see parts of Durdle Door right from the start of the trek, so just follow that or follow the crowd! We found it easy and this is coming from someone who does not hike and has a fear of heights… seriously I just can’t do it. Before you see Durdle Door in its full glory, you’ll come across a very scenic beach: Man O’ War. Take a break, take pictures and if you’re up for it go down to the beach too!
Coming back to trek towards the star of the show…. From the point where you can see Durdledoor (and wow what a sight!) you can then go further – down to the beach right next to Durdledoor – takes about 10 minutes. That’s a very steep trek down. Again, wide steps and fairly easy, but this is steep and lot more so than the previous part. Some of us went down some of us didn’t.
The walk back to the car park is the most torturous though as this time it is an incline. This is quite challenging on the thighs. However, it wasn’t too bad and definitely something doable – this is coming from an amateur like me and also my mother (who isn’t used to hiking) – this last bit was her biggest struggle.
Durdledoor was such a breathtaking sight. There was a dramatic and iconic feel to it. If you are visiting England, it is definitely worth a trip down. Even though it’s a bit of drive away, it truly is worth it. It will be the highlight of your trip. Some say it is the best sight of Southern England if not the whole of England!
