The Dorset Holiday Specialists

This walk takes in some of the hilliest but most spectacular bits of the Dorset Coast and is worth it for the white chalk of the cliffs and the aquamarine of the sea below. It starts high above Kimmeridge and follows the ridgeway with spectacular views to meet the sea above Gad Cliff. Here you can make a short detour to the abandoned village of Tyneham where you can see the restored church and school which has an exhibition on the history of the village which was requisitioned during WWII and never returned.

Next stop is Warbarrow Tout and Bay with its long, shingle beach where you can dip your feet in the water for the first time.

On then to Lulworth Cove, passing the Fossil Forest on the way. Lulworth Cove lies behind a tough band of Portland limestone, which has been breached by wave action, allowing the sea to erode the softer Purbeck beds, Wealden clays and Greensand behind it. This process has carved out a near-circular bay, demonstrating the classic formation of a cove through differential erosion.

Just to the west, Stair Hole shows the earlier stages of this same process, where sea caves and narrow inlets are actively being carved into the cliffs. The folded and twisted rock strata here also reveal spectacular examples of geological deformation, offering a window into the immense tectonic forces that once shaped the landscape.

Next is the iconic rock arch at Durdle Door, the result of more erosion. It can be crowded here, particularly at the weekends but you will soon lose the crowds as you walk on.

Your next stop is Ringstead Bay. Call in to St Catherine-by-the-Sea which is set on the cliff top as you drop down towards the bay. Built in 1928, the church is a simple wooden structure with whitewashed walls but is set in arguably the most spectacular location of any in Dorset.

Ringstead Bay itself is a popular beach in the summer but if you want to swim and avoid the crowds, you can take a path down to the quieter end (although be prepared for a bit of nudity going on at that end of the beach).

The last leg of your walk is to Osmington Mills, just to the east of Weymouth, where your car will collect you.