Eroded by time and nature, Durdle Door is one of Dorset’s most photographed and iconic landmarks.
It is located on the Lulworth Estate in south Dorset and is part of the Jurassic Coast. The coastline is of such international geological importance that it was designated England’s first natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001 and is now part of a family of natural wonders including America’s Grand Canyon and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
The magnificent natural limestone arch was formed when the power of the waves eroded the rock and forged a hole through the middle. The name Durdle is derived from an old English word ‘thirl’, which means to pierce, bore or drill.
As you look towards the sea, you will see Durdle Door beach on your right. Access to the pebble and shingle beach is on foot via a path and steps over the hill from Lulworth Cove or down from the Car Park (charges apply) which is located on the cliff top at Durdle Door Holiday Park. (Source: Visit Dorset)
All photos were taken with a micro four thirds camera (older version of https://amzn.to/2Kpl3dR) attached with the standard kit lens (https://amzn.to/33kH3Ox).
After a quick breakfast at our hotel in Poole, we left early for Durdle Door to avoid the rush of visitors on that day. It was at most a 45-minute drive to Durdle Door. We went straight to the car park at the top of the holiday park. And true enough, we only find a few like-minded people when we arrived at the beach way down below.
We were forewarned by friends who have already visited that it was going to be quite a long walk to Durdle Door beach. Still, we were in for quite a shock when we saw from the cliff top how far we have to walk down in order to reach the beach. Most of us opted to walk down the long winding dusty path while a few went for the shortcut that was quite steep. Good for them as they had sturdy legs!
We reached the viewing platform sweating in the sweltering temperature. It was a particularly hot and sunny day. We stayed for a while to rest and enjoy the view down below before the final climb down to the beach. We did the same on our way back.
The beach is of pebbles and shingle and the emerald and sapphire coloured water was very inviting. As we were not familiar with the waters we only let the children do some wading and splashing near to the beach and they still had a great time. We stayed around one and a half hour just sitting down relaxing, gazing at the waves, walking the beachline, getting wet and taking lots of 'selfies/wefies'.
People started to come in droves in the late morning so we decided to call it a day. The way up was even more horrendous to my arthritic knees as I struggled to walk up to the car park. As it was nearing lunchtime, we decided to eat in neighbouring Lulworth Cove which is about 10 minutes drive from Durdle Door and our final destination for that day.
Durdle Door was a very nice experience, one that will stay with me never mind the walking. As the saying goes, no pain no gain!
