The longer Tyneham loop starts with a hill, with fine views of the coast before
following the coast over dramatic cliffs. It then climbs a ridge above Tyneham
with a 360° view of Purbeck. It then descends into the ghost village, which is
worth exploring (church, museum), and climbs the other side of the valley to
the cliff edge. It then follows the rollercoaster South West Coast Path (SWCP)
back to Lulworth Cove, past a beach and more dramatic viewpoints. The abandoned
and ruined coastal village of Tyneham was evacuated at very short notice in
December 1943 at the behest of the War Office to prepare troops for D-Day. The
inhabitants were never allowed to return. The village is now a picturesque
ruin.
The shorter, gentler Durdle Door loop follows the SWCP west along cliffs to
Durdle Door (an arch) and down to a nice beach. The return is slightly inland,
on a higher path (with fewer ups and downs) over open grassland, with fine views
of the coast.
Sunday, 2 July 2023
Sunday Walk - Dramatic coastal scenery, hidden beaches and a ghost town: Lulworth Cove via Tyneham and Durdle Door Circular [Dorset Trip]
Length: 22.2 km (13.8 mi) [for easy options to
shorten the walk: see below text or the webpage or pdf]
Ascent/Descent: 1014m
Net Walking Time: 7 hrs
Toughness: 8 out of 10
Take
the 09.00 Jurassic Breezer 30 to Swanage from Dorchester, Trinity
Street (also calls Brewery Square 09.04), which then calls Weymouth King’s
Statue Stand 5 at 09.30 (also
calls Weymouth, Prince Regent Hotel), arrives Lulworth Cove, Car Park at 10.09.
In Weymouth, should the bus be full, immediately go to Stand 6 and queue for the 09.45 departure of line X50 to Wool (also calls Weymouth,
Prince Regent Hotel), arrives Lulworth Cove at 10.20.
From Dorchester, the earliest train to Weymouth is the 09.24, arrives 09.35, ie you’d
rely on the 09.45 bus.
Return
buses: X54 at xx.20 to Wool Station (last at 17.20) and at xx.56 to
Weymouth (last at 17.56);
Jurassic Breezer 30 at 15.40, 16.55, 17.55 and 19.15 to Weymouth (the 17.55 and the 19.15 continue to Dorchester) and at 17.12 and 19.12 to Wool Station.
Note: X54 return tickets
are not valid on the Breezer 30 and vice versa.
Trains back to London Waterloo depart Weymouth at 16.48, 17.45, 18.48, 19.58 and 20.58 (calling Dorchester South 11 minutes later).
This is a beautiful and challenging coastal walk along Purbeck's Jurassic
Coast. It takes int he iconic Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door (an arch), dramatic
white cliff coastal scenery, and the WW2 abandoned and ruined village of
Tyneham. The walk is a 'dog bone' shape, centred on Lulworth Cove. The 2
independent loops can be done on their own.
Walk Options: plenty
of shorter or longer options, but also a route to/from Wool
Station, which enables to cut out large parts of the Tyneham Loop. See the webpage
or the pdf for details.
Lunch and Tea: plenty of options in Lulworth Cove (16.8 km/10.5 mi).
For walk directions, map, height
profile, photos, and gpx/kml files click here.
T=swc.54
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1 comment:
4 off the bus and 5 off a car at the start in Lulworth's car park. 1 other car driver parked some way away to avoid the NT's sumptuous charges and started a bit behind the rest. N=10
Butterfly spotter no 1 set off along the Durdle Door loop to look for rare finds, while we set off along the shingle and up along the coast in an easterly direction. Some had swimming at Warbarrow Beach foremost in their minds, while still routing through Tyneham, others preserving troublesome knees and cut out Tyneham and an extra ascent. I walked the full route as a text check was due. We bumped into each other here and there though.
Tyneham had some upgrades since the last visit, namely more info panels and old photos, but also some fencing around a few of the ruined buildings.
The weather was w=overcast-to-start-then-mainly-sunny but always with a breeze, ie ideal for walking.
The swimmers took the shortcut between Tyneham and Warbarrow, I believe, and strolled into Lulworth Cove just as the 17.20 to Wool Station pulled out (which I was on).
Back to London, after retrieving luggage in Dorchester, on the 19.00.
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