We had visitors for Easter from the Netherlands. We decided to take them to the Dorset coast as the cliffs there would be very different to the sandy beaches and dunes back home. We went rather predictably to West Lulworth and not surprisingly it was packed with day tourists.
Although the door is famous, the views further to the west are also quite spectacular. Swyre Head (middle) is a very steep walk up from the amusingly named Scratchy Bottom; according to OS it is 98 m high. Further away Bat's Head has a tiny arch (Bat's Hole) and a small chalk pillar.
Although I have seen it many times I still like seeing Durdle Door. It is quite different in colour from the nearby clifss - grey limestone as opposed to white chalk.
Between the chalk and the limestone (which is also visible at West Lulworth at the entrance to the cove and at Stair Hole) there is a softer sandstone which has eroded more rapidly leaving the limestone to stand out.
2007-04-30 @ 10:54