Lulworth Cove via Tyneham and Durdle Door Circular Walk

8 out of 10, with 6 ½ hours walking time. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at least 13 ½ hours.

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, and with a car, you can skip the strenuous link between them.
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 less ups and downs) over open grassland, with fine views of the coast.
The link between the 2 loops has dramatic coast views, but also 2 strenuous ascents and descents in each direction!

Public transport from Wool Station to Lulworth Cove is infrequent, seasonal, and changes every year! There is a link Route from Wool Station to Arish Mell (near the middle of the link between the 2 loops). This makes the walk independent of the seasonal bus service and/or taxis, while enabling variations of the walk, cutting out some of the steep ascents.

Warning: the Tyneham Loop, and the link from Lulworth Cove goes through the Lulworth Live Firing Ranges. Access is only permitted along the marked Range Walks and only at certain times (most weekends and assorted holiday periods). See below for exact dates.

• Tyneham Loop : Lulworth Cove along the rollercoaster coast path to Flower's Barrow Hill, then the Tyneham village loop. Toughness: 9/10
• Durdle Door Loop : Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door viewpoint, then down to the beach or back through a scenic coombe. Toughness: 3/10

• The path along the beach at Lulworth Cove can be impassable in very high tides. In that case you would either have to walk the Durdle Door Loop first, or reverse-walk (map-led) the route up to the Access Land of Bindon Hill and to the easterly end of Lulworth Cove to pick up the route there.
• The ascent of the 134m Gad Cliff south of Tyneham village can be avoided by following the Hardy Way along the valley bottom, from Warbarrow Bay to Tyneham village.
• There is a (recommended) short out-and-back extension to a viewpoint on Gad Cliff before descending to Tyneham
• There is an optional (but recommended) loop through Tyneham village itself, past most of the ruined cottages and to the church.

• Car Drivers can park at Povington Hill car park above Tyneham village, or even in Tyneham village and walk just a short loop via Rings Hill/Flower’s Barrow hillfort, Worbarrow Bay, Gad Cliff and Tyneham village.

• Rest of Tyneham Loop from Arish Mell: 8.6 km/5.3 mi with 380m ascent/descent;
• Arish Mell – Lulworth Cove: 4.1 km/2.6 mi with 140/132m ascent/descent.
• Lulworth Cove to Arish Mell: 4.6 km/2.9 mi with 228/236m ascent/descent;

OS Explorer: OL15 (Purbeck & South Dorset)
OS Landranger: 194 (Dorchester & Weymouth) and 195 (Bournemouth & Purbeck)

Lulworth Cove bus stop, map reference SY 822 800, is 178 km south west of Charing Cross, 16m above sea level and in Dorset. Wool Station is on the Waterloo to Weymouth Main Line, with one train per hour (journey time 149 mins Mondays-Saturdays, 154 mins on Sundays). The following buses connect Wool Station to Lulworth Cove (ca. £2.00 each way): Purbeck Breezer 30 (late May-late Sep: daily, but weekdays only most of June); X54 (Oct-Mar: Mon-Fri, Apr-Sep: daily); 55 (summer weekends only, but daily during Dorset summer holidays).

Saturday Walkers’ Club: Take a train no later than 8.05 hours.

Lulworth Cove Inn, Main Road, West Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5RQ (01929 400 333).
Lulworth Cove, West Lulworth, Durdle Door: Plenty of options.
Tyneham: The Salt Pig (café/kiosk)
Arish Mell to Wool station link route: One pub and a tea room.
Wool: three pubs, two of which are close enough to the station to be useful.

See the pdf for details.

Tyneham Village was evacuated at short notice by the army during WWII to prepare troops for D-Day, but the villagers were never allowed back. The village church, rows of cottages, the school (now a museum, free) and some ruined house remain. The sign on the church reads: Please treat the church and houses with care; we have given up our homes where many of us lived for generations to help win the war to keep men free. We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly.
The Jurassic Coast is a marketing name for this gorgeous stretch of very old coastline - white limestone, with lots of cliff features - coves and arches. It is the real star of this walk. The entire area is geology heaven.
Lulworth Cove - looks dramatic from afar, not quite so special close up.
Durdle Door - a cliff arch, dramatic from near and afar.

After the walk, please leave a comment, it really helps. Thanks!

You can also upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are:

National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

Jul-23 Andrew Thomas G