The jewel in Swanage’s crown is its beautiful beach that sweeps around the curve of its sheltered bay. Despite being one, long stretch of golden sand, the beach in Swanage has a different feel to it depending on where you are along it – meaning you can have a different day out each time you visit. The busy hubbub nearest to town – with its coffee shops, restaurants and traditional amusement arcade – has that typical British seaside buzz that gets you queueing up for a 99 ice cream and digging out the buckets and spades. You can also hire a deck chair, sun lounger or windbreak for the day – the friendly team located on the beach opposite the Swanage Information Centre will come and collect the fee once you’re settled. Slightly further along is a more active scene, with various watersports on offer. Hire a pedalo for some shallow-water fun, or a sea kayak to get out on the waves. You can also book a diving lesson off Swanage Pier. For a more relaxed, sophisticated seaside experience, sit on the deck with a drink at The Watering Hole or outside the Cellar Bar, or sample some seafood at Gee […]

Around 1km of Studland Bay has been set aside for naturism. It’s one of the UK’s most well-known official naturist spots. Although part of Knoll Beach, it is quite separate to the family-oriented main stretch of beach and dunes, and a half an hour walk from either Knoll Beach car park or Shell Bay car park. It is also accessible from Ferry Road, where parking may be available. The naturist beach has its own dedicated and clearly-marked area and is regularly monitored by National Trust rangers. Users of this long-established naturist beach must adhere to the British Naturism beach code: nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/studland-beach/documents/british-naturism-beach-code.pdf There are obvious signs on the approach from both Knoll Beach and Shell Bay, as well as from the heather and sand dune approaches. Facilities There are limited facilities at the naturist beach, however Studland village and bay do have various options nearby: A refreshment van operates at the naturist beach during the summer months The nearest public toilets are at Knoll Beach or at Shell Bay car park Studland village has a pub, restaurant, hotels and a convenience store Points of interest As well as a vast area of sandy beach there are various walking trails through the sand dunes, which […]

If you love Studland’s beaches but would prefer a more local vibe head to South Beach. It still benefits from the safe, shallow waters that Knoll Beach offers, but it’s a little more secluded and rugged. South Beach is popular with kayakers and paddle boarders due to its relatively calm, shallow water, and it has increasingly become a popular mooring spot for boats. It also has a designated safe swimming area, café and beach toy hire. South Beach also offers stunning views across to Old Harry Rocks. There is a path that leads up to the iconic chalk stalks directly from the beach – the walk is fairly easy and takes around half an hour. There are also various options nearby for exploring Old Harry Rocks via kayak and horseback. There are also echos of the past – both man-made and natural – here, with a World War II pillbox on the beach itself and easy access to observation bunker Fort Henry, next to the unique red and yellow-coloured sandstone of the cliffs. This family-friendly beach has attracted both visitors and locals alike for many years – in fact, it used to be home to an annual August regatta where […]

Sometimes referred to as Tyneham Beach, this stretch of sand and pebble is most commonly known as Worbarrow Bay. A short walk from the abandoned ghost village of Tyneham, Worbarrow Bay is an untouched stretch of Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. The beach only tends to be open at weekends and school holidays as it is located within the British Army’s Lulworth Range training area. Nearby beaches To the east of Worbarrow Bay, on the other side of Worbarrow Tout is a small, enclosed cove called Pondfield Cove. Further east still lies Kimmeridge Bay, interesting for its geological significance, and Chapman’s Pool – a quiet, off-the-beaten-track cove. To the west is the secluded Mupe Bay, and the famous beaches of the Jurassic Coast, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. Lulworth and Durdle Door are known for their picturesque nature and geology.

The disused quarry at Winspit is a fantastic place to explore, with its craggy rocks, echoing cave tunnels, and wide, expansive sea views. Once famously used as a Doctor Who filming location, the area has retained its almost other-worldly atmosphere, with its sense of the past in the abandoned caves of this relatively remote place. A pleasant walk down from the village of Worth Matravers, Winspit makes for a good family day out, but take water and snacks (the walk back up the hill may be more challenging for little legs). Or stop at the quaint village tea room or cosy pub, The Square and Compass, on your way back up to refuel. The curious lines in the hills you’ll spot on the way down are medieval ‘strip lynchets’ – earth terraces which were part of an ancient agricultural system. It’s thought the ‘terraces’ were a way of maximising farming and the cultivation of the land. Safety at Winspit Visitors to Winspit explore at their own risk and common sense should be applied at all times. There are sheer, unfenced cliff edges above the sea, so children should be closely supervised and dogs kept on a short lead. Keep well away […]

Set in 25 acres of woodland between Wareham and Corfe Castle, the Blue Pool derives its name from the striking turquoise colour the water this disused clay pit can appear. A former clay pit, Blue Pool has become one of Dorset’s most intriguing attractions, with its ever-changing kaleidoscope of colours in the water delighting visitors since it first opened to the public in 1935. The 30-foot deep pool was hand-dug in the 1800s and sits within 150 acres of land as part of the Furzebrook Estate and is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Despite being called the ‘Blue’ Pool, the name can be something of a misnomer – whilst the water can be a bright turquoise blue at times, the lake also appears as green, grey and even reddish-brown – making return visits a must in order to capture its dynamic beauty. These changes are due to light diffraction from the clay particles within the pool. The pool may also appear a darker, more inky blue, depending on the time of day and the weather, and how the sky is reflected on its still surface. You’ll find trails of varying lengths leading around the Blue Pool Nature […]

Home to the Anvil Point Lighthouse, built in the 1800s, the headland of Anvil Point is just one location for stunning seascapes and excellent walking within Durlston Country Park. Comprising part of the Jurassic Coast and the Isle of Purbeck, Anvil Point makes for an interesting explore and a fantastic spot for a quiet picnic overlooking uninterrupted sea views. The lighthouse The lighthouse at Anvil Point serves as a navigation aid and waypoint for vessels passing along the English Channel and was installed following a number of shipwrecks here. It became fully automated in 1991 and its light, which flashes every ten seconds with its rotating lens, reaches nine nautical miles out to sea. The original light would have been a paraffin burner. The twelve-metre-tall lighthouse was built in 1881 from locally-quarried stone stands 45m above sea level. It used to have a fog signal – a small cannon – that sounded every five minutes in low-visibility weather conditions, however this was discontinued in the 1980s. The lighthouse at Durlston is not accessible to the general public, although you can stay in its cottages, which have been converted into two holiday homes. How to get there You can walk to Anvil Point […]

If your idea of a dream day at the beach involves a wild and secluded bay where you can wile away the hours watching the odd passing boat and reading a good book, Chapman’s Pool is hard to beat. Worth Matravers is the cove’s closest village, where you can warm up at the Square and Compass pub with a pasty and pint by the log fire after a blustery day, or cool off with a cider in the beer garden in the summer after the rewarding walk down to Chapman’s Pool and back. Chapman’s Pool is a bit of a walk to get to and can be fairly challenging in places, so children and some dogs might struggle. A good pair of walking boots is also advisable as the steep path down to Chapman’s Pool can be slippery when wet. (There is an alternative, longer route, which is more gentle, that takes you through the valley.) Chapman’s Pool is a good place to see examples of the Jurassic Coast’s Kimmeridge Clay rock formation – named after nearby Kimmeridge Bay, where the clay with its abundant fossils is most famously displayed. Spend some time rock-pooling and fossil-spotting on the shale ledges […]