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Walking the Jurassic Coast

Dorset and East Devon: The walks, the rocks, the fossils

This guidebook includes 30 walks on the Jurassic Coast of Devon and Dorset. Covering the coast between Exmouth and Bournemouth, these delightful routes range from 3 to 16 miles (5 to 24km), exploring and explaining the spectacular geology of this World Heritage area with clear, easily understood descriptions, cross-sections and timelines.

Seasons

Year-round. Late July and August can be busy on beaches and car parks. Winter (October to March) has more challenging weather and can be muddy underfoot.

Centres

Budleigh Salterton, Sidmouth, Beer/Seaton, Lyme Regis/Charmouth, Bridport, Dorchester, Portland, Cerne Abbas, Lulworth, Swanage

Difficulty

Most walks are on good, clear paths. Coast path ascents and descents can be steep but are short. The longer walks require physical fitness but many shorter ones allow time for studying the rockforms and fossils.

Must See

Nearly 100 miles of clifftops. Fossil-hunting at Lyme Regis. The quartzite pebbles of Budleigh Salterton. Tree trunks of 150 million years ago at Lulworth Cove. The Cretaceous sea that carved right across England. Chalk downland and a rude man at Cerne Abbas. The Purbeck crumple zone caused by Italy's impact with Europe.
ISBN
9781852847418
Availability
Published
Published
4 Jun 2015
Reprinted
31 Jan 2024
Edition
First
Pages
240
Size
17.20 x 11.60 x 1.40cm
Weight
280g
Overview

A guidebook to 30 walks on the Jurassic Coast of Devon and Dorset. Covering the coast between Exmouth and Bournemouth, the walks are suitable for most walkers, with shorter routes alongside plenty of more challenging, full-day hikes.

The walks range in length from 5 to 24km (3–16 miles) and can be enjoyed in 2–8 hours. The majority of the routes hug the shoreline between Torbay and Swanage, while others venture inland on the Dorset Downs.

  • 1:50,000 OS maps are included for each walk
  • GPX files available to download
  • The geology of this World Heritage Coastline is brought to life with timelines and cross-sections
  • Local points of interest include Lulworth Cove and Chesil Beach 

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Ronald Turnbull Cicerone author TURNB

By Ronald Turnbull

Ronald Turnbull writes regularly for TGO, Lakeland Walker, Trail and Cumbria magazines. His previous books include Across Scotland on Foot, Long Days in Lakeland and Welsh 3000ft Challenges. He has written many other Cicerone guides, including Walking in the Lowther Hills, The Book of the Bivvy and Not the West Highland Way. Ronald's weekly newsletter on mountains, hillwalking and history is at https://aboutmountains.substack.com/

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