Walking the Jurassic Coast

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.

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Overview

This guidebook describes 30 walking routes along the Devon-Dorset coast. The majority of the routes hug the shoreline between Torbay and Swanage, while others venture inland on the Dorset Downs. The walks range in length from 3 to 20 miles (5 to 33km) and are suitable for most walkers, with shorter routes alongside plenty of more challenging, full-day hikes. As well as detailed descriptions for every walk, accompanied by OS maps, there are details on available parking, points of interest along the way and advice on the terrain covered.

The guide has been divided into areas: Devon's Red Beds, the Lias, Chesil Beach, Chalk walks (Lulworth and inland) and the Isle of Purbeck. The geological descriptions are accompanied by strata diagrams, geological timelines, explanations of the creation of the various sedimentary rocks along the coast, and discussion of how and why the various formations formed millennia ago. The incredible - yet readable - detail brings these walks and the landscape alive.

The Jurassic Coast of Devon and Dorset, stretching between Exeter and Bournemouth, is a geological wonderland. Natural wonders like Chesil Beach, Durdle Door and fossils so numerous you'll be tripping over them, combine with southern England's rolling Downs, tiny villages, beaches and sunny summers to provide a stunning and awe-inspiring landscape to explore.

Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction
The Jurassic Coast
When to walk
Getting there and around
Staying the night
Maps and GPS
Safety at the seaside
Using this guide
Geological introduction
The sea
The Great Unconformity
The Universal Formations
The fossils
The drift of the continents
Eastwards is also ‘up’
1 Devon’s Red Beds
Walk 1 Budleigh Salterton and Woodbury Castle
Walk 2 Budleigh Salterton
Walk 3 Otterton, Peak Hill and the Otter
Walk 4 Sidmouth to Weston
Walk 5 Branscombe Mouth to Weston Mouth
Walk 6 Beer and Hooken Undercliff
Walk 7 Hartridge and Dumpdon
Red Bed Roundabout
2 The Lias
Walk 8 Lyme Regis Undercliff
Walk 9 Lyme Regis to Charmouth
Golden Cap
Walk 10 Hardown Hill, Golden Cap and Seatown
Walk 11 Golden Cap and Seatown
Walk 12 Bridport to Seatown
Walk 13 West Bay and Burton Bradstock
Walk 14 Beaminster to Pilsdon Pen
3 Chesil Beach
Walk 19 Osmington shore and White Horse
4 Chalk Walks: Lulworth and inland
Walk 20 Cerne Abbas and the Giant
Walk 21 Dorsetshire Gap
Walk 22 Hambledon and Hod hills
Walk 23 Ringstead Smugglers’ Path
Lulworth Cove
Walk 24 Lulworth Cove and Coast
Walk 25 Lulworth Cove and the Fossil Forest
5 Isle of Purbeck
Walk 26 Kimmeridge, Tyneham and Flower’s Barrow
Walk 27 Swyre Head and Houns Tout
Walk 28 Chapman’s Pool and St Aldhelm’s Head
Walk 29 Swanage: Durlston to Dancing Ledge
Walk 30 Ballard Down and Agglestone
The Isle of Purbeck Circuit

Appendix A Route summary table
Appendix B Indoor Geology: Museums and visitor centres
Appendix C Rock reference
Appendix D Glossary of geological terms
Appendix E Timechart: Cambrian period to the present day
Appendix F Rocks of the Jurassic Coast
Appendix G Jurassic Coast cliff diagrams

Updates

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August 2019

Route updates

Walk 10 Permissive path to St Gabriel's Beach

The path and steps down to St Gabriel's Beach, so handsomely restored in 2014, was undercut by cliff erosion in 2017 and is currently closed until further notice. Maintenance, repair and replacement of this path is a constant battle between the National Trust and the sea, with the NT in the role of the plucky underdog. A notice (or absence of one) at the top of the path will give its current status – see also the Golden Cap page at www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
This does not affect the main route continuing along the cliff top towards Golden Cap.

April 2016

Walk 8 Lyme Regis Undercliff

The route has reopened (Spring 2016) after being closed due to a landslip above Culverhole Point. The new, slightly diverted route takes in Goat Island (which isn't an island - see 'Insolated Strip' in the diagram with Walk 8). Thanks to Paddy Dillon for flagging this.

The cover of the guidebook refers to 'notes on the Jurassic Coast Path' which were not included in the final published book/ePub/Kindle.

We apologise for any confusion or disappointment but readers can now download Ronald's introduction to, outline description of and tips on the logistics of tackling the Jurassic Coast Path.

Notes on the Jurassic Coast Path (82.193 kB)

Reviews

June 2015

I really enjoyed this unusual walking book. We hear so much about the Jurassic Coast but not everyone is aware of the extraordinary geology behind the area. Here the formation of this bit of coastline through Devon and Dorset is described in interesting detail including simple to follow diagrams and photographs and a guide to collecting fossils. This would make an excellent read in itself. For each of 30 walks there is a small coloured chart and an explanation showing the way the area of the walk fits into geological history and the Jurassic Coast.

Not being able to find your way back to the route if you stray is a common problem when following a walk described in a book but fortunately here there are good Ordnance Survey maps included, far preferable to the sketch maps found in some walking books.

There is the usual problem of book based walk descriptions that with the pictures and maps plus extra information about the area, each walk covers several pages, difficult to manage when you are actually out. I usually manage this by photocopying the relevant pages. Having said that, putting the extra information about parts of the walks in a margin is a good idea as it is accessible but does not interfere with the text you need to follow.

Every one of the walks dotted along the coast looks attractive with its careful text, colourful pictures and map and I can't wait to get out and try them!

Margaret, East Dorset Walking Group.

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The Jurassic Coast is one of only three natural World Heritage Sites in the UK. This is the perfect guide book for anyone wanting to explore the 160km of stunning coastline including its cliffs, beaches, rocks and fossils.

Outdoor Enthusiast

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