Kayley Suzanne 
Have you like the rest of the world been focusing your efforts on staycations in 2020. Among many Brits and tourists in the UK, you’ll have likely seen this stunning location keep popping up on your feed. If like me, you would love to visit… I’ve put together a guide to make sure you have an awesome experience of visiting Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove on the Jurassic Coast!
Magnificent Durdle Door
Durdle Door is one of Dorset’s most photographed landmarks and I’m sure you can see why ‑ it’s stunning! Set in the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site this natural limestone arch is part of the Lulworth Estate (which covers 12000 acres in Dorset)!
So how do you get there?
Access to the pebble beach is entirely on foot, via a set of steps and a path that leads down from Durdle Door Holiday Park. There is a lot of parking at the top of the hill however my advice is to ensure you were appropriate shoes, as this is a pretty steep clamber! The walk from the car park is around 15 minutes, the path is steep and there are around 140 steps to get down. It sounds like a challenge, but it’s totally worth it. For those that may not wish to take the steps down onto the beach, the views from the top of the hill are also gorgeous, just take into account there will always be some walking involved to see Durdle Door.
Whether you visit in the afternoon or maybe like us you’ll stay for sunset, be sure to pack a little bag with some refreshments (we had water in the day but our tipple was wine to enjoy sundown). Stick around for some time to really take in the views!
Lovely Lulworth Cove
Having traveled down from Suffolk to Dorset to visit Durdle Door, a friend and I wanted to spend the whole day exploring and so you might too be wondering what else there is to do?
Great news for those wishing to do the same… Lulworth Cove is a short hike from Durdle Door (1.25 miles / 2km) and starts from Durdle Door car park where a well-marked path expands over the limestone cliffs (be prepared to come face to face with gracing cows ‑ yes they live on the cliff ?) and sweeps down (a very steep hill again ‑ this one will take you by surprise) into Lulworth. So, visiting Durdle Door means that you can also easily visit Lulworth Cove as well! Everywhere you look the views are breathtaking and so this hike is fantastic… however if you aren’t feeling up to the hike you can also hop in the car and drive from Durdle Door Holiday Park into Lulworth Car Park.
Once you arrive you’ll see some quaint little ice cream shops, restaurants, and the road down into Lulworth Cove where the beautiful circular bay awaits you! This is the perfect spot to sit and have lunch or just bask in the sunshine. ☀️
My top tip for visiting Durdle Door
Durdle Door is a big attraction site and gets particularly busy in summer, although the site has been a flocking ground across the entire period of the pandemic this year in 2020.
So if you are hoping to experience Durdle Door without the crowds, be sure to take note of this tip. Just along from Durdle Door Holiday Park off the main road, there’s an overflow / large field car park and you can actually camp here FOR FREE! Camping on Durdle Doors’ own campsite costs around £45 per night and so it’s a pretty nifty tip to go just up the road and save yourself some pennies.
Why is camping important at Durdle Door?
The sun rises over the cliffs at Durdle Door and at dawn, the site is serene and so peaceful. What is better than experiencing a place in peace and quiet? We visited in late summer and we awoke at 5 am, walked to the site for 6 am and the sun was rising by 6:30 am. Beware that you are NOT allowed into Durdle Doors car park before 9 am and so you will have to walk early in the morning (this takes around 20 minutes) ‑ security guards block the entrance, so even if you are feeling sneaky… you can’t get in by car.
So fill up your flask with coffee and get your boots on to get down to Durdle Door for dawn.
Bonus Tip ‑ Not to be missed
One of the best experiences of my life to date was the early morning swim at Durdle Door we took and I’d highly recommend taking the opportunity to do the same if you are feeling adventurous.
Whilst the sun was rising around us, coming up over the hill, being in the water was so relaxing and GORGEOUS!
Whilst it was chilly in the air at 6:30 am, the water was easy to walk into and felt very refreshing. The water is extremely clear and quite frankly could easily be mistaken for somewhere European! We were able to spend around 45 minutes swimming and taking in the experience.
At this hour of the morning, there were no more than 10 people on the beach and so it was a truly once in a lifetime!
Push yourself outside of your comfort zone, take a morning dip.
So, how do you think about visiting Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove? Would it be in your route if you had chance to visit UK any soon? Let us know in the comments below!
