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Coast Pictures, Dorset
England

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Corfe castle, Dorset, England

Corfe Castle ruins lie in Dorset's rolling, rural Purbeck Hills, just beside the charming little village of Corfe and not far from the start of the 630 mile [1014 kms] South Coast Path, Studland Nature Reserve, superb beaches at Sandbanks [a nudist beach] and Swanage town.

The south coast of England is much favoured by walkers enjoying a [relatively] fine micro-climate [arguably the best in the UK], sea views from chalk cliff-tops, beaches and rolling, undeveloped rural countryside.

Durdle Door, Dorset coast, UK

Durdle Door rock formation on the Dorset coast.

Devon photos

The stunning South West Coast Path [630 miles or 1014 kms], the United Kingdom's longest footpath, stretches from South Haven Point, Poole Harbour, Dorset through the fossil-loaded 'Jurassic Coast', along cliffs and valleys, past fishing villages and resorts to Quay Street Green, Minehead, Somerset. It is only partially useable by mountain bikers or horse riders. Most hikers don't walk the whole stretch in one go, needless to say.

Towns, ranging from charming to glum, on the Coast Path include: Swanage, Weymouth, Exmouth, Torquay [aka the English Riviera], Plymouth [the port from which the Pilgrim Fathers sailed to America aboard the Mayflower], Penzance, Newquay [known for surfing and nightlife], Barnstaple and Ilfracombe.

Some of the more scenically interesting areas en route are Lyme Regis, Chesil Beach, Portland Bill, Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, Kimmeridge Bay, Dancing Ledge and the Old Harry Rocks near the start of the walk at Studland [Poole Harbour/Bournemouth].

Stair Hole, Dorset coast

Stair Hole or Dorset's coast with a section of the South Coast Path visible in white, top right.

The Fossil Forest, Dorset

Part of the Fossil Forest on Dorset's 'Jurassic Coast'.

Devon photos

The Jurassic Coast spanning Devon and Dorset is a World Natural Heritage Site described as 'an outstanding example, representing a major stage of earth's history and the record of life'.
One of the oldest coastlines in the world, the coast is stuffed with 185 million years of fossils and extends 95 miles from Orcombe Point in Devon to Old Harry Rocks in Dorset.
Much of this coast is part of the South West Coast Path.

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