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www.dorsetcamper.com

Durlston

Durlston...

Anvil Point
Anvil Point
Durlston Head, Durston Castle and Durlston Country Park are just around the corner from Swanage.

Durlston Head is a rugged and rocky promontory that more or less makes up the bottom right-hand corner of Dorset. It isn’t the most easterly corner of the County, but it is probably the most south-easterly bit.

The land all around Durlston Head was once owned by George Burt, a local-boy-made-good. He started out as a stonemason and ended up at the head of one of the nation’s biggest construction companies, which was established by an Uncle of his, John Mowlem.

The pair put lots of effort and funds back into Swanage and the surrounding area, with Burt helping to ensure that Swanage was connected to the rail network, among other good works.

He also bought the land which now makes up the Durlston Country Park and, in the late 19th Century, built Durlston Castle.  He also commissioned the massive stone globe that still sits overlooking the sea and overlooked by the castle. It is an oddly beautiful piece for a spherical lump of rock. You will wonder how it stays up, but it does - or at least it has done so far! Perhaps, like Arthur Dent and the Nutrimatic Cup, it is art alone that keeps it there!

Dorset County Council (DCC) now owns Durlston, which operates as a nature reserve and educational centre. But it’s also a beautiful place to visit and one of the few places in Dorset that openly boasts dolphin watching as one of its attractions.

The Castle, for which read big dwelling rather than defensive construction, now houses a pretty good café with an excellent view.

There are bracing and beautiful walks to be had along the cliff tops, which here make-up the South West Coast Path.

Head east, and you’ll end up in Swanage.

Head west, and there’s a good short walk to the Anvil Point Lighthouse or, for the more adventurous, a trek along the coast to Dancing Ledge, Worth Matravers and St Aldhelm’s Head...and the rest of the Dorset Coast, of course.

This part of the coast definitely falls into the category of cliffs for walking rather than beaches for swimming, but it is good walking and good looking. And you can learn a lot about its natural history, Jurassic and modern, thanks to George Burt’s legacy and what the DCC have done with it.​

This part of the coast definitely falls into the category of cliffs for walking rather than beaches for swimming, but it is good walking and good looking.​"


Picture
Picture

Picture

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  • Home
  • Attractions
    • The Tank Museum >
      • The Tank Story
    • Royal Signals Museum
    • Monkey World
    • Sea Life Adventure Park >
      • Jurassic Skyline Tower
    • Swanage Steam Railway
    • Abbotsbury >
      • Abbotsbury Swannery
      • Abbotsbury Children's Farm
      • Abbotsbury Gardens
    • Farmer Palmers
    • Dinosaur Museum
    • Wimborne Model Town
    • Splashdown
    • Over the Border >
      • Fleet Air Arm Museum
      • Pecorama
      • Seaton Tramway
  • Places to See
    • Historic Towns and Buildings >
      • Kingston Lacy
      • Clouds Hill
      • Wareham
      • Dorchester >
        • The Roman Town House
      • Shaftesbury
      • Sturminster Newton
      • Hardy's Monument
    • Scenic Walks >
      • Arne Nature Reserve
      • Tyneham
      • Hardy's Cottage
      • Lower Bockhampton
      • Cerne Abbas
      • Brownsea Island
      • Moreton
      • Stanton St Gabriel
      • Tout Quarry
    • Iron Age Forts >
      • Maiden Castle
      • Eggardon Hill
      • Badbury Rings
    • Castles >
      • Corfe Castle >
        • Corfe Castle Re-enactments
      • Sherborne Castle
      • Portland Castle
      • Lulworth Castle
      • The Nothe Fort
  • Beaches and Coast
    • Seaside Towns >
      • Weymouth
      • Lyme Regis
      • Swanage
      • Charmouth
      • Seatown
      • Seaton
    • Beaches >
      • The Chesil Beach >
        • The Fleet Lagoon
        • Ferry Bridge
        • West Bay
        • Burton Hive
        • Cogden Beach
        • West Bexington
      • Ringstead Bay
      • Lulworth Cove
      • Durdle Door
      • Studland
    • Features and Viewpoints >
      • Portland
      • Redcliff Point
      • White Nothe
      • Mupe Bay
      • Kimmeridge
      • Chapman's Pool
      • St Aldhelm's Head
      • Worth Matravers
      • Winspit
      • Fossil Forest
      • Dancing Ledge
      • Golden Cap
      • Durlston
      • Old Harry Rocks
  • Things To Do
    • Walks and Walking >
      • Lulworth Range Walks
    • Fishing and Angling >
      • Fishing Lakes and Rivers
      • Fishing and Sea Angling
    • Sailing Tall Ships
    • Fleet Observer (Boat Trip)
    • Jurassic Drive
    • Segway Tours
    • Fly a Plane!
  • Events
    • TankFest
    • Great Dorset Steam Fair
    • Dorset County Show
    • Chickerell Steam and Vintage Show
    • The Waverley
    • Weymouth Seafood Festival
  • Places to Stay
    • Sea Barn Farm Camping Park, Weymouth
    • West Fleet Holiday Farm, Weymouth
    • Bagwell Farm Touring Park, Weymouth
    • Static Caravans & Lodges
    • Dorset Camping Parks Directory
  • Pubs & Grub
    • Eating Out
    • Pubs
    • Speciality Foods >
      • Dorset Blue Vinny
      • Farm Shops
      • Dorset Knobs
  • Map of Dorset
  • Gear
    • Electric Hook-ups
    • Campfires and BBQs
    • Torches & Torchlight
  • Get in Touch
    • Privacy & Cookies