• Dorset Jurassic Coastal Path & Ridgeway

• 5 nights short break version is available everyday from 1 April - 31 October
• 7 & 8 night holidays starts everyday during the English school holiday periods from 1 April - 31 October. Outside of these periods the first night in Lyme Regis starts on Monday or Tuesday. This is due to the route going through the Army Ranges at Lulworth on day 6 and this route is only available when firing is not taking place. Normally it is available during school holidays and at weekends, but there are some weekends throughout the year when it is not open, so please contact us before you book. Please also consult our web page with further information on the opening times of the Lulworth army ranges
• Accommodation is limited on some sections of the walk. Please book early to ensure your place.

• 5 nights, 4 days walking - From £620
• 7 nights, 6 days walking - From £790
• 8 nights, 7 days walking - From £890
• Loyalty scheme reduction applies for returning customers (see terms and conditions)

• 7 nights, 6 days independent walking between guest houses
• Option of extra day's walking from Swanage to Corfe Castle
• Short break option also available from Lyme Regis to Lulworth

• Stunning coastline, one of the most varied and interesting in England
• Beautiful secluded bays such as Lulworth Cove and towering cliffs such as Golden Cap the highest point on England's south coast.
• Lovely beaches, and strange rock formations like Durdle Door
• A largely unspoilt countryside, peppered with pretty hamlets and villages with historic thatched cottages and traditional English pubs and tea rooms
• Picturesque seaside port of Lyme Regis and the beautiful villages of Abbotsbury and Corfe with its impressive castle
• The Dorset coastline has been designated a natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to its unique insight into the Earth' history, depicting a geological ‘walk through time' spanning the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods
• A new walking experience each day as the landscape changes with the different rock types
• Superb panoramic views from the Dorset ridgeway

• "The booklet was a lovely keepsake, with personalised touches. We had a great week with perfect weather for walking. The distances between overnight stops was just right." E. Darby, UK.
• "The accommodation was of a high standard. Abbey House was in a stunning location. Beautiful house and garden with lovely room and view. Friendly owners and lovely having breakfast on the lawn." A. Pickup, UK

• A range of guest houses, bed and breakfasts and inns. They are good quality guest houses often in historic local buildings chosen for their charm and welcome. All accommodation is on a B&B basis. Please book early to ensure that we can secure our first choice accommodation.

1. 5, 7 or 8 night's accommodation on B&B basis
2. Transport of luggage between guest houses (1 bag per person)
3. Detailed walking notes with information about the local sites
4. OS walking maps

1. All lunches and evening meals
2. Drinks (except at breakfast)
3. Transport to Lyme Regis and from Lulworth, Swanage or Corfe Castle
4. Travel insurance
5. Any entrance fees

1. Dramatic North Cornwall Coast walking holiday
2. Other coastal trail walking holidays
3. Other self-guided walking holidays in the south of England: Wonders of Wessex Walk

Walking Profile

The walking days on this independent holiday average about 16km in distance. The walking varies with some easy sections, whilst others sections of the Dorset coastal path have some sizeable and reasonably steep ascents and descents. A couple of the days have a series of ups and downs making them quite difficult days for the grade with a maximum daily ascent of 650m. For the most part your walking trail follows a national footpath and it is therefore well signposted.

Day 1: Arrival

Welcome, and night at Lyme Regis. Explore this historic picturesque port and stroll along the Cobb - its famous harbour walls.

Day 2: Lyme Regis - West Bay

Your first day's walking brings you quickly to Charmouth at a gap in the coastal hills, which is a great place to look for fossils. There is a Heritage Visitors Centre. Your trail continues up and down a number of hills including the ascent of Golden Cap, the highest cliff on the coast of southern England giving wonderful views both along the coast and inland. Much of this area is owned by the National Trust and farmed using traditional methods meaning that it has plenty of wild flowers and butterflies in early summer. West Bay is a small harbour village with lovely sea cliff views. 17km, +530m

Day 3: West Bay - Abbotsbury

An easier day in store. After some relatively small hills following the cliff tops, the trail levels out as you approach the amazing Chesil Beach - a huge ridge of shingle 13km long, creating a lagoon on its landward side. On the way there is the opportunity to visit the picturesque historic Dorset village of Burton Bradstock with many 17th century thatched cottages. This stretch is good for bird spotting and there is a nature conservation reserve. Your walking trail turns inland at the start of the beach and shortly afterwards reaches the pretty village of Abbotsbury with lots of stone and thatched cottages as well as a number of other buildings and sites of interest. 14km, +210m

Day 4: Abbotsbury - Ridgeway

Your walking trail takes you inland along The Ridgeway - a chalk ridge which runs for 20km east-west, famous for its quantity of barrows (burial earth mounds) built here during the Bronze Age - one of the highest concentrations in the UK. The ridge provides fine walking and great panoramic views, one of the best being from Hardy's Monument at 240m above sea level. Just before the monument is the Valley of the Stones with impressive Celtic field systems still visible and naturally occurring large stones. On route it is possible to make a detour to Maiden Castle - a hugely impressive Neolithic and Iron Age hill fort which dominates the local landscape. 21km, +310m

Day 5: Ridgeway - Lulworth

You walking trail returns to the coast and traverses the top of some beautiful chalk cliffs such as the great chalk headland of White Nothe which provides glorious views. The rolling landscape is beautiful and the green pastures and wild flowers contrast starkly with the white cliffs. On your way to Lulworth you'll pass Durdle Door, a great natural arch of limestone through which the sea passes. The day finshes with a beautiful walk over Hambury Tout to Lulworth. Lulworth cove is without doubt one of the most perfect coves in the UK bounded by cliffs and hills forming a secluded spot to rest weary legs. Historic buildings abound in the small village. 10km, +420m

The short break option finishes at Lulworth and your holiday ends after breakfast on day 6

Day 6: Lulworth - Worth Matravers

Your great day's walk starts by going over the cliffs surrounding Lulworth Cove before passing the Fossil Forest to reach Smugglers Cove. This part of your walking trail follows some dramatic cliff top walking around a series of picturesque bays and headlands which change form with the changing geology, such as the beautiful Worbarrow Bay. It's worth making the detour to Tyneham, a deserted village in a lovely setting in a clay valley between chalk and limestone hills. Evacuated in 1943, no-one has lived there since. Other highlights of the walking trail include Kimmeridge Bay and Chapman's Pool. Night at either of the lovely inland villages of Kingston or Worth Matravers 19km, +650m

Day 7: Worth Matravers - Swanage

Today's walking is undulating but less strenuous than on day 6. Your route undulates along limestone downs along beautiful cliff tops. Your day starts by going around the large headland of St Albans Head offering great views. The route is punctuated by old quarry workings exploited when stone was directly loaded onto boats out at sea. After passing Durleston Head you'll reach the seaside resort of Swanage. 18km, +180m

Day 8: Departure

Departure after breakfast

Extra day option - alternative Day 8: Swanage - Corfe Castle

The optional extra day's walking climbs onto the chalk ridge of the Purbeck Hills. From here you have great views over the amazing Poole Harbour. From here it's possible to extend your walk to Old Harry Rocks, a chalk headland with detached stacks or rock towers. Afterwards the trail goes through the pretty village of Studland before returning to the ridge which you follow to the beautiful village of Corfe Castle located in a gap in the Dorset hills. The superb old castle ruins dominate the village. 16-19km, up to 440m

Day 9 Departure after breakfast

Please note that the stages may vary slightly depending on the availability of guest houses. This will not alter the walking trail or change the grade of the holiday.