We are the Chiltern Young Walkers. We open the way for everyone in our local community to enjoy the pleasures of walking.
Join us for one or more walks during our weekend break to the Jurassic Coast.
This walk begins with beautiful views of Ringstead Bay, Weymouth Bay and the Isle of Portland. As we walk inland towards Lulworth Cove, we will enjoy views across the rolling hills of the Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site and of the English Channel. We will cross Chaldon Down, one of the highest hills in South Dorset, across land settled by humans since prehistoric times, before heading down to sea level.
We visit the enormous Lulworth Cove before heading to its miniature neighbour, Stair Hole, and then going to the world famous Durdle Door. The magnificent natural limestone arch was formed around 10,000 years ago when the power of the waves eroded the rock and forged a hole through the middle.
Many TV shows, movies and music videos have used Durdle Door as a filming location. Just a few years back, it became the spot where Doctor Who morphed from being Jodie Whittaker to being David Tenant again.
From here there are some fun calorie-burning climbs up and down the steep hills of the Jurassic Coast before it’s back to Ringstead Bay where the walk finishes.
And if you want more, a second walk begins almost immediately afterwards, at 3pm, setting off from the same location and covering new parts of the Jurassic Coast.
A meal out will be arranged on Saturday evening for anyone who’d like to join us. The location will depend how many people sign up, so if you’re interested, please register on our Meet Up page to give us an idea of the numbers.
If you are planning on joining us for the whole weekend, please arrange your own overnight accommodation if you need to. There are plenty of places to stay in nearby towns Weymouth and Dorchester, as well as in all the villages and countryside around them. There are many hotel and B&B websites to help you choose somewhere. Air BNB, hotels.com and Trivago are just a few examples.
What to bring - checklist
An advisory, non-exhaustive list of what to bring on a walk:
🔵 Please bring a packed lunch for this walk. 🥪
🔵 A sturdy pair of walking boots that you have already walked in (essential). 🥾
🔵 Lots of water (essential). Advice: Two 1.5l bottles of water. 💧
🔵 A decent pair of walking socks (or maybe two socks on each foot) - to prevent blisters. 🧦
🔵 Sun cream (weather pending). 🧴
🔵 Rain jacket (weather pending). 🌧️
🔵 Small packet of pocket-sized tissues. 🤧
🔵 Multi-sized packet of plasters - in case of blisters, bramble cuts etc. 🩹
🔵 Backpack for your belongings. 🎒
🔵 Savlon - for any minor insect bites that may occur. 👍
Parking and meeting point details
Please pay careful attention to the parking and meeting point details. It’s in a slightly out of the way place to avoid the very high charges for the car parks closest to Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door.
The address of the car park we are meeting at is: National Trust Car Park - Ringstead Bay, Unnamed Road, DT2 8NQ. If you put that into Google Maps, the correct car park where we will be meeting should come up.
Cost: £6 for all-day parking, or £6.20 using the JustPark app. Location number on the app is: 80664. Parking is free for National Trust members.
How to get there:
When driving south-west on the A353, turn left where you see the white sign towards ‘Ringstead’ and the brown sign towards ‘Beach Cafe’. This is the ‘unnamed road’, which our car park is at the end of. The road comes just after the sharp bend to the right on the main road and before you reach Osmington.
Do not turn right at any point once on the ‘unnamed road’. Just keep driving until you reach the National Trust car park at the end of the road. Do not go down the toll road to the right, which charges £6 for using it. That takes you to a separate car park at the bottom of the hill that is not our meeting point.
Please sign up on meetup using the link below if possible, so we know how many to expect. If you would like to join for the meal please contact chair@chilterns2030s to register your interest and Beth will put you in contact with David
The address of the car park we are meeting at is: National Trust Car Park - Ringstead Bay, Unnamed Road, DT2 8NQ. If you put that into Google Maps, the correct car park where we will be meeting should come up. Full details in walk description section.
