Maps & Background Information : Isle of Purbeck

• Dorset
• Bournemouth
• Corfe Castle
• Isle of Purbeck
• Jurassic Coast

• Neolithic England
• Round & Long Barrows
• Salisbury
• Stonehenge
• The New Forest

Splendid isolation! The peninsula that constitutes the Isle of Purbeck has kept the area and its inhabits partially, and splendidly, isolated from the rest of the county of Dorset. This peninsula is formed by Poole harbour and the rivers Frome and Piddle which, with their surrounding marshes, provided an effective barrier to overland travel. The first natural ford on the River Frome is in the picturesque village of Moreton, marking the westerly edge of Purbeck, is 18 miles (29 kilometres) from the chalk headland of Ballard Down and the seastack formations of Old Harry Rocks. These form the most easterly feature on the isle and the beginning of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

Hills on legs! Visiting Swanage, we find a bustling tourist town extensively modernised in the Victorian Period by local philanthropist, George Burt. A great spot for family holidays, the shallow, sheltered bay is perfect for water sports and extremely safe for swimming, even for the very young. Swanages ‘Crazy Golf and Candy Floss’ image of today hides an industrial past. Quarrying constituted the areas major industry and the hard, decorative limestone, known as Purbeck Marble, was once exported all over Britain and Europe.

Following the coast west we pass the cliffs of Durlston, swarming with seabirds. Then the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve at Kimmeridge, famous for the richness of its sealife and the abundance of its fossils. Finally, the lost village of Tyneham, requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence in 1937, it now gives a snapshot of a time long past.

Geologists Ho! West Lulworth nestles at the foot of Bindon Hill and on the edge of the horseshoe bay of Lulworth Cove. Once a simple fishing village it now supports a busy tourist industry but is internationally famous for the complexity of the areas coastal geography. Lulworth Cove, Stair Hole, Man O’War Bay and Durdle Door show with profound clarity how erosion and the detailed local geology can create an amazing array landforms. For those less enamoured by the earth sciences, they are, simply, extremely beautiful.