Let’s get back to Dorset shall we? I honestly hadn’t thought that the theme of this trip would be ‘interesting rocks’, but here we are – after the fossils, the thing that was on the top of my to-see list was Durdle Door, home of turquoise waters and subject of half a zillion sunset pictures on Instagram. We decided to walk the coast path over from Lulworth Cove, which I would highly recommend if you’re after a more dramatic sense of arrival. Once you’ve hoisted yourself up the big initial hill you start to see the white cliffs peeping out, with the archway waiting until the very last moment to reveal itself.
There’s always a risk when you go to these much photographed sites that they won’t live up to the hype, but thankfully that wasn’t the case- though I have to say that I was much more enamoured by what was on the other side of the Durdle Door lookout point, the Man o’War cove. The faults and folds in the cliff faces were so visible and raw that they looked like they’d been ripped out of the ground and hastily put back by a giant just before we arrived- those, combined with the clear water and a small pipit flitting over the rocks, made it our choice spot to stop a while. It was so peaceful watching the waves gently lapping at the tendrils of stone stretching out into the sea while nursing a steaming cup of tea, the occasional cormorant stretching out its wings on the small rock barrier just offshore. I can imagine that you’d get a very different vibe during the summer when the place is full of beachgoers, but I’ll admit the swimming must be wonderful.
All in all it was highlight to end our trip on. I can totally see why people fall in love with this bit of the UK – I basically felt like I was an extra in a River Cottage autumn special the entire time we were there (helped no doubt by the famous farmhouse being just over the hill from our AirBnB). I wonder if travel hadn’t been so majorly disrupted this past year whether we would actually have made the effort to go to Dorset instead of somewhere further afield. I’m so glad we did, and will be looking to stick that pin in a map a little closer to home more often.
