Best of the Isle of Purbeck

Isle of Purbeck Essentials

The Isle of Purbeck, a peninsula on the Jurassic Coast, features the iconic chalk stacks of Old Harry Rocks and the 11th-century ruins of Corfe Castle. This selection includes the ghost village of Tyneham, abandoned during WWII, and the Victorian-era Durlston Castle. Natural highlights range from the sandy Studland Beach to the limestone cliffs of Winspit and the panoramic views from Swyre Head, the region's highest point.

Bob Linsdell / CC BY 3.0

Old Harry Rocks

Old Harry Rocks are three chalk formations, including a stack and a stump, located at Handfast Point, on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset,…

chris_j_wood / CC-BY-SA-3.0

Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle railway station is a railway station located in the village of Corfe Castle, in the English county of Dorset.

Lewis Clarke / CC BY-SA 2.0

Studland Beach

One of Britain's most fabulous beaches that looks like it comes from an old novel. The northern part is favoured by naturists.

Tuuraan78 / CC BY 3.0

Tyneham

Tyneham is a ghost village abandoned in 1943 and former civil parish, now in the parish of Steeple with Tyneham, in the Dorset district, in…

Sarah Smith / CC BY-SA 2.0

Square and Compass

The Square and Compass is a Grade II listed public house in Worth Matravers, Dorset.

Huligan0 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Durlston Castle

Durlston Castle stands within Durlston Country Park, a 1.13 square-kilometre country park and nature reserve stretching along the coastline…

Huligan0 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Great Globe

The Great Globe at Swanage is one of the largest stone spheres in the world and stands at Durlston Castle within Durlston Country Park, a…

John Lamper / CC BY-SA 2.0

Blue Pool

A former clay pit now filled with water that appears turquoise or green due to light diffraction from clay particles. It is surrounded by a 25-acre nature reserve of heathland and woodland.

Nigel Chadwick / CC BY-SA 2.0

Dancing Ledge

A flat limestone ledge at the base of the cliffs, formerly used as a quarry. It features a small tidal swimming pool blasted into the rock in the early 20th century.

Huligan0 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Clavell Tower

Clavell Tower, also known as Clavell Folly or the Kimmeridge Tower, is a Grade II listed Tuscan style tower built in 1830.

Peter Broster / CC BY 2.0

Anvil Point Lighthouse

The Anvil Point Lighthouse is a fully-automated lighthouse located at Durlston Country Park near Swanage in Dorset, England.

Charlesdrakew / Public domain

Winspit

A former limestone quarry on the coast near Worth Matravers. The site contains large man-made caverns and has served as a filming location for productions including Doctor Who and Star Wars.