Durdle Door Natural Arch on the Jurassic Coast of South England

Durdle Door is a natural arch found on the Dorset coastline
in England

It forms part of the Jurassic Coast which is a World
Heritage listed piece of coast extending from Old Harry
Rocks in the east all the way down to Devon in the west.

The arch is made from hard limestone known as Portland Stone
which has been tilted upright.The softer rock behind has been
eroded away leaving the arch exposed. This line of hard rock
continues in the bay to the east ,known as Man O' War Bay
where it has been eroded right down to sea level though it
is exposed at low tide.

The rock can be reached in two ways one from Lulworth Cove
in the east though this is via a very steep footpath which
some people may find challenging.However if you are fit then
you can park our car in the Lulworth car park then walk west
to Durdle door.The views are spectacular.

If you want to park a little closer there is a car park
above the door which is accessed through a camp site behind
the door. A parking charge is payable for both locations.
From here it is a short walk down to the door though if you
want to go right down to the beach then there is a steep
decent.

If you expecting fine sand to stand on as you admire the
door you will be disappointed as you will be standing on 
pebbles which can feel hard underfoot.

Do not on any account try and climb the door as you firstly
may fall off as you climb and even if you get to the top and
dive into the sea it is not that deep and you may injure
yourself.In August 2010 a man in his 70s did just that TWICE
and had to be airlifted to hospital by helicopter.

If you need the bathroom or a drink you will have to go back
to the camp site mentioned above.

If you want to view the door from the ocean side there is a
guided tour using Kayaks.You rent a kayak at Lulworth Cove
are guided along the coast to the door.

There are other things to see along the way such as the
wildlife that nests in the cliff face.Only from the sea side
of the coast can this be seen.The best time to go would be
April to September.