Detour #127: Jurassic Coast, UK
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It’s all about the sea and what you see on this World Heritage Site drive, says Simon Heptinstall.
It’s a sleepy slice of Old England, where visitors slurp cider and munch cream teas, while locals watch from their pastel painted thatched cottages… or sitting on a tractor leading a muddy and obstinate herd of cows down the middle of the road in front of you.
Driving through this corner of East Devon and South Dorset often means negotiating narrow lanes twisting between towering hedges, the only passing places occasional gateways resembling scenes from trench warfare.
And yet I’m about to recommend this 100-mile strip of south coast as one of the UK’s great drives.
This quiet corner of the west country isn’t full of busy seaside resorts or famous sights. Instead, it has a big secret: it is packed with world-class views. In fact, the coastal strip from Exmouth to Poole is one of Britain’s least heralded World Heritage Sites.
Scientists call it The Jurassic Coast – but don’t expect a T. Rex to come and step on your jeep. It’s all about the Jurassic geological period instead. Hang on, don’t switch off… it means that this coast has some of the most extraordinary rocks and cliffs you’ll see anywhere.
A series of simple detours along quiet country roads can take you to some of the very best seascapes in Europe.
Getting the best of the Jurassic Coast is all about map-reading. The main ‘coastal’ trunk road between Poole and East Devon is the A35. Stick to that and you’ll hardly see the sea all day.
Instead you’ll need to drive clever. There are lots of dead-end lanes leading south down to the shore. Some are brilliant ways to reach secret seasides (try the one from Abbotsbury to Chesil Beach or the tiny lane down to the car park at Branscombe Beach) but if you drove down them all this drive would take weeks.
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So look for the coastal loops, like the B3178 through the woods from Exmouth down the cliffs to the extraordinary seafront at Budleigh Salterton where the River Otter pours into the sea round a landmark stack of bright red rock. Walk round the headland to see seascapes of red sandstone pillars in the middle of the sea around Ladram Bay.
Geologists love how these cliffs suddenly turn white between Sidmouth and the quaint little fishing village of Beer. Take the detour across the mouth of the River Axe at Seaton for views in all directions: bird-filled estuary on one side, winding river mouth between colourful cliffs on the other. Or take the A3052 detour to drive right past the harbour walls and wind round the old fishing cottages at Lyme Regis.
One of the essential big looping detours is the gorgeous B3157, hugging the chalky cliff tops between Bridport and Weymouth. Be prepared for plenty of photo stops as the views include the strange 18-mile narrow strip of pebbles called Chesil Beach, between the sea and the freshwater ‘Fleet’ behind it.
Chesil pebbles start as shingle down at the pretty Burton Bradstock end and get bigger further east. They’re fridge-sized boulders by the time you reach Portland Bill, another unmissable sight: a four-mile long island of high vertical white chalk cliffs.
The best is still to come. Exotic cliff formations at Durdle Door, Man O’War Beach and Lulworth Cove are so extraordinary that even the least studious start wondering about the geology behind them. Sorry drivers, you have to pay to park in Lulworth and walk a short way up the coast path to see the best of them.
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And don’t be tempted to skirt the Isle of Purbeck, the chunk of land that sticks out to the south of Poole’s enormous natural harbour. Not only will you drive past the haunting ruins of Corfe Castle but the coast here is riddled with wonderfully quirky sights. Try the little lane to St Aldhelm’s weird little storm-proof medieval blockhouse chapel on a lonely cliff top or the remote Royal Marines Commando Memorial overlooking another secret circular cove at Chapman’s Pool.
You’ll end up driving through the middle of the nature reserve at Studland, packed with wildfowl between the sea and Poole Harbour. Then let a traditional chain-link ferry take your car across to the glamorous beach-houses of Sandbanks. It might not be world-class geology – but as a memorable experience for less than a fiver the clanking noisy old ferry is a great finale to this glorious Jurassic Coast detour.
Photo Nick Fewings / Unsplash