A walk along the Jurassic coast in Dorset from Studland Village to Old Harry Rocks is February’s walk of the month.
This is a moderate stroll, with some long but gentle climbs and descents, around the spectacular chalk stacks off Handfast Point at Studland. The same sea that carved the soft rock into caves and arches also polished the vertical cliffs to a dazzling white and there are far-ranging views over Swanage in one direction and Wareham and Bournemouth in the other.
Last October, Old Harry’s Rocks was one of the highlights along the 10-mile South West Coast Path Challenge walk led by the South West Coast Path Association. Among the participants was the artist Sasha Harding, who spoke to Alex Green about the coastal landscape around Swanage where she grew up and how it inspired her lifelong love of the South West Coast Path, which she completed and documented in her stunning book, A Brush with the Coast.
Listen to our podcast with Sasha on the Dorset coast around Old Harry’s Rocks and if you’d like to purchase a copy of the book, visit the Association’s online shop.
Let us know about your own experiences on this stretch of coast in the comments below.
Happy walking!
