Walking the Jurassic Coast

This guidebook describes 30 walking routes along the Devon-Dorset coast. The majority of the routes hug the shoreline between Torbay and Swanage, while others venture inland on the Dorset Downs. The walks range in length from 3 to 20 miles (5 to 33km) and are suitable for most walkers, with shorter routes alongside plenty of more challenging, full-day hikes. As well as detailed descriptions for every walk, accompanied by OS maps, there are details on available parking, points of interest along the way and advice on the terrain covered. The guide has been divided into areas: Devon's Red Beds, the Lias, Chesil Beach, Chalk walks (Lulworth and inland) and the Isle of Purbeck. The geological descriptions are accompanied by strata diagrams, geological timelines, explanations of the creation of the various sedimentary rocks along the coast, and discussion of how and why the various formations formed millennia ago. The incredible – yet readable – detail brings these walks and the landscape alive. The Jurassic Coast of Devon and Dorset, stretching between Exeter and Bournemouth, is a geological wonderland. Natural wonders like Chesil Beach, Durdle Door and fossils so numerous you'll be tripping over them, combine with southern England's rolling Downs, tiny villages, beaches and sunny summers to provide a stunning and awe-inspiring landscape to explore.