I moved to the Dorset area about 42 years ago, and in all that time I have never visited Lulworth. On the 5th March 2013 I finally arrived at Lulworth on my first visit. There are many places to see here, the large car park currently was £3.00 for two hours parking , rising accordingly. The pathway up the side of the hillside is daunting, and when arriving at the top tiring. The climb is a nightmare for anyone that is not fit and healthy. Then you have another long walk down to Durdle Door. The return Journey takes about one hour walking. Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, southern England. The cove is one of the world's finest examples of such a landform, and is a tourist location with about 500,000 visitors a year. It is close to the rock arch of Durdle Door and other Jurassic Coast sites. The steps at the eastern end of the beach lead to Fossil Forest and Mupe Bay, with a stunning walk along the cliff top. The cove has formed because there are bands of rock of alternating resistance running parallel to the shore ( a concordant coastline ). On the seaward side the clays and sands have been eroded away. A narrow ( less than 30 metre ) band of Portland limestone rocks form the shoreline. Behind this is a narrow ( less than 50 metre ) band of slightly less resistant Purbeck limestone. Behind this are 300--350 metres of much less resistant clays and green sands ( Wealden clays, Gault and Upper Green sand ). Forming the back of the cove is a 250 metre wide band of chalk, which is considerably more resistant than the clays and sands, but less resistant than the limestones. The entrance to the cove is a narrow gap in the limestone bands. This was formed by a combination of erosional processes by wave action, glacial melt waters and the processes of weathering. The wide part of the cove is where the weak clays and green sands have been eroded. The back of the cove is the chalk, which the sea has been unable to erode as fast as it does not dissolve in the sea acids. Lulworth acts as a gateway to this part of the Jurassic Coast. As well as the cove, across Hambury Tout ( the large chalk hill to the west ) is Durdle Door, a natural arch. To the east there is a fossilised forest. Lulworth is also close to Kimmeridge, famous for its rocky shore and fossils. The sea floor in and around the cove yields fossils, and oil sands beneath the sea bed form the largest British oil field outside the North Sea area, and contain the highest quality oil in Europe. Geologists and geographers have been interested in the area since the beginning of the 19th century, and in the 1830's the first serious study of the area took place. Since then the area has drawn Geology students from all over the world. Stair Hole, less than half a mile away, is an infant cove which suggests what Lulworth Cove would have looked like a few hundred thousand years ago. The sea has made a gap in the Portland and Purbeck limestone here, as well as small arch. The sea has made its way through to the Wealdon clays and begun eroding them. The clay shows obvious signs of slumping, and is eroding very rapidly. Stair Hole shows one best example of limestone folding ( the Lulworth crumple ) in the world, caused by movements in the Earth's crust millions of years ago. Folding can also be seen at nearby Durdle Door and at Lulworth cove itself. How to Get there by BY ROAD: Lulworth Cove / West Lulworth is sign posted from the A352 Dorchester - Wareham road. BY RAIL: The nearest railway station is Wool, five miles away, on the Bournemouth to Weymouth Line. The Trains National Enquiry Service number is 0845 748 4950. There are usually taxis available at the train station which charge a low amount for a trip to West Lulworth. It is also possible to book a bus between Wool and West Lulworth, more information below. BY BUS: Buses run from Dorchester and Wool to West Lulworth / Lulworth Cove ( Service 103 ) however these services now need to be booked through the Door to Dorset bus service.

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