Lulworth Cove - Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site

Lulworth Cove makes for a superb day out for all ages.

A beautiful secluded cove whose existence is owed to the collision of continents and the birth of the Alps, on offer is tremendous walking, a fabulous visitor centre, organised outdoor activities and more.

How to Get There

Lulworth Cove is best accessed by car, or by the X55 bus which connects the cove to Weymouth, Bovington Tank Museum and Wool train station. Parking is available at Lulworth Cove Visitor Centre.

For further information, visit our Travel page.

Mid-winter sun at Lulworth Cove, Purbeck, Dorset

Mid-winter sun at Lulworth Cove. © Steve Belasco - jurassicphotographic.com

Where to Stay

We recommend staying at one of our nearby Business Partners – Durdle Door Holiday Park, Swanage Coastal Park, and Sandyholme Holiday Park.

You can also hire a cottage in the area with holidaycottages.co.uk.

For a comprehensive list of local options, visit our Accommodation page.

Tall ship Earl of Pembroke Lulworth Cove

Tall ship Earl of Pembroke off Lulworth Cove. © Steve Belasco - jurassicphotographic.com

Things to do

Grassland near Lulworth Cove. Photo © nootch via Flickr.com

Lulworth Cove Visitor Centre

Pay a visit to the Lulworth Cove Visitor Centre, where you can learn about the Cove and Durdle Door, two of the most iconic geological features on the Jurassic Coast.

Lulworth Cove Visitor Centre. © Lulworth Estate

Outdoor Activities

For the adventurous, Lulworth Outdoors, based at the Visitor Centre, offers coasteering, mountain biking and other outdoor pursuits.

Walking

Walking the South West Coast Path at Lulworth Cove is a brilliant experience, offering stunning views across the Jurassic Coast. An Ordnance Survey map is an ideal companion for a day’s walking.

Walking the coast path to the east of Lulworth Cove brings you to the incredible geological formations of Worbarrow Bay and the mysteriously abandoned village of Tyneham. To the west is the iconic Durdle Door, and further afield the lovely coastal hamlets of Osmington Mills and Ringstead.

Jim Gale from Lulworth Cove Visitor Centre walking the coast path. © Frank Peters

School Groups

Lulworth Cove Visitor Centre is available for education groups, and field sessions with the Lulworth Education Service rangers can be booked.

Car Parking and Facilities

For the latest parking information, visit Lulworth Estate’s website.

Need to Know: How Was Lulworth Cove Formed?

Around 25 million years ago the African tectonic plate collided with the European plate. The huge pressures generated heaved and folded rocks to create the mountain chain we know as the Alps. Ripples from that collision spread north through the Earth’s crust and gently folded the rocks here, in what would become Purbeck.

Lulworth Cove and neighbouring Durdle Door lie in the heart of one of these folds, where the rock layers have been tilted steeply. As the sea broke through the hard limestone it washed away the softer rocks behind creating the arch, the cove and the beautiful coastline where Lulworth Cove is found.