At Durlston Country Park - a Clifftop Walk near Swanage - Part 1

On a grey and breezy afternoon last week, we walked for an hour or so on the beautiful cliff tops at Durlston Country Park, where the limestone Purbeck land meets the sea, just to the west of Swanage.

The Country Park runs courses in dry stone walling, using Purbeck limestone from small, open cast mines nearby. Here, a pile of stones and trugs await the next willing recruits.

Examples of the finished walling techniques. The Purbecks have many, very old, dry stone wall field boundaries which will benefit from the skills learned at Durlston.

We walked through a wooded copse and then turned downhill along a diagonal path, leading westwards towards the lighthouse at Anvil Point.

The grassy slopes hummed with bees visiting limestone-loving flowers.

Sea-wind sculpted, a stand of small holm oaks hugs the cliff contour, leaning in from prevailing South Westerlies.

Leaning hawthorn.....

....Herb Robert in the undergrowth......

........ of a green wooded tunnel........

....that lead to gorse -cliffed Channel views.....

....and wild honeysuckle scenting the gusting breeze.

Nearer to the lighthouse........

.......limestone rocks cragged over a choppy sea and thrift bloomed ; the pink seaside flower of childhood holidays and summer walks.

The Dorset Coastal Path lead westwards.......

....but it was time to turn to the east , past the Measured Mile posts for Channel shipping.......

....along the path where soft pink thrift grew against blue waves.......

...wildflowers unknown to me thrived against a harsh, salty wind...

....and white Sea Campion shone against grey sea at the steep cliff edge.