Lulworth Cove

The horseshoe of shingle beach here is one of those views that stops you mid-walk. Lulworth Cove curves so perfectly it barely looks real - a crescent of pale sand and pebbles hemmed in by chalk cliffs that rise like fortress walls on either side. You get the full drama from the clifftop car park, and it's worth spending ten minutes just taking it in before you head down.

Walking down to the beach takes twenty minutes or so, depending on your knees and the state of the path. Once you're on the shingle, the cove feels properly sheltered - good for a swim if you're brave, though it's the English Channel so don't expect tropical warmth. Families tend to arrive mid-morning and clear off by early afternoon, which is when it's actually pleasant. The geology here is the real draw for anyone who cares about that sort of thing - the rocks tell the story of millions of years, and the visitor centre up top explains what you're actually looking at without being tedious about it.

This corner of Dorset is camping heaven. Durdle Door Holiday Park sits just up the coast at 1.1 miles, and from there you could do this walk as a morning jaunt before moving on to Ringstead Bay or Purbeck Glamping if you're doing a longer circuit. West Lulworth village itself is tiny but functional - a pub, a shop, enough to keep you fed. Summer weekends get rammed, so aim for weekdays or shoulder seasons if you want the place to yourself. Allow two to three hours total if you want to walk it properly and have a sit-down.