Although to be honest Britain is not well known for its beaches, the occasional sunny day creates a unique combination of great weather and uncrowded beaches that few places can match. The first thing I should say is that of course a British beach is not the white sandy paradise of a Caribbean island, it's really not that kind of beach that I want to celebrate today, but instead a different kind.
The reason I love UK beaches (on the right day) is the sense of wilderness and nature that you can find. Instead of bars and beach loungers, Lulworth Cove in Dorset (South coast of England) has hard pebbles and sometimes harsh winds. But the long walk down the cliff paths to this slightly hidden beach opens up the stunning arch on the Durdle Door side, that frames the long limestone coastline that has been slowly changing since the Jurassic Era 200 million years ago. Arriving in a car park almost two kilometres from the beach could be a bit off-putting for some, but for me it's fantastic, in that getting to the beach is a bit of a challenge and makes the day even more special
As you can tell from the photo above, it can be a windy and cold start, but the beaches are much more sheltered from the elements than the exposed cliff top, and it's a great beginning to an adventurous day.
The beach in the picture above is the right hand side of the two beaches that make up this spot. The large arch is known as Durdle Door, and whilst a little dangerous and maybe not advised, climbing up the side of it from the water and leaping off 50 feet into the clear and cold water is one of my favourite things to do in the UK. My family always finishes a day here with a bbq on the beach, with wildfires not a big threat here, fires are more or less allowed (as long as they are kept small).
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The author
Joe Thorpe
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