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Swanage Beach to Durlston Castle (3.6mi)

Ivy Cottage bus stop – Swanage town centre – The Downs – Durlston Castle – The Downs – Swanage town centre – Swanage railway station

Map: Please note that the routes I walk are designed for me and my individual needs only. I do not guarantee their suitability or safety. You always travel at your own risk.
Page published: 9 September 2023 Page modified: 7 June 2024

My friend Kevin made a surprise visit to Bournemouth and as he knows about Walks & Pubs and also likes to walk, we decided to take the bus to Swanage.

After spending some time at Swanage Beach, we started our walk, and we couldn’t have wished for better weather. We even got a bit sunburnt which you might be able to see in the pictures. This time, I didn’t produce a video, but I hope that you like the photos we took instead.

Swanage Beach. Swanage Beach.
Swanage Beach. Swanage Beach.
Kevin and I at Swanage Beach. Kevin and I at Swanage Beach.

Town centre and The Downs

From the Ivy Cottage bus stop, we went to Swanage town centre and stopped there to have some fish and chips. Many visitors to the British seaside regard this as mandatory!

Our walk partially took us over the South West Coast Path and after we had passed Swanage Pier, we went up ‘The Downs’ and made our way to Durlston Castle.

Swanage and Swanage Bay. Swanage and Swanage Bay.
Swanage Pier. Swanage Pier.
Kevin in front of Swanage Bay. Kevin in front of Swanage Bay.
Durlston Bay and Durlston Castle in the background. Durlston Bay and Durlston Castle in the background.
Kevin at The Downs. Kevin at The Downs.
Me at the clifftop. Me at the clifftop.

A scenic walk

I was totally stunned by this scenic walk so close to the beach where we started. The combination of forests right at the edge of the cliffs, beautiful views across the sea with its rugged coast and the warm weather on this day felt like a visit to a tropical island!

Durlston Bay. Durlston Bay.
Me taking pictures from the ‘Rest and Admire’ viewpoint. Me taking pictures from the ‘Rest and Admire’ viewpoint.
The viewpoint fully deserves it’s name. The viewpoint fully deserves its name.

Durlston Castle

Durlston Castle has a nice café with beautiful views across the sea, a souvenir shop, a gallery, and of course The Great Globe, constructed in 1887, weighing 40 tons, measuring 10 feet in diameter, and showing a map of the world as it was viewed in Britain at that time.

Durlston Castle. Durlston Castle.
Me at Durlston Castle. Me at Durlston Castle.
Kevin also took many great pictures. Kevin also took many great pictures.
Me at the cliffs near Durlston Castle. Me at the cliffs near Durlston Castle.
At The Great Globe. At The Great Globe.
The Great Globe. The Great Globe.

Return on foot and by bus

We then made our way back to Swanage to catch the bus back to Bournemouth. This journey didn’t feature a pub as time was limited, so we brought our own drinks. I have seen many nice-looking pubs though and plan to visit one or more at a later point. Thanks to Kevin for having the great idea for this walk and for letting me use some of the pictures he took.

Durlston Bay. Durlston Bay.
Locations visited Swanage – Ivy Cottage bus stop – Swanage Beach – Swanage Bay – South West Coast Path – Swanage town centre – The Downs – Durlston – Durlston Bay – ‘Rest and Admire’ viewpoint – Durlston Castle – The Great Globe – Swanage Bus Station
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