Purbeck Hills

#1798 among destinations in the United Kingdom

Nature, Natural attraction, Hill

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Facts and practical information

The Purbeck Hills, also called the Purbeck Ridge or simply the Purbecks, are a ridge of chalk downs in Dorset, England. It is formed by the structure known as the Purbeck Monocline. The ridge extends from Lulworth Cove in the west to Old Harry Rocks in the east, where it meets the sea. The hills are part of a system of chalk downlands in southern England formed from the Chalk Group which also includes Salisbury Plain and the South Downs. For most of their length the chalk of the Purbeck Hills is protected from coastal erosion by a band of resistant Portland limestone. Where this band ends, at Durlston Head, the clay and chalk behind has been eroded, creating Poole Bay and the Solent. The ridge of steeply dipping chalk that forms the Purbeck Hills continues further east on the Isle of Wight. ()

Alternative names: Coordinates: 50°38'10"N, 2°6'54"W

Location

EnglandUnited Kingdom

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Day trips

Purbeck Hills – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Corfe Castle, Blue Pool, Lulworth Estate, Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum.

2.5 miE
Iconic survivor of English Civil War
Corfe Castle, Corfe Castle
63 min walk • Corfe Castle stands as an iconic ruin in the village of Corfe Castle, nestled in the heart of the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England. This ancient fortification exudes a rich tapestry of history, dating back to the 11th century when it was first constructed by William...
1.4 miNE
Lake, Museum, Nature and wildlife
Blue Pool
36 min walk • Blue Pool is a flooded, disused clay pit where Purbeck ball clay was once extracted. It is now a lake within the Furzebrook Estate, a 25-acre park of heath woodland and gorse near Furzebrook on the Isle of Purbeck, in the county of Dorset, southern England.
4 miW
Park
Lulworth Estate, Lulworth
103 min walk • The Lulworth Estate is located in central south Dorset, England. Its most notable landscape feature include a five-mile stretch of coastline on the Jurassic Coast. Part of the area is a World Heritage Site. The historic estate includes the Lulworth Castle and Park.
2.4 miE
Museum
Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum, Wareham
62 min walk • The Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum exists to preserve and interpret the historic extractive industries in ball clay mining in the Isle of Purbeck.
2.3 miSE
Nature, Natural attraction, Hill
Swyre Head
58 min walk • Swyre Head, Lulworth is a hill and sea cliff which lies on the Jurassic Coast between Bat's Head to the west and Durdle Door to the east, close to Lulworth in Dorset, England.
2.1 miS
Tower
Clavell Tower
54 min walk • Clavell Tower, also known as Clavell Folly or the Kimmeridge Tower, is a Grade II listed Tuscan style tower built in 1830. It lies on the Jurassic Coast, on the top of Hen Cliff just east of Kimmeridge Bay in the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England.
1.2 miS
Museum, Specialty museum, Natural history museum
The Etches Collection
32 min walk • The Etches Collection is an independent fossil museum located in the village of Kimmeridge, Purbeck, Dorset, England.
3.5 miN
Specialty museum, Museum
Wareham Town Museum, Wareham
89 min walk • Wareham Town Museum tells the story of the Wareham area of Dorset in southern England from prehistoric times to the present day, with a special exhibition on Lawrence of Arabia, who lived nearby.
3.3 miN
Forts and castles
Wareham Castle and town defences, Wareham
85 min walk • Wareham Castle and the town defences, known locally as the Walls, were fortifications in the town of Wareham in Dorset, England.
2 miW
Nature, Natural attraction, Hill
Povington Hill
52 min walk • Povington Hill, at 198 metres high, is one of the highest points on the chain of the Purbeck Hills in south Dorset on the southern coast of England.
3.6 miN
Church
St Martin's Church, Wareham
93 min walk • St Martin's Church, Wareham, sometimes St Martin's-on-the-walls, is an Anglo-Saxon church in the town of Wareham, Dorset in England. It is the most complete example of an Anglo-Saxon church in Dorset. It is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.