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Durdle
Door (along with Corfe Castle and
Old Harry Rock) is another of those
icons that people think of when
they think of Purbeck. There are
many ironies here not least the
transience of the symbols.
 Durdle
Door is formed with the same Portland
Stone which can be found in St Paul's
Cathedral. The stone in London has
eroded at a rate of 1cm. every 100
years. Clearly Durdle Door is not
a permanent structure.
To reach it leave the car park
at Lulworth Cove and climb the hil
to the West. When you get to the
top you'll be standing on Hambury
Tout - an ancient burial mound.
As you pause to get your breath
back think of the locals who, in
the not so distant past, followed
this route to Weymouth carrying
with them whatever they had to sell.
 Ahead
to the west stretches out the Purbeck
coastline and you can see such features
as Man of War (near distance) probably
named after one of the many shipwrecks
in the area and Bat's Head which
juts out into the sea.
Continue your walk, enjoying
the scenery as you go. Keep your
eyes peeled. You may see a Bloody
Nosed Beetle which emits a bright
red fluid from its mouth when disturbed.
Or you may see a Bee Orchid which,
rumour had it, was pollinated by
the male bee who mistook it for
a female. Or you may see the Lulworth
Skipper butterfly one of a total
of 32 species which have been found
in the area but which, unlike the
other 31, is almost unique to the
Purbeck.
You'll see Durdle Door soon after
you pass Man of War Tout. Walk down
the path. Further out to sea are
other rocks with names such as The
Bull, The Cow and The Calf. It is
thought that maybe these were at
some time in the past connected
to Durdle Door as we see it today.
We will never know.
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