England Guide
Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire
The Isle of Purbeck
Though not actually an island, the ISLE OF PURBECK – a promontory of low hills and heathland jutting out beyond Poole Harbour – does have an insular and distinctive feel. Reached from the east by the ferry from Sandbanks (7am–11pm every 20min; pedestrians 90p, bikes 80p, cars £3), at the narrow mouth of Poole Harbour, or by a long and congested landward journey via the bottleneck of Wareham, Purbeck can be a difficult destination to reach, but its villages are immensely pretty, none more so than Corfe Castle, with its majestic ruins. From Swanage, a low-key seaside resort, the Dorset Coast Path provides access to the oily shales of Kimmeridge Bay, the spectacular cove at Lulworth and the much-photographed natural arch of Durdle Door.
The whole coast from Purbeck to Exmouth in Devon – dubbed the Jurassic Coast ( 
www.jurassiccoast.com ) – is a World Heritage Site on account of its geological significance and fossil remains; walkers can access it along the South West Coast Path.