Last weekend, N and I set out on what felt like quite a radically different kind of walk. You’ll see from other blog posts that we tend to favour coast path walking, mainly because, along Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, jaw-dropping views are pretty much guaranteed.

On Saturday, however, we picked off a section of the map that we have often whizzed through in the car but never explored properly on foot: Corfe Castle to Swanage, with a scenic and worthwhile detour via Studland and Old Harry Rocks.

While the route might lack the drama of some of our favourite coastal walks, and requires a willingness to share sections with (what felt like) a few dozen coach loads of people, it was rewarding to gain a new perspective on some familiar landmarks. A good chunk of the walk takes you along the Purbeck Way, a wide green path along Nine Barrow Down with spectacular views over Poole Harbour to the north and the Purbeck Valley to the south. We dipped down to Studland for a pint at the Bankes Arms before heading out to Old Harry.

For someone who knows the Dorset coast fairly well, I confess that this was the first time we’d ever walked out to this well-known landmark and we were slightly discombobulated by the number of people there, even on a bitingly cold day. But heading on towards Swanage, we soon found that we were on our own again until we got close to the town and the welcome reward of fish and chips and a big mug of tea. The Purbeck Breezer (or Purbeck Boozer, given the number of people using it to get to the pub) delivered us back to within feet of our car.

Need to know
OS Map: OL15 Explorer map of Purbeck and South Dorset
Parking: We used the Corfe Castle visitor centre car park but it fills up quickly, understandably. A good alternative is the walkers’ car park on Sandy Hill Lane.
Refreshments: Plenty of options in Corfe Castle and Swanage. Good pub stop at the Bankes Arms in Studland.
Public transport: We took the Purbeck Breezer from Swanage railway station back to Corfe, but the steam train is also an option if the timetable works in your favour.
Further info: The Purbeck Way information leaflet