I visited this WHS in May 2019. After a long drive from London and due to the cloudy weather upon arrival, I opted to head straight to my cottage/inn just after Wareham and only a short stroll from Lulworth Cove.

I really enjoyed walking for hours on end from one cove/beach/viewpoint to the next along the Coast Path, gazing in awe at the geological marvel and natural beauty of the Devon 'Jurassic' Coast WHS. Just a few steps away to the right (away from the cove) from the pay and display Lulworth Cove Parking Lot, a small trail will lead you to a panoramic viewpoint of Stair Hole which is sculpted from three rock types and further on to a magnificent viewpoint of Lulworth Cove.

Here not only will you find the UNESCO inscription plaque but it is one of the best spots to view from right to left, rocks from 150 to 65 million years ago - namely Portland stone, Purbeck beds, wealden beds, greensand and chalk, from oldest to youngest. The rocks were formed underwater and were later tilted as the continents collided. In fact some 10,000 years ago, the sea flooded in the huge river of glacial meltwater which was Lulworth Cove, removing the softer rocks behind the wall of Portland stone. The tilted layers of rock visible at Lulworth Cove, Stair Hole and elsewhere along the inscribed Devon Coast are the result of what is technically known as folding. In my opinion this is the best place to appreciate the OUV of this WHS.

Like in Stevns Klint in Denmark, but on a much larger scale, I had a go at trying to find different fossils. Further on from Lulworth Cove, the coastal path leading to what is known as Fossil Forest has been closed down due to recent landslides and perhaps also because just next to this spot is an out of bounds military area. This area is particularly important because of the several round tufa marks along the rocky coastline. Ancient trees once stood here some 147 million years ago and several fossilised remains of an ancient forest can be seen. Other important fossils of gastropods, fish, plants and also a dinosaur footprint can be seen at the little visitor centre and gift shop just before reaching Lulworth Cove. An important tip is to make sure you have a look at the low/high tide times at the Lulworth Heritage Centre before hiking along the coast.

Natural erosion processes have ravaged the rocks over immense periods of time to create the famous arches, cliffs and bays and the coast is constantly evolving. Another example of this evolution which is perhaps more iconic and photogenic is the stretch of coast from Man O' War Bay to the Durdle Door which I explored the following sunny morning (photo). Here the coastline reminded me of the UK's Antrim Coast and the Giants' Causeway and it indeed is one of the UK's natural beauties. I felt really lucky to visit such a place and humbled at the sheer size of it all (Malta's Cliffs are too tiny and lack OUV to be included in the list!).