Dorset & Durdle Door

Where to park

We parked at the Durdle Door Car Park. To the left of the car park is a walk away from the door. Beware of cattle and cattle poo, Lulu did get a little dirty from walking there.

During the summer months, Durdle Door is very crowded, especially on sunny days. We went when the weather was overcast, which is ideal for pictures as there will be no glaring sunlight in your pup’s face, and it is less crowded which is a great advantage.

Address: Durdle Door Car Park, Wareham, BH20 5PU .

Where to eat

After our beach walk, we drove to the Lulworth Cove Inn for lunch. It is completely dog-friendly and had so many yummy options, they even brought Lulu some water for her to enjoy while we ate. Outside the pub, there were a couple of really cute vintage cars for some photo opportunities!

Address: Main Road, Wareham, BH20 5RQ

the walk to the door

If you decide to walk directly to the door, turn right at the car park and follow the signs down to the door. It is quite a steep downhill walk so take your time. We had Lulu on her gentle leader harness here as we didn’t want her to pull us down & have us fall over. Your dog should definitely be on a lead, unless they are very well-trained as there are steep cliff drops that are quite dangerous.

It is a fairly short walk to the door. There is a viewing point before you take the staircase down. Take advantage of this spot as it is a great location for pictures with the door in the back.

durdle door

Once you’ve walked to the staircase, you can take the stairs down to the door. There is a staircase left of the one leading to Durdle Door that leads to a more quiet, still-water beach that might be fun for your dog to swim in.

When you get down to the Durdle Door beach, I suggest walking further away from the door to avoid the crowds. Once it gets less crowded, it will be easier for you to settle your pup on the beach and take a few pictures with the door behind him/her.

beach walks

The beach has no sand, just fine pebbles. It’s fantastic if you don’t want to have to worry about sandy messes when you drive back. Just be sure to check in between your dog’s paws at the end of your visit. We let Lulu off-lead as soon as it got less crowded and she was super happy to gallop on the pebbles.

The water is slightly rough, so if you have a nervous swimmer, your dog may not enjoy or want to swim in the ocean. Overall, the walk to the end of the beach and back is about 1.5-2 hours long round trip from the beach (this is including us stopping and taking pictures on the way, so it may be much shorter for you if you are just going to enjoy it).

SHEEP? No.

STEEP? Yes. The walk to Durdle Door is very steep and there are areas of sudden cliff-drops.

SLIPPERY? No, but can be after rain.

OFF-LEAD? Yes, on the beach. But must be on-lead when walking to Durdle Door.

SPOTS FOR SWIMMING? Yes, but water is rough.

CROWD? Variable. Very busy on sunny summer days but it was quite quiet when we went (It was May. The weather was overcast and a bit chilly).

MUDDY? Not at all.

NOTE: You may want to check your dog’s paws after the walk for any pebbles lodged in there.