Heathland, Corfe's ruined castle (NT), either south to the sea at Chapman's Pool or west along a spectacular ridge to the sea and Swanage.
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Toughness | 5 out of 10 (4 out of 10 for the Kingston option) |
OS Map | OS Explorers : 15 - Purbeck |
Nature and History |
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Features |
The Purbeck Way is an official waymarked path, and it is marked (with green chevrons) on the 1:25,000 scale OS map. It starts in historic Wareham, and heads south for 5 miles over heathland to Corfe Castle, with its picturesque ruined castle (NT) for lunch. Here there are 2 options, to 2 very pretty destinations..
This walk is a little unusual for the SWC, the map and route description come from a leaflet published by Purbeck Council. We've just added links to pubs and public transport. Note however, that the best feature of Purbeck is its stunning coastline, with green fields, dramtic white cliffs, and the blue sea. As these 2 walks are inland, and only finish at the sea, don't make them your first walk in the area. Download the latest version of the Purbeck Way leaflet from the Purbeck Council website |
Lunch |
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Tea |
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Travel |
Getting ThereBy Car About 2.5 hours from London. Free parking by Wareham train station. By Train Trains from London Waterloo to Wareham are 2 an hour (hourly on Sunday), and take 2 hours 15 mins. Return to the train or your car by busKingston : Return by #40 to Wareham station. Swanage : Return by #40 to Wareham station or (for train traveller's only) #50 bus to Bournemouth station |
Bus: Swanage to Wareham |
Return to Wareham by bus for the train. You must check the current bus times, especially as they change after 17:00.
Summer 2010: # X43, summer only, Weymouth - Lulworth Cove - Wareham Station - Swanage, but only every 2 hours |
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Profile | |
Help Us! |
After the walk, we would love to get your feedback You can upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are:
swcwalks
swcwalk76
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By Train |
Out (not a train station) |
By Car |
Start BH20 4AS Map Directions Finish Swanage, Dorset Map Directions |
Map Walk | This walk requires an OS map and a compass or GPS for navigation. You can print out OS maps using the link above. |
Amazon | |
Help |
National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Travelline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234 |
Version |
Jan-20 Andrew |
Copyright | © Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml |
Walk Directions
The directions for this walk are also in a PDF (link above) which you can download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone.
Wareham Station
- Head south from Wareham Station, cross a large roundabout, and continue south through the historic town centre of Wareham (1 mile)
- Pick up and follow the Purbeck Way (see PDF) from Wareham to Corfe Castle (5.75 miles)
- Corfe Castle is a small village with 2 pubs and a picturesque ruined castle (NT). After lunch, you have a choice, the "east" or "south" endings
Purbeck Way East : Corfe Castle to Ballard Down
- Follow the Purbeck Way along the stunning 9 Barrows / Ballard Down ridge to the sea with stunning views throughout (6.25 miles).
- The Way finishes at the end of the ridge, high above the coast.
- To finish in Studland (village with a nice pub, the bay, and buses to Bournemouth only), head north following the SWCP around the headland on a cliff top path
- To finish in Swanage (and buses to Wareham and Bournemouth), head south along the SWCP, steeply downhill. At the bottom of the hill, head down the steps to the beach, and follow the beach into Swanage (or detour inland along the SWCP). Buses leave from the (steam) train station.
Purbeck Way South : Corfe to Chapman's Poole
- Follow the Purbeck Way south, over a ridge to Chapman's Pool (a cove) (3.25 miles)
- After having a look round, head back inland (due north, along the valley on the west side of Chapman's Pool).
- After 1.5 km, the track becomes a road, which leads to Kinston, and its nice pub, and the #40 bus back to Wareham (about 2 hourly)
- You could return via Worth Matravers, and the nicer Square and Compass pub, its closer, but not on the bus route - you'll need to walk a further mile to the B3069 (take an OS map)