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Purbeck Way: Wareham to Swanage or Kingston walk

Heathland, Corfe and its ruined castle (NT), and either south to the sea at Chapman's Pool or west along a spectacular ridge to the sea and Swanage.

Dorset Purbeck National Trust Palace/Castle Purbeck Way
Length
  • Purbeck Way East : Wareham to Corfe Castle to Swanage - 13 miles (21 km)
  • Purbeck Way South : Wareham to Corfe Castle to Kingston - 10 miles (17 km)
Toughness 5 out of 10 (4 out of 10 for the Kingston option)
OS Map OS Explorers : 15 - Purbeck
Nature and History
  • Corfe Castle (NT) - a small but picturesque ruined castle on a mound by the village centre
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..

  • Purbeck Way East : Climb, and follow the '9 Barrows Down' ridge for 6 miles to the sea, with great views over Studland, Bournemouth Bay and Poole Harbour. There is a steep descent to Swanage, for a bus back to Wareham
  • Purbeck Way South : Continues south across a ridge to Chapman's Pool (a pretty cove with high cliffs) on the 'Jurassic' coast, then head back inland to Kingston (nice pub) for a bus back to Wareham. Or visit the Square and Compass pub in Worth Matravers, but you'll have to walk North to the main road to catch the bus to Wareham.

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
  • Corfe Castle : The Castle Inn, 3 East Street, Corfe Castle, Dorset, BH20 5EE - [recommended lunch pub] best pub in Corfe, on the main road, a few mins south of the castle. A small kitchen so not best for groups
  • Corfe Castle : The Fox, 8 West Street, Corfe Castle, Dorset, BH20 5HD - 25m down West Street (south west off the main square)
Tea
  • Swanage : If you have time before your bus, there are a few pubs in High Street (an east-west road, 50m south of the Station)
  • Kingston : The Scott Arms, West St, Kingston, Dorset, BH20 5LH - great beer garden and on the #40 bus route, but expensive and poor food
  • Worth Matravers : The Square and Compass, Worth Matravers, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 3LF - as good as its gets, but not on the bus route.
  • Studland : Bankes Arms, : Manor Rd, Studland, Dorset, BH19 3AU - great location and view from beer garden, brews own beer
  • Wareham Station : The Railway Tavern, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 4AT - next to the train station, an Indian with an unloved pub and beer garden, but its somewehere to wait for a train, service was excellent
Travel

Getting There

By 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 bus

Kingston : 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.

  • # 50 : Swanage - Studland - Ferry - bottom of Branksome Chine - Bournemouth (2009: £4.90, in summer: every 1/2 hour, otherwise hourly, to 7:30, takes 1 hour). Maybe an open-topped bus in summer, and may be delayed at the ferry crossing on summer evenings. Bournemouth is a main station with frequent trains.
  • # 40 : Swanage - Corfe Castle - Wareham Station (2009: hourly, takes 30 mins, fewer on Sundays). May not connect nicely with the London train, which are only hourly on Sundays. There is a pub cum Indian restaurant by the small station.

Summer 2010: # X43, summer only, Weymouth - Lulworth Cove - Wareham Station - Swanage, but only every 2 hours
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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.
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OS Explorer OL15 Bradt Dorset Rough Guide Dorset & Hampshire Cicerone Dorset Walking Guide Collins Dorset Walking Guide
Help

Start walking Large print Using GPS data

National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Travelline SE (bus times): 0871 200 2233 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

Version

Oct-18

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

  1. Head south from Wareham Station, cross a large roundabout, and continue south through the historic town centre of Wareham (1 mile)
  2. Pick up and follow the Purbeck Way (see PDF) from Wareham to Corfe Castle (5.75 miles)
  3. 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

  1. Follow the Purbeck Way along the stunning 9 Barrows / Ballard Down ridge to the sea with stunning views throughout (6.25 miles).
  2. The Way finishes at the end of the ridge, high above the coast.
  3. 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
  4. 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

  1. Follow the Purbeck Way south, over a ridge to Chapman's Pool (a cove) (3.25 miles)
  2. After having a look round, head back inland (due north, along the valley on the west side of Chapman's Pool).
  3. 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)
  4. 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)
© 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