Kimmeridge 7 miles
This walk starts at the Grange Hill car park/lookout on top of the chalk Purbeck Hills (SY 904 817, game.peroxide.belonging), circles down to Kimmeridge Bay and then back up to the chalk ridge.
1
Go to the eastern corner of the car park and pick up the bridle path south, down the hill towards Steep. This follows the field boundary before zig zagging on chalk.
Where the path meets the road, turn left and follow the road downhill until you come to the entrance to Steeple Leaze Farm.
Continue straight ahead along the lane to the farm. At the farm buildings, continue south along the bridle path, through the woods and up the hill.
2
At the top of the hill is a field. Continue across this as far as the fence at the crest of the hill and admire the view out towards Kimmeridge.
Turn left and follow the southern edge of the field and out through the gate in the far corner.
There is then a stile and footpath on the right heading down the steep slope. Take this.
At the bottom of the hill, turn left and follow along the northern edge of this field.
Cross the stile into the next field, turn immediately right and follow the edge of this field until you reach the gate in the far-right hand corner. Just before the gate is a drinking trough which, at the time I walked it, had goldfish swimming in its murky waters.
3
Go through the gate into the next field and continue along the top edge. At the boundary with the next field, turn left and follow the field edge to the far corner. Here you pick up the footpath to the right, heading down towards the bay.
When you meet the metalled lane, follow it left until you reach the Kimmeridge Bay car park. Here you can explore the beach with its shale rocks and fossils. There is also a wildlife information centre with tanks showing the life that can been seen in the seas of the area.
4
When you finish exploring, take the footpath across the field at the top of the car park. In May 2017 this had a mature crop of oilseed rape and it was necessary to push hard though the head height crop.
Go over the stile in the far corner into the next field. Head up hill to the stile onto the road. Turn left and follow the road in to the village of Kimmeridge. Here there is a restaurant using local ingredients, a fossil museum and church.
5
Go through the gate into the churchyard and out through the gate at the other end. Head up the hill through the gap in the bushes, turning back to admire the view.
6
At the top, go over the stile onto the road and follow the road to the left.
Just around the corner, take the stile on the right and follow the path down the hill.
7
Follow the path across the fields and through the wooded area until you reach Whiteway Farm. Here, turn left and follow the path towards the hills.
Cross the road and continue on the bridle path.
Where the track goes off to the right, continue straight on into the field through the gate, still following the bridle path towards the hills.
8
At the “T” junction of paths at the foot of the steep slope, take the path to the left, then follow it to the right, zig-zagging up the steep slope.
9
At the hill top, turn left and follow the track back to the car park.
Along the way you will pass the archways (pictured left). Go and take a look through them and down the hill on the other side towards Creech Grange.