Purbeck Magnets

Stunning sunset over the Purbeck Hills and Dorset seaside town of Swanage, England

Poole & Purbeck Sunset Number of views as of 13th September 2018 = 4100. Number of sales as of 13th September 2018 = 3. At dusk on an autumn evening, the sun sets beyond the Purbeck hills and the lights begin to appear down in the town of Poole. Location: Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, England. Camera: Canon EOS 400D + Canon EFS 18-55 mm lens. Date: 6th November 2011.

The Wonderful Purbeck Coast, January 2022 A great view along the Isle of Purbeck coast (Dorset, England). This is taken from Swyre Head, the highest point on the Isle of Purbeck, looking west down to Clavell Tower (Black Tower in P. D. James's novel of the same name), perching on the cliff top overlooking Kimmeridge Bay. Beyond lies Worbarrow Bay, and the abandoned village of Tyneham. On the horizon is the Isle of Portland, stretching out 6 km into the English Channel. Date: 29th January 2022.

*Boscombe Pier and Purbeck, January 2022* Great light overlooking Boscombe Pier earlier this week, with the Purbeck Hills across Poole Bay in the distance. A couple of jet skiers enjoy the calm, sunny, if rather chilly conditions. Date: 16th January 2022. Location: Boscombe East, Bournemouth, Dorset, England.

Sunset over Swanage Bay, Dorset

Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. Ballard Point and Old Harry Rocks are in the distance.

Folly Cottage in Corfe, Dorset

The view of Swanage in South East Dorset from Ballard Down on a clear Summers day.

Picturesque setting of a Bench surrounded by trees, overlooking Swanage Bay in Dorset, England.

The Anvil Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse located near Swanage in Dorset, England.

Mupe Bay Number of views as of 22nd November 2016 = 150. This shot was taken on a walk across the Lulworth Ranges to the east of Lulworth Cove, on the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England on Good Friday, 2016. As the area is UK MOD property, public access to the coastal footpaths which cross the Ranges is limited, and visitors are advised to check opening times before using them. The walk is not for the faint-hearted either, the contour lines on the Ordnance Survey map are close together along here, and there are no 'facilities' on the 5 mile stretch between Tyneham and Lulworth Cove. Those who do attempt the walk however are rewarded with spectacular views and stunning scenery, which Dorset's superb Jurassic Coast is famed for. This shot sh...

CORFE CASTLE - Village, Dorset, England. Sunrise first rays of light view from the castle ruins.

CORFE CASTLE - Village, Dorset, England. Sunrise first rays of light view from the castle ruins. English flag in the background.

CORFE CASTLE - Ruins, Dorset, England. Sunrise first rays of light on the castle ruins.

Two Heads Are Better Than One Number of views as of 6th December 2017 = 1410. The steep, chalk cliffs of Bat's Head (left) and Swyre Head (centre) along Dorset's Jurassic Coast to the west of Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door in the south of England. Grid reference "SY799805". Curiously Dorset has two Swyre Heads. The other one, just 12 miles (18 km) away, near the village of Kingston is the highest point in the Purbeck Hills. Date: 12th December 2010.

Ballard Down from Swanage Number of views as of 22nd May 2019 = 2010. A view of Ballard Down taken from a small breakwater on Swanage beach (Dorset, England). Date: 28th December 2011.

Anvil Point Lighthouse Number of views as of 30th April 2016 = 400. The lighthouse at Anvil Point, on the Purbeck coast, near Swanage (Dorset, England) was built of local stone and completed in 1881. Just 12 metres tall and 45 metres above sea level, the 1000 watt lamp emits a white flash of 500,000 Candela every 10 seconds and has a range of 24 nautical miles. Fully automated in 1991, the lighthouse is controlled from the Trinity House operations centre in Harwich, 200 miles away. Date: 28th December 2011. Click here to see more shots of Dorset's stunning 'Jurassic Coast'.

The Pinnacles, Handfast Point Number of views as of 9th October 2016 = 430. A return to one of my favourite locations on Dorset's 'Jurassic Coast'. Just east of the village of Studland and on the coast path between the towns of Swanage and Poole, the Pinnacles are two chalk formations, in the English Channel just off Ballard Down and Handfast Point. They have been gradually eroded by the sea to form caves, then rock arches, which have subsequently collapsed leaving the stacks/stumps we see today. This shot shows the southern most of the two Pinnacles. The Jurassic Coast stretches 96 miles from here westwards to Exmouth in Devon, and comprises Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous rock formations spanning approximately 185 million years of th...

Flying Scotsman, Swanage Railway, March 2019 The Flying Scotsman, undoubtedly one of the most iconic of British steam locomotives, hauls a rake of passenger coaches through the beautiful Isle of Purbeck countryside, near Woody Hyde camp site, between Corfe Castle and Harman's Cross, during a visit to Dorset in March 2019. Following a £4.2 million restoration project in 2016, the locomotive is now resplendent in dark green British Railways livery and is numbered 60103. Of course, in its heyday, the Scotsman would never have been seen operating on a somewhat 'out of the way' Dorset branch line. In 1934, then operated by the London and North Eastern Railway company (LNER), the Flying Scotsman became the first locomotive in the UK to officia...

The Pinnacles and Peveril Point Number of views as of 27th November 2016 = 540. This shot, looking south across Swanage Bay to Peveril Point shows the southern most of the two Pinnacles, two chalk formations on Dorset's 'Jurassic' coast (southern England). The Pinnacles have been gradually eroded by the sea to form caves, then rock arches, which have subsequently collapsed leaving the stacks/stumps we see today. The Jurassic Coast stretches 96 miles from Handfast Point near Studland, down to Exmouth in Devon, and comprises Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous rock formations spanning approximately 185 million years of the Earth's history. Date: 29th December 2013.

*Sunset over Durdle Door* Number of views as of 8th March 2018 = 1650. Durdle Door is situated a couple of miles to the west of Lulworth on the so-called 'Jurassic Coast' of Dorset, England. One of the most photographed places on the south coast, Durdle Door is an impressive, natural limestone rock archway formed about 140 million years ago. Here, the winter sun sets over the Isle of Portland, illuminating the arch with golden light. Date: 12th December 2010. "Challenge winner":http://www.redbubble.com/groups/england-south-and-south-west-3-per-day/challenges/64331-have-you-seen-a-sunset, England - South and South West, July 2015.

Mupe Bay and Bindon Hill Another view of Mupe Bay (Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England), this time looking eastwards along the Jurassic Coast towards Arish Mell and Worbarrow. The cliffs below Bindon Hill drop sharply down to the shore here with rock falls always a possibility. Date: Good Friday, 25th March 2016.

Summer Colour, June 2020 Captured at Holme Gardens, on the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England. Date: 13th June 2020.

Tilly Whim Caves are quarries that were worked mainly during the 18th century for Purbeck stone. In 1887, the caves were opened as a tourist attraction, but in 1976 they were closed completely for safety reasons (rock falls). 24th February 2024.

Old Harry Number of views as of 22nd April 2019 = 1330. Old Harry Rocks are situated on the Dorset coast between Studland and Swanage. They mark the eastern end of the "Jurassic Coast" World Heritage Site, stretching from here to East Devon, demonstrating a rich geological history going back 185 million years. The chalk stack on the right is I believe Old Harry himself, though there does seem to be some disagreement about this. The name 'Old Harry' may be a synonym for the devil, or it could be that the rocks were named after a famous Poole pirate, Harry Paye, who used to store his contraband nearby. There is absolutely no truth in the rumour that the rocks take their name from English football manager Harry Redknapp, a resident of nearb...

Swyre Head Number of views as of 8th April 2018 = 1280. The massive chalk cliffs of Swyre Head, west of Lulworth Cove along Dorset's Jurrasic Coast in the south of England. This shot is taken from Bat's Head, looking eastwards. Beyond Swyre Head, the rock formation jutting into the ocean is Durdle Door. Beyond lies Lulworth and on the horizon St Alban's Head. Date: 12th December 2010.

Man O'War Bay Number of views as of 27th June 2016 = 310. The 95 miles of stunning coastline between Old Harry Rocks in East Dorset and Exmouth in East Devon Coast make up the 'Jurassic Coast', England's first World Heritage Site. Man O'War Bay is situated to the west of Lulworth Cove and just east of the landmark Durdle Door. This part of the coast was in the news recently due to several 'landslips' in the area. Date: 7th May 2012.

Stair Hole Number of views as of 5th July 2016 = 300. Stair Hole (near Lulworth Cove on the Purbeck coast in Dorset, England) is a partially formed cove which may expand to be as large as its neighbour, Lulworth Cove, in a few tens of thousands of years time perhaps. Stair Hole is something of a geologist's dream. See how the limestone strata to the left of the Hole have 'crumpled', probably as a result of earthquake activity many thousands of years ago. It is also popular with canoeists who like to paddle through the rock arches which have formed as a result of the relentless action of the sea over many centuries. Date: 4th May 2014.

Across Poole Harbour, February 2021 A tranquil scene looking across Poole Harbour (Dorset, England) from the beach at Hamworthy Park. The groyne draws your eye into the picture, towards the Purbeck hills in the background. The island far left is Brownsea. Date: 6th February 2021.

Lulworth Castle Reprised Number of views as of 4th December 2017 = 1100. A third (and final?) shot of Lulworth Castle (Dorset, England), this time taken from the south-west corner of the grounds and showing three of the castle's four turrets. Rebuilding of the castle (following a disastrous fire in 1929) was part funded by English Heritage. More information on the history of the castle can be found here. Date: 6th May 2013.

Here's Looking At Ewe, Kid! Number of views as of 16th April 2019 = 1175. Location: Kimmeridge, Dorset, England. Date: 2nd April 2008. Click here to see my Farmyard Friend

*Studland* Number of views as of 18th October 2018 = 340. Looking eastwards from Middle Beach, Studland (Dorset, England) towards Old Harry Rocks. Could our summer be on its way at last? Date: 15th July 2012.

Old Harry Rocks, Dorset, July 2022 The chalk stacks of Old Harry Rocks (at Handfast Point, between Studland and Swanage on the Purbeck coast, Dorset, England) mark the eastern end of the Unesco World Heritage Site known as the Jurassic Coast. Date: 29th July 2022.

Sea View, Swanage Number of views as of 8th October 2018 = 5350. Offering amazing views across Swanage Bay, this apartment complex would look more at home in the Mediterranean rather than amongst the primarily Victorian buildings in the seaside town of Swanage (Dorset, England). Click here to see the view from behind the apartments. Date: 24th April 2010.

Lulworth Castle Number of views as of 8th April 2018 = 700. Lulworth Castle (East Lulworth, Dorset, England) was built in the early 17th century as a hunting lodge by Thomas Howard, 3rd Viscount Howard of Bindon. In 1641 it was purchased by Humphrey Weld as part of the Lulworth Estate for the princely sum (in those days) of £30,000, and the Estate has remained in the hands of the Weld family to this day. A serious fire in 1929 raged for 3 days and completely destroyed the interior of the Castle along with the roof, and the Castle lay in ruin for over 60 years. In the 1990s, however, thanks to funding from English Heritage, the stonework was restored, the Castle re-roofed, and the building is now open to the public on most days except for...

Lulworth Castle Garden Number of views as of 13th June 2017 = 570. This shot of Lulworth Castle (Dorset, England) shows the south-facing walled garden. Rebuilding of the castle (following a disastrous fire in 1929) was part funded by English Heritage. More information on the history of the castle can be found here. Date: 6th May 2013.