Jewels of the Jurassic Coast Walk

Mrs Lamont, 23/06/2022

The Jewels of the Jurassic Coast covers a beautiful coastline. There are though some fairly steep hikes and some very steep drops which I hadn’t expected on a 1+walk. Parking was an issue and we had been told we could park in the first hotel all week. This wasn’t true.. A couple of the hotels really left a lot to be desired and for the cost of the holiday I’m not sure I’d do it again.

Mrs PETT, 08/10/2021

Very enjoyable trip, well organised, good instructions, enough time to do some sightseeing

Ms CROSSAN, 14/09/2021

Overall this was fun. Leisurely/Moderate is probably the correct grading. The end of the first day was the toughest part. There is not only a steep hill down but also another hill up and another down before you reach Lulworth Cove. When booking the taxi to Corfe Castle, I suggest you allow a lot of time to complete that part of the walk so you can sit for a few minutes and admire the view (and have a rest). .Also the last day is a lot of walking on sand so think about what you want to wear on your feet. There was plenty of time after the walks each day to explore local bars and restaurants. I would advise booking ahead of arrival if you're in a peak season or weekend or you are keen to try a particular restaurant. If you want lunch on the way rather than a picnic/snack then you'll need to book ahead of time as the restaurants we saw on the route were all fully booked. We found a crazy cocktail bar in Weymouth called Play-yard which was fun and worth a look if you want a Harry Potter type of cocktail!. We found the GPS routes much more helpful than the written notes, particularly at the start of the routes to avoid missing the path. It also tells you how many miles to go and if you are veering off the path

Mrs DRINKWATER, 27/07/2021

This part of Dorset Coast is great for walking and most of the accommodation was well located to enable access to good restaurants, the highlight being Rick Steins in sandbanks. All of the walks were good and route finding was made easy with GPX files being made available to avoid having to keep referring route notes. Other than the later part of the route to Lulworth cove, the area wasn't overly busy and we were very fortunate with the weather.

Mr COLGATE, 14/07/2021

Holiday turned out as detailed and luggage transfer to the next hotel/PH was excellently carried out.

Ms O'GRADY, 11/07/2021

We had a lovely post lockdown trip, thoroughly enjoyable with very good accomodation depsite the COVID restrictions. The girls in the office were so heplful, as we had had to reschedule a number of times owing to COVID. Nothing was too much trouble for them.

Mr MACDERMOT, 09/07/2021

We had a very pleasant holiday on the Dorset Coast.

As you know, we had problems with a double booking on our first night at the Purbeck House Hotel. The staff responses were mixed (at best) and the manager was away thoughout our stay - attending a stag night! Sadly, I could not recommend that hotel to anyone.

Headwater response:
Thank you for your holiday summary, we are pleased to learn that you had a lovely holiday in Dorset with us. Sincere apologies for the disappointment caused during your stay at Purbeck House, thank you for allowing us the opportunity to discuss this privately. Our Senior Programme Manager will closely monitor levels of service provided to our customers.
Thank you for choosing Headwater.
Headwater Customer Service Team

Miss HARDY, 28/06/2021

My mum and I (aged 59 and 27) had a wonderful time on the self-guided Jewels of the Jurassic Coast walk in May 2021. We are not seasoned walkers and this is the first walking holiday we have done so we were initially a bit nervous, however the distances covered on this trip are definitely manageable. The trip notes provided by Headwater were excellent and we only took a few wrong turns which were largely due to us not reading properly! We saw some fantastic sights - Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, Corfe Castle and Old Harry Rocks, to name a few - and we stayed in some lovely places (we particularly liked the accommodation and towns of Corfe, Swanage and Sandbanks). I would never have previously considered doing a UK staycation/walking holiday prior to COVID however we had a lovely time exploring a part of the UK we have never previously visited. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Headwater as a holiday company and we hope to do another trip through them in the future.

Headwater response:
Thank you for sharing your highlights of our Jurassic Coast Walk, it is great to read that you enjoyed your holiday with us and we look forward to welcoming you on many more.
Headwater Customer Service Team

Mr MELLOR, 10/06/2021

Well organised excellent route notes and descriptions of walks. Difficult to asses full holiday experience due to Covid restrictions in hotels.

Mr BRADSHAW, 10/06/2021

This was a tailor made holiday brought about by a cancelled single location stay in Menorca. Our aim was to have a two location stay in UK.



The Morton's House Hotel in Corfe is a very good place to stay. It has been fully refurbished during the C-19 lockdowns and is light, airy and comfortable. The restaurant is expensive but despite that gives good value for money as it is excellent. If your guests don't want to spend that money, the nearby Fox Inn is really good. The castle is only five minutes away and the village attractive. A good stopping off point.

Headwater response:
Thank you for your holiday summary, really lovely to read that you had a great stay in Corfe!
Headwater Customer Service

Mr COTTON, 22/10/2020

My first organised UK walking holiday after years of similar trips abroad, and was very pleased by my experience in a lovely part of the country. Some spectacular and satisfying walking routes on coastal paths and inland, which could easily be extended for those seeking an extra few miles each day - for example, by walking to the start point outside Weymouth on the first day, which was delightful along the promenade; and extending the suggested circular walk from Swanage to follow the coastal path to Seacombe via Dancing Ledge, returning inland via Worth along the Priest's Way.



Hotels are generally good - Oliver's in Corfe Castle is outstanding - but it wasn't always easy finding somewhere for dinner in most places due to restricted hours and capacity everywhere amid plenty of demand from locals and visitors alike. An extremely friendly reception wherever I went though.

Headwater response:
Thank you for your lovely review of our Dorset walking holiday, it is lovely to read you thoroughly enjoyed your first organised UK walking holiday with Headwater. We hope to arrange many more for you.

Mr Latham, 21/10/2020

We loved the holiday but knew where the car parks were as the paths around them were quite crowded, especially at Durdle Door.

The walk could have been called Dorset Coast and Countryside as we seemed to be inland quite a bit but may be more of the cliff walks near eg Kimmeridge wound have also been crowded.

The hotels were an interesting mix but all clean and comfortable with the first three very close to good places to eat. We had a fantastic room at The Haven in Sandbanks but the meals were like airline food. Dinner was very expensive and we felt that some of the waiters and waitresses were bored with their job. We liked Purbeck House the best where we had a wonderful room, breakfast was very good and all the staff charming and helpful.

It was lovely to finally get away for our summer holiday when the sun shone everyday without even leaving the country.

Finally thank you so much for steering us away from this route during September!

Headwater response:
Thank you for your review of our Dorset walking holiday. It is lovely to read that you enjoyed your holiday with us despite the UK being slightly busier than usual during 2020.
Your feedback regarding the meals at The Haven Hotel in Sandbanks has been passed on to the hotel for their information, thank you.
We look forward to welcoming you on a future Headwater holiday, keep an eye out for lots more UK walking holidays being available in 2021.

Mr Parish, 10/10/2020

Megan at Headwater did an excellent job in sorting out our arrangements at short notice after our Exodus trip to Portugal was cancelled. Finding available rooms in all four hotels proved to be a challenge given the increased demand for UK holidays this year. Fortunately, our start date was flexible and Megan managed to find the accommodation for us.

Mr Bell, 24/07/2019

A very pleasant way to spend a quiet but active week

Dr Hurley, 15/06/2019

We are very long term Headware holiday customers but this was our first holiday in the UK. The walk was really excellent with a sufficient variety of scenery. The places to stay were in general well chosen by the company.There was a slight hiccup on moving our baggage to the second hotel which we have never experienced before but both Headwater and the local links sorted it.After that everything was fine and we really enjoyed the experience. Swanage is a lovely place and on our stay put day even the rain did not stop us finding plenty to do.

Mrs Nevin, 10/10/2018

Very tiring but very rewarding and challenging in parts!

Mr Warner, 29/09/2018

Much enjoyed it, thanks

Mr Reilly, 19/07/2018

The actual walk was perfect but the boot rating needs looking at because of the climbs and descents which are tough in some areas, possibly the routes can be written by a walker with distances give between each marker, in the event of an accident etc. location positions not possible in terms of distance travelled and

unknown distance to next marker location.

Mrs Harrison, 14/06/2018

Excellent coastal scenery. Be wary of ticks especially if taking the upper path on the day to Lulworth cove. It is worth having an extra night in Weymouth as there are lots of things to do such as visiting Chesil Beach, Portland Castle and exploring Portland.

Ms Overstall, 07/06/2018

Headwater take the hassle out of your holiday

Mrs Jefferies, 17/10/2017

It was very easy to book this holiday and follow up with invoicing, final itinerary, final documents, etc. The local agents Roy and Jackie were fabulous and very welcoming and helpful. The route notes and maps were very accurate. I would do this again, just maybe do some more days !

Mrs Stansfield, 15/10/2017

Thoroughly enjoyed this holiday. There was a good variety of walks including the coastal path and an inland ridge walk. The views were very beautiful and often spectacular and we were lucky with the weather. The gentleman rep who met us at Weymouth was very helpful and friendly which made for a good start. All the luggage transfers worked and the one taxi ride we needed went according to plan. The accommodation was interestingly varied but all very good or excellent. Only minor criticisms really were the cooked breakfasts at Purbeck House and Haven Hotel were cold but that can happen with buffet style breakfasts and Purbeck House needs to update the mattress on the single bed in the room we had. Other than that we liked everything about the accommodation we stayed in. The best breakfast was at Olivers and the room with the best view was at B&B Weymouth. The first day of this walk is quite challenging - the coastal path in the Durdle Door area is very steep up and down but we took it slowly and managed OK (and we did walk the first 2 miles instead of taking the bus - but that was worth it as the flat walk along Weymouth prom was beautiful in the early morning sunshine that day). We are glad we went!

Mr Goodman, 15/06/2017

Excellent. Memorable scenery, well planned itinerary and routes, good accommodation and an excellent support available during the walk.

Mr Ballinger, 14/06/2017

A delightful area, very pleasant walking, just the right degree of challenge for us.

Some slight errors in the notes which caused a little confusion but did not lead us astray.

Mrs Axon, 25/05/2017

A challenging and interesting experience. It was good to know there was back up if needed, which in our case proved indispensable as we had to alter our arrangements.

Miss Smith, 16/05/2017

Beautiful coastline ,lovely walks

Mr Rice, 31/10/2016

We were warmly welcomed by the local agent who advised us and made sure collections of us and our luggage happened on time. This generally worked well, with only one slight mishap. Whilst a couple of the hotels on our walking holiday wouldn't necessarily have been our personal choice, all of them were clean and comfortable. Locally sourced food was available in most of them.

The daily walking routes were very well written and only occasionally did we refer to the thoughtfully provided OS map. Going off piste was minimal. The Jurassic coastal path walking was magnificent.

In summary, considering the late time of year, travel to and from the West Country was not included and the fact that the accommodation was only half board, on reflection we felt the holiday was quite expensive. However it was good to have somebody else resolve the logistics so we could focus on enjoying the walking. Thank you to the Headwater team.

Mr Schafer, 19/09/2016

Overview

Wonderful trip with nice lodging and wonderful varied hikes.



Detailed Review

Arrival and Transfers:

This was our 6th Headwater trip and we were joined by another couple on their first trip with Headwater. We flew into Heathrow a day prior to the start of the trip and proceeded to make our way to Weymouth. We had considered using a coach/rail transfer but ultimately decided on a private transfer as it was less expensive for a party of four. We used Thompson Airport Cars (£145.00 for a private minibus). The driver met us at the terminal, was very professional, gave us some ideas for our time in Weymouth and drove us to the front of the Weymouth B+B. This was a very relaxing, efficient, and stress-free way to get from Heathrow to Weymouth for the start of the walk. While in Weymouth we purchased our return train tickets from Poole to Waterloo Station, taking advantage of a £16 off peak, advance purchase rate on

Southwest Trains.

We had arranged to meet with the local agent (Roy) shortly after our arrival and he went over the particulars of each day and gave us a great overview of the hiking, lodging, logistics and some restaurant and activity recommendations. He was very friendly and has a great sense of humor.

Lodging:

Weymouth B+B: Excellent central location across from the waterfront and bus stops. Very plain but comfortable rooms. Our room faced a courtyard and was quiet. Our travel companions room faced the side street and, maybe because of the bank holiday, they encountered a lot of street noise late into the night. The breakfast consisted of a small buffet and cooked to order eggs, sausage, mushrooms etc.

Alford House (Corfe Castle): Very Nice B&B on the main street about a five minute walk from the center of Corfe Castle. Our host, Suzie offered us refreshments upon our arrival, dinner recommendations and a cooked to order breakfast. The room was large, nicely furnished, quiet and very comfortable.

Purbeck House (Swanage): A beautiful hotel about a 5 minute walk uphill from the center of town. Our room was a nice size room up several flights of stairs facing a courtyard. The room was fairly quiet, but as it faced south west tended to be a little warm. Breakfast was a combination of a buffet/cooked to order.

Harbor Heights (Poole): A modern, comfortable, air conditioned hotel that was about a 25-30 min walk from the ferry dock. Great views of the harbor. Two strong ecommendations if you stay in this hotel. Ask the local rep/headwater about taking the local bus from the ferry to the hotel. After the wonderful hike from Swanage to the Poole Chain ferry, the walk to the hotel was along a road and not particularly scenic. Also, the hotel is not very close to other restaurants and while the on-site restaurant was good, the available dining times were somewhat limited the night of our stay. It might be worthwhile to ask the rep (or call ahead) to secure a reservation at the time you want

The Hikes:

The hikes were accurately described in the program and the the directions were clear and easy to follow. The 1+ boot description was accurate. Three of the hikes had wonderful coastal views , while the the hike from Corfe Castle to Swanage provided expansive

views across the countryside.

As I mentioned, we arrived a day early in Weymouth and took the local bus to the cliffs at West Bay and explored Abbotsbury. On our short day in Swanage, we finished up our hike by 2:30 and were able to take a tour boat along the coast from Swanage to Poole (and Return). This was a great, relaxing way to see the next day's coastal hike from the sea. I would highly recommend it.

Mrs Rarick, 19/09/2016

These trips are like a treasure hunt. Each day you wake up and embark on a new adventure following detailed notes/maps not knowing what you will see or encounter around the next bend. The scenery on our Jurassic coast walk was just spectacular.

Mrs Bryan, 13/09/2016

Lovely route, fantastic scenery, quite challenging in some places and paths a little higher than expected for a person with vertigo.

Mis Nair, 13/09/2016

A good holiday with manageable walks , nice weather and stunning coastal and countryside views . Best was Corfe Castle , a lovely little village overlooked by the impressive castle ruins.

Accommodation fine except for the B + B in Weymouth ; room cheerless and austere , and location rather noisy ; was woke twice in the night by people shouting and swearing in the street below.

Mrs Frames, 29/08/2016

Overall had a fantastic holiday walking along the Jurassic coast. We were extremely lucky with the weather and pre-booked all but one of our evening meals (using Trip advisor) to ensure they too were of an excellent standard. The accommodation provided varied in style but all were scrupulously clean and offered an excellent selection of food at breakfast; the four star accommodation at the end of the holiday which included access to a heated outdoor pool and spa was especially welcome after all the walking. The route notes were excellent; very easy to follow.

Mr Pryor, 22/07/2016

They were happy to wait unitl 10,00 a.m. to collect our luggage in the mornings, which was great,as we were on holiday and didn't want to rush our

breakfast, before walking. All the hotels were well chosen. The holiday was well thought out. We took the wrong route at Durdle Door and ended up on

an extremely steep area, so listen carefully to the Rep's instructions. Our rep recommended restaurants for us and booked them, so we had a nice

meal at Rick Steins in Poole, and several other nice places, that we might have missed otherwise. Make sure you take a sun hat, as there is not

alot of shade on the walks. Expect to feel quite tired, unless you walk 8 miles on a regular basis.

Mrs Currie, 07/07/2016

Good walking with fantastic scenery.

Mr Boyd, 02/07/2016

The holiday provided us with an opportunity to visit and explore an interesting part of England which was unknown to us and the walks were varied with some spectacular scenery. Apart from the walking itinerary itself, there were lots of places and sites to visit, including Portland Bill, Brownsea Island, Corfe Castle, the Swanage Railway, and by way of expedition from Weymouth, both of Thomas Hardy's houses near Dorchester. As usual with Headwater the accommodation was comfortable and thoughtfully chosen.

Mrs Fairhall, 30/06/2016

If you enjoy being in the open air enjoying the country then this holiday is great with very comfortable rooms and great food and places to see, I would recommend this to anyone.

Mr Cheetham, 19/05/2016

For keen walkers who want a holiday organised for them, including luggage-transfer, and are prepared to pay, this is an excellent holiday, but not for the faint-hearted or unfit, as although the distances seem short, the walks are often very strenuous, and there are frequent opportunities for stumbling over loose surfaces, especially on descents. The route descriptions are meticulous, and well-marked,and there is really no need for map-reading. The evening food is often expensive, especially at The Haven, where there is really no local alternative.

Ms Cozort, 09/05/2016

Beautiful region, fantastic scenery, good walks but not too strenuous.

Mr Whitehurst, 14/09/2015

Great opportunity to visit famous sites in UK within a structured organised and well supported walk

Ms Waddington, 19/06/2015

Wonderful walking trip - could definitely be done more challenging walking options outlined in route notes & more of the coatst covered. It really is a turquoise coast when the sun shines!

Mr Martin, 06/06/2015

A unique experience that gave great opportunities to see parts of the country that we might not see if we were traveling independently. Following the route notes gives you the confidence to venture further, knowing that you could then get back to your route. Having a rep at the end of the phone just in case anything went wrong gave us a sense of safety and security and proved invaluable when I was unable to walk on the final day.