Arrive at the Smugglers Inn, Osmington Mills with enough time for a quick drink before our taxi whisks us to Durdle Door. It’s a surprisingly sunny day for late September which has brought out lots of happy smiling families to enjoy this fabulous arch in the rock – some even swimming right through it.

Our walk is almost immediately up the extremely steep Swyre Head, thankfully nowhere near as steep as the ones on the Lulworth Ranges but I’m nevertheless pleased I remembered my walking pole. We enjoy the view from the top with a few other adventurous walkers but as the walk goes on our walking companion’s lesson.

The first half of the walk is on typical chalk land with high cliffs backed by large grazing fields. The warm weather has brought out butterflies, and a kestrel is flying overhead. A group of kayakers are hugging the coastline passed Bat Hole on their way to going right through the ‘Door’.

An interesting stone folly has no interpretation, except for a smattering of graffiti, and leaves us wondering on its purpose? White Nothe, a lovely row of former Coastguards Cottages have been sympathetically transformed into 20th century residencies, one with a stunning ironwork gate depicting swimming fishes. I bet former residents would have witnessed some dramatic smugglers action?

The second half of the walk sees us passing through a kissing gate which demarcates a dramatic change in scenery from the chalk cliffs and large fields to rolling countryside with small fields, hedges and pockets of woodland. We clamber down the path towards the tiny hamlet of Ringstead with some lovely houses on the cliff top reminiscent of those we’d seen in the Sussex village of Fairlight. We enjoy watching a family having fun in a little boat on today’s extremely gentle seas, just below us.

Hidden in the countryside we find a delightful tiny wooden church building– St Catherines by the Sea, Holworth. We are delighted to find the door opens to reveal a wonderful oasis of calm – twenty or so wooden church seats, a piano, fresh flowers on a pedestal and on every window sill with a fabulous view over the bay towards Portland. A tiny churchyard on the cliff top has a few benches positioned to admire the view.

The level pathway leads us along the now relatively low cliff and descends straight into Osmington and the Smugglers Inn – our home for the night. After a swift pint we wander up to watch the sunset over Weymouth whilst gulls fly in and rest on the still waters.