Dan posted an update
Golden Cap, Jurassic Coast Dorset
Late May 2025
I decided that on this camp, I was going to bag a spot I’d been meaning to camp on for a while. I didn’t get the weather I’d hoped for, so the sunsets and sunrises were saved for another day.
I woke up in a wet mist or low cloud, with poor visibility. Still, the weather helped keep the area quiet, which was a positive, which I can’t complain about.
The walk up from Chideock was quiet and not too strenuous. Chideock is already about a third of the way up, so there is less climbing to reach the 191-metre (627 feet) summit of Golden Cap.
I saw no one on the ascent and only a couple at the top walking their dog. I headed down the eastern side, to reach the beach and to take some photos, but I got sidetracked by the ruins of St Gabriel’s Chapel. It was a bit of a mission to get there, through paths, which were muddy and overgrown with brambles.
After that, I headed back up to Golden Cap to check out a camping spot for the night. The western section of the summit offers the best flat grassy areas with sea views. There was plenty of bracken up top, which I avoided for fear of disturbing any nesting birds.
I settled on a spot along an alternative path across the summit. I knew the weather wouldn’t be great and that the wind would pick up, so I didn’t want to sleep out in the open and near the edge. The spot was fairly flat and surrounded by bracken, which offered some shelter from the wind – but not from the rain showers.
It was a quiet night. The couple with the dog were the only people I saw, from the moment I left my car, to when I returned to it. Good phone and internet signal too.
Coordinates:
GPS:SY 40624 92186
Google Maps: 50°43’34.5″N 2°50’33.3″W
What3words:Il/plenty.postcard.shifters
Getting there:
I parked on Sea Hill Lane, in the southern part of Chideock, which is on the north eastern side of Golden Cap. From there, it’s about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the top, taking around 30-40 minutes on foot.
I think Chideock gets quite busy in summer, with the nearby beach and the coastal village of Seatown and its caravan park. But on the day I visited, the weather was turning, so it was quiet. There were still plenty of places to park along the narrow lanes.
If you can’t find a space on Sea Hill Lane, the northern part of Chideock, head over to the other side of the A35, where there are plenty of free on-street parking spots.
There is also a car park down at Seatown beach, though I don’t have details on fees, restrictions or how busy it gets.
Alternatively, Charmouth is on the western side of Golden Cap. It offers more parking and access to the hill via the west, but is slightly further away than Chideock.
Heads up:
Nothing much to report. I’d expected the area to be a bit busier, even with the forecast saying the weather wasn’t great, but it stayed quiet. This was my first visit here, and, I’m sure it gets a lot busier during the summer months.
There’s no lighting along the path to the top of Golden Cap, but it’s not a difficult route and can easily be walked with a torch. I half expected to see someone passing through during the night, but I wasn’t disturbed at all.
It stayed light well past 9 p.m., and I was up just before 5 a.m.- there was already enough light by then, and I wanted to get out of the cloud and mist.
#goldencap #dorset #jurassiccoast #bivicamp #ourscapes
2 Comments
The #trigpoint at the top of #goldencap.
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