Foundation Rock/ West Bottom, Jurassic Coast, Dorset

Early May 2025

This was my third time camping along this stretch of cliff tops between Durdle Door and White Nothe. I’m not exactly sure what the name of the cliff I camped on is, but after checking maps, it looks like it was either on top of Foundation Rock, West Bottom or somewhere in between.

I walked up to White Nothe and had originally planned to camp there. In the morning, I wished I had. Despite being close to the coastguard cottages (which I’m not sure are inhabited), there are plenty of flat, open areas up there.

White Nothe covers quite a bit of coastline and spans a large corner chunk of this section. While there, I ventured down the Smuggler’s Path which is a zigzagging path to the beach below. I only went so far and stopped at the first plateau, which looked like an awesome spot, but there was a fresh fire pit there, and that put me off. I know it’s unlikely anyone would come down at night, but these types of signs always put me off staying.

I went east again and found a scenic spot with views west to White Nothe and the Isle of Portland. It also offered an ideal position to catch the sunrise, looking east across the cliffs to Bat’s Head, Swyre Head and Durdle Door.

There are plenty of large, grassy areas along this cliff top. I set up the bivi and settled down. I twice heard a stamping sound. The second time, I looked out and saw the silhouette of a large deer – that wasn’t on the cliff tops, but in a field.

I then spotted a torch light moving along the cliffs. It turned out to be a runner with a head torch, passing by around 11 p.m. I was totally visible in the near full moon and the runner’s light shone directly at me. They carried on without stopping and the rest of the night was peaceful and breezy, with a clear sky and beautiful views in the moonlight.

Coordinates:

GPS:SY 77818 80831

Google Map:50°37’36.4″N 2°18’53.8″W

What3words:music.music.reconnect

Getting there:

I walked from the village of Winfrith Newburgh, which is around a 4.7 mile (7.56 km) walk to the camping spot. There are closer villages, like Chaldon Herring, which have some parking areas (I’ll post an image of a good one in the comments), but I played it safe and chose Winfrith Newburgh because I was guaranteed a spot there.

Tonight’s spot is right along the South West Coast Path, so it’s easily accessible both from the inland route I took and from the east and west along the cliff tops.

The closest car parks I know of are at Ringstead to the west, and the other side of White Nothe and at Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove, which are east of here. I don’t know the current parking charges, but I imagine Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door will be expensive. I’m also unsure if overnight parking is allowed in any of them.

Heads up:

This is the third time I’ve camped along this section of the coast and it’s the first time I’ve encountered anyone at night. While waiting on Bat’s Head during a previous trip, a few late evening hill runners passed by, but it wasn’t especially dark and I hadn’t set up yet. A few weeks agoo n Swyre Head, it was a bank holiday but the weather wasn’t great, which I think helped keep people away. This time, the weather was windy but not bad enough to put everyone off.

I only camp along this stretch at certain times of year. I avoid it completely during the summer holidays, along with any of the Dorset coast and the Purbeck Hills, because of the high number of visitors. The busy hotspots of Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door are nearby and the South West Coast Path is always popular in the summer months.

One advantage of these hills is that it takes a certain type of person to tackle the ups and downs, as they’re quite strenuous in places and require a certain level of fitness. The hills also offer good viewpoints and usually enough visibility and warning if anyone is approaching.

#dorset #southwestcoastpath #swcoastpath #foundationrock #westbottom #bivicamp #jurassiccoast

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