Old Harry Rocks, Ballard Down and the Agglestone

From the South Beach car park the walk heads west out of Studland on to the heath to the Agglestone, a great block of sandstone perched on a knoll. It climbs south to the obelisk at the western end of Ballard Down and follows the ridge east, with Swanage Bay on one side and Poole Harbour on the other, to Ballard Point. The coast path turns north along the cliff top to Old Harry Rocks, the chalk stacks at the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast, and returns through Studland Wood to the village.

It is 10.0 km with 208 m of ascent; allow about 3 hours. The grade is Moderate. Most of it is on heath and chalk grassland paths.

The cliffs at Handfast Point are sheer and crumbling: stay well back from the edge. The heath is a nature reserve with adders and ground-nesting birds, so keep dogs on leads there. Cattle graze Ballard Down.

South Beach is a National Trust pay car park by the Bankes Arms, free for members. There is no station near; the nearest is Poole, about 9 km away.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.