Between Swanage and Studland, the chalk of the Purbeck Hills meets the sea at the Foreland, and the white stacks of Old Harry Rocks stand off the headland like broken teeth. This is the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast, the World Heritage stretch of Dorset and East Devon that runs back through two hundred million years of geological history, and here the rocks are the youngest of the sequence, Cretaceous chalk. From Ballard Down above New Swanage, the views take in Swanage Bay, the Isle of Wight and the long sandy curve of Studland Bay.
Studland Bay is one of the finest beaches in southern England, backed by sand dunes and heathland managed by the National Trust, home to all six species of British reptile, including smooth snakes and sand lizards. Part of the beach is a naturist area. During the Second World War the bay was used for rehearsals for the D-Day landings, and a concrete bunker, Fort Henry, was built for Churchill, Eisenhower and others to watch the exercises.
The riding in Purbeck is pleasant but busy in summer. The road from Swanage to Studland climbs over the hills with views, and continues to the chain ferry at Sandbanks, which crosses the mouth of Poole Harbour in a few minutes and is a fun way to arrive or leave. Corfe Castle, a dramatic ruin on a hill in a gap in the Purbeck Hills, is a short ride inland. The roads are narrow and twisty in places, with tractors, cyclists and tourists.
Swanage has fuel, shops and plenty of places to eat, and the Swanage Railway, a heritage steam line, runs to Corfe Castle and beyond. Studland has a pub and a café or two, and the National Trust has facilities at the beach. Fish and chips on the Swanage seafront is the classic end to a day in Purbeck.