Why this ride
From Swanage it runs 170 km to Swanage; allow about 3 h 08 of riding. It goes by way of Portland Harbour Shore, Lyme Regis to West Bay and back through Portland Harbour Shore. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
New Swanage to Studland Bay and Lyme Regis to West Bay
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 170 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 08
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. New Swanage to Studland Bay
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.
Read the complete New Swanage to Studland Bay write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
New Swanage to Studland Bay is where the day begins. Next is Portland Harbour Shore.
2. Portland Harbour Shore
Portland Harbour is one of the largest man made harbours in the world, enclosed by breakwaters built in the nineteenth century, partly by convict labour, from Portland stone quarried on the island above. For over a century it was a major Royal Navy base, and today it is a centre for sailing, windsurfing and kite surfing; the sailing events of the 2012 London Olympics were held here. The shore between Weymouth and Portland, with Chesil Beach stretching away to the west, is a fascinating place to explore.
Read the complete Portland Harbour Shore write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Portland Harbour Shore comes up about 46 km into the recorded legs. Next is Lyme Regis to West Bay.
3. Lyme Regis to West Bay
The cliffs between Lyme Regis and West Bay are falling into the sea, and that is precisely why people come. This stretch of the Dorset coast is part of the Jurassic Coast, England's first natural World Heritage Site, and its soft clay and limestone cliffs constantly release fossils from the Jurassic seas of around two hundred million years ago. Ammonites, belemnites and the bones of marine reptiles wash out onto the beaches after every storm, and at Charmouth you will see families combing the shingle with hammers and bags at low tide.
Read the complete Lyme Regis to West Bay write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 84 km into the recorded legs you reach Lyme Regis to West Bay. Next is back through Portland Harbour Shore.
4. back through Portland Harbour Shore
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Portland Harbour Shore write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Portland Harbour Shore, late in the day. Next is New Swanage to Studland Bay.
5. New Swanage to Studland Bay
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete New Swanage to Studland Bay write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at New Swanage to Studland Bay. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
New Swanage to Studland Bay to Portland Harbour Shore
New Swanage to Studland Bay → Portland Harbour Shore is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Portland Harbour Shore to Lyme Regis to West Bay
Portland Harbour Shore → Lyme Regis to West Bay is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Lyme Regis to West Bay to back through Portland Harbour Shore
Lyme Regis to West Bay → back through Portland Harbour Shore is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Portland Harbour Shore to New Swanage to Studland Bay
back through Portland Harbour Shore → New Swanage to Studland Bay is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.