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Golden Cap & Charmouth

Jurassic Coast Walk

Region - Jurassic Coast

County/Area - Dorset

Author - Reg Carr

Length - 5.0 miles / 8.1 km    Ascent - 1200 feet / 364 metres

Time - 3 hours 40 minutes    Grade - easy/mod

Maps Ordnance Survey Logo Anquet Maps Logo

Ordnance Survey Explorer 116Sheet Map1:25kBUY
Anquet OS Explorer 116Digital Map1:25kBUY
Ordnance Survey Landranger 193Sheet Map1:50kBUY
Anquet OS Landranger 193Digital Map1:50kBUY

Walk Route Description

Photo from the walk - Golden Cap & Charmouth
Click image to see photo description.

From A35 take slip road into Charmouth and at south end of village look for National Trust sign to Stonebarrow Hill. Go carefully up a very narrow lane until this opens out onto a grassy area on Stonebarrow Hill. This is the car park and provides a convenient start to the walk (Grid ref. SY389935). This is a good area for a picnic and a lazy afternoon on a warm summer's day. This walk is in a quiet part of West Dorset and offers good coastal and country views.

Leave the car park and walk east along the track until you reach a gate (Grid ref. SY396935) and follow the path down the hill. The path becomes a track down to a farm at Upcot (Grid ref. SY396930). After the farm turn right across the field on a path which joins a narrow road (Grid ref. SY399927) and go right on this down to the hamlet of St Gabriel.

This was once a much larger village but much of it fell into the sea because the Blue Lias clays here are very unstable. Go past the cottage and the ruined church on the left and then take the path on the right which goes steeply up the hill to the crest of Golden Cap (Grid ref. SY406922).

Golden Cap is the highest cliff on the south coast of England and is 191m above sea level. There can be brilliant views from the crest but keep well clear of the cliff edge. To the west you see Charmouth and Lyme Regis and to the east Seatown, Bridport and Chesil Beach.

Continue along to the Trig Point and go down the steps and made up path, and across the stile. Continue straight across to the wood (Langdon Hill - Grid ref. SY411923 and not to the right which will take you down into Seatown with a consequent steep climb back up!

Walk through the wood and on to the track at the north end. Go north until it joins a narrow road (Grid ref. SY411933) and turn left on this road. Continue past Norchard Farm to Upcot (Grid ref. SY396930) and then back up the track to the car park on Stonebarrow Hill.

Other walks nearby

Walk 1551 Seatown and Charmouth via Golden Cap easy/mod5.0 miles
Walk 1549 Golden Cap from Seatowneasy/mod4.0 miles
Walk 2771 Lyme Regis & Uplyme Circulareasy/mod5.5 miles
Walk 1550 Charmouth & Lyme Regis Circular easy/mod6.0 miles
Walk 2391 West Bay & Burton Cliffeasy4.5 miles
Walk 3629 Eggardon Hill from Lodersmoderate8.4 miles
Walk 3265 Eggardon Hill from Powerstockeasy/mod6.3 miles
Walk 1795 Beer & Branscombe Circulareasy/mod5.5 miles
Walk 2565 Littlebredy from Abbotsburymoderate8.5 miles
Walk 2827 Rodden & Langton Herring from Abbotsbury easy/mod9.2 miles

Recommended Books & eBooks

South West Coast Path Map Booklet - St Ives to Plymouth

South West Coast Path Map Booklet - St Ives to PlymouthMap of part of the southern section of the 630 mile (1014km) South West Coast Path National Trail. Covers the trail from St Ives to Plymouth along the west Cornwall and Devon coastline. This convenient and compact booklet of Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps shows the route, providing all of the mapping you need to walk the trail in either direction.
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Walking the Jurassic Coast

Walking the Jurassic CoastThis guidebook includes 30 walks on the Jurassic Coast of Devon and Dorset. Covering the coast between Exmouth and Bournemouth, these delightful routes range from 3 to 16 miles (5 to 24km), exploring and explaining the spectacular geology of this World Heritage area with clear, easily understood descriptions, cross-sections and timelines.
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