Lulworth Cove To Mupe Bay Circular Walk

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One of my favourite Lulworth Cove walks is from Lulworth Cove to Mupe Bay. It’s a challenging walk on the South West Coast path, not for the faint hearted. But if you are a keen walker and like a challenge then this walk will provide you stunning views and a great workout.

This circular walk is around 4 miles in length, but can only be completed when the Army ranges are open. Mupe Bay is one of around 20 bays along the Dorset coast, a wide inlet of sea where the land curves inwards.

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view into lulworth cove

Facilities And Parking At Lulworth Cove

Parking options for this walk are either at the main Lulworth Cove car park which costs around £5 for four hours, or if you are lucky you may find street parking near Lulworth Church (BH20 5SG).

There are toilets next to the Heritage Centre in the main car park, as well as places to eat including the Lulworth Cove Inn pub which might be a good reward for after your walk.

Lulworth Cove To Mupe Bay Circular Walk

Starting from Lulworth Cove car park, your route takes you west around the cove. The shingles are sometimes difficult to walk on, and when the tide is coming in there won’t be a huge amount of shingle to walk along, but it’s certainly passable.

view across lulworth beach

As you round the cove, there are some wooden steps jutting out. Climb these and follow the path up. Some of the steps are slightly raised and uneven, and you may think you are walking into the wilderness, but it’s just a bit overgrown.

When you reach a slightly hidden Coastal path marker, you need to turn right to almost walk back on yourself and above the cove. In front of you is a daunting steep hill. You are not walking up this!

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Through the dense hedgerow, the path here can be slightly boggy if it’s been wet, but there is a small boardwalk which makes it easier to navigate. There is a slight incline until you arrive at the top of Lulworth Cove at the look out.

view across lulworth cove

This is a great place to stop and enjoy a picnic on a nice day and take in the views across the cove, they really are stunning!

From the lookout follow the path along the coast line away from Lulworth Cove towards the fossil forest, and across the Army ranges. If there is firing in the area, the gates will be locked and you won’t be able to continue. 

The path near fossil forest has been closed off due to unsafe cliffs in the past year or so, with diverted paths in place.

fossil forest south west coast path marker

This section of the walk towards Mupe Bay is mainly flat and provides amazing scenery across the water. In the distance you may spot a large hill. This one you’ll be walking up!

There are steps down to Mupe Bay beach if you want to explore further. The beach is made up of mainly shingle, but at low tide you can discover plenty of sand as well.

To continue the walk, the looming hill must be tackled. It’s been referred to as “hell hill” by people in the past as it is very steep. There are steps in the hill to use, but some of them are quite far apart.

hill out of Mupe Bay

If you feel like a rest before tackling the hill there is a bench at the bottom before you begin the climb. I don’t recommend resting for too long however as it may put you off climbing.

Stop at the top of the hill and enjoy the amazing views. Look at what you have just achieved! That’s the worst of the walk over and done with now.

To loop back towards Lulworth, the walk takes you along the path at the top of the ridge towards Bindon Hill. This section of the walk is flatter than the first half, and more inland.

On a clear day you may be lucky enough to spot a view of Lulworth Castle in the distance.

As you reach Lulworth, the path takes you towards the road near Lulworth Church. Lulworth Cove car park is a few minutes walk to the left when you exit the path on the road.

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