Old Harry Rocks: at the end of the Purbecks.
Now at this point most people turn left and park their car in the National Trust car park off Manor Road,but they charge a pretty steep £8 if you arrive in the morning.Of course you can avoid this problem by joining the Trust here. and you can park for free. For US readers you can join the Royal Oak Foundation here and enjoy free access to all National Trust property in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Island. If you don't want to do that then turn right by the post office into Heath Green Road and park there where it is free.Then walk back across Ferry Road and down School Lane . After about 50M you will see a sign on the left that says "to the church".This path does indeed go to the Church but if you walk round the church you will come to the car park where people are paying their £8.At this point you can look very smug. Go through the car park to Manor Road ,turn right past the Bankes Arms or go if you are feeling thirsty. After another 50m you will see a sign on the left pointing the way to Old Harry Rocks,about a mile away.The path is through some woodland which then opens out in heathland.It will take you about twenty minutes to reach the Rocks.The ground is fairly flat. Old Harry Rocks are an example of the formation of sea caves.The chalk is jointed and the sea erodes the joints forming caves, then bigger arches which finally collapse into the sea.Continued erosion will lead to total collapse of the remaining stack. This chalk once extended all the way to the Isle of Wight forming a land bridge. The chalk is white limestone formed in a vast sea during the Cretaceous period about 80 million years ago and is made from millions of marine plankton.If you look westwards down the coast you will see other isolated rocks known as the Pinnacles. So stay a while and admire the view just don't get too close to the edge it's a long way down.Then head back to Studland,though if you are feeling energetic keep going on down the South West Coastal Path towards Swanage
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