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Durlston Pleasure Grounds

The ‘Durlston Pleasure Grounds’ is a £1m project and partnership, led by Dorset Council to enhance the Victorian landscape at Durlston for people, wildlife, and heritage. It is funded through a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant and partner groups and organisations including; The Swanage Medical Centre, the Dorset Gardens Trust, Purbeck Runners, the Swanage School, Swanage Town Council, Countryside Mobility, Partnership for Older People, Swanage Senior Forum, Friends of Durlston.

Pleasure Grounds Project

Engraved rock at Tilly Whim. Photo: Simon Kidner

Learning at Durlston 

Durlston is a superb outdoor classroom, with a wealth of opportunities to enhance the study of geography, science, history, art and much more.

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Weather Records

Weather readings have been recorded at Durlston since 1988. Readings are taken at 09:00 every morning except 25th and 26th December.

View our live and historical weather records

Virtual Field Trips

Explore the park with these google maps resources - great for a whiteboard in a classroom, or at home to learn more about the wildlife, geology or history of this amazing place! 

Virtual Field Trips

Tours

If you've never been to Durlston before then see what you're missing! Perhaps you think you know the Park already, but there's plenty still to discover...

View Tours

History of Durlston

Find out how Durlston has changed over time - from ancient geological beginnings to modern day country park and nature reserve.

View Durlstons History

Purbeck Series of roacks

Durlston's Geology

Durlston's coast forms part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. The Jurassic Coast is England’s only natural World Heritage Site.

World Heritage status was granted because of the site's unique insight into the earth sciences as it clearly depicts a geological ‘walk through time’ spanning the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

Find out more about Geology

image of guillemots nesting on a cliff ledge, taken from the Cliff camera 18th April 2020

Guillemot Webcam

See this years video footage - we are unable at present to show the camera feed live. 

View live webcam

Durlston downland

Management

Durlston is managed by a team of Rangers who try hard to balance the needs of over 3,000 species of living things and an important historic and geological heritage, while making the park an amazing place for visitors and our community.

More about Management