South Purbeck is a natural region on the south coast of England. It lies wholly within the county of

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

and forms part of the

Jurassic Coast The Jurassic Coast, also known as the Dorset and East Devon Coast, is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. It stretches from Exmouth in East Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset, a distance of about , and was ins ...

, a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, as well as lying entirely within the

Dorset AONB Dorset National Landscape is a National Landscape area in Dorset, southern England, formerly known as and still legally designated as the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The conservation designation means that the area is prote ...

. South Purbeck is a

National Character Area A National Character Area (NCA) is a natural subdivision of England based on a combination of landscape, biodiversity, geodiversity and economic activity. There are 159 National Character Areas and they follow natural, rather than administrative, b ...

, No. 136, as defined by the UK's natural environment body,

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

. They describe the area as a "compact, but highly diverse landscape" that encompasses the southern part of the

Isle of Purbeck The Isle of Purbeck is a peninsula in Dorset, England. It is bordered by water on three sides: the English Channel to the south and east, where steep cliffs fall to the sea; and by the marshy lands of the River Frome, Dorset, River Frome and Poo ...

and the coastal strip to the west, running from Swanage Bay via

Lulworth Cove Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, southern England. It is privately owned by the Weld family along with Durdle Door and the Lulworth Estate. The cove is one of the world's finest examples ...

Ringstead Bay __NOTOC__ Ringstead Bay is an bay, open bay of the English Channel located east of Weymouth, Dorset, Weymouth in Dorset, England. The bay lies on the Jurassic Coast and in the Dorset National Landscape area, and is known for its natural environm ...

. To the west of the area, along the coast, lie the

Weymouth Lowlands The Weymouth Lowlands form a natural region on the south coast of England in the county of Dorset. Much of the area lies within the Dorset National Landscape. According to Natural England, who have designated the Weymouth Lowlands as National Ch ...

and to the north are the

Dorset Heaths The Dorset Heaths form an important area of heathland within the Poole Basin in southern England. Much of the area is protected. Extent According to Natural England, who have designated the Dorset Heaths as National Character Area 135, the ...

.National Character Area profile: ''136. South Purbeck'' by www.naturalengland.org.uk. Accessed on 5 Apr 2013. The area is geographically varied, comprising the steep chalk ridge of the

Purbeck Hills The Purbeck Hills, also called the Purbeck Ridge or simply the Purbecks, are a ridge of chalk downs in Dorset, England. The ridge is formed by the structure known as the Purbeck Monocline, and extends from Lulworth Cove in the west to Old H ...

, the gently undulating Corfe and Swan Vales, the coastal slope at

Kimmeridge Kimmeridge () is a small village and civil parish on the Isle of Purbeck, a peninsula on the English Channel coast in Dorset, England. It is situated about south of Wareham and west of Swanage. In 2013 the estimated population of the civil ...

, the seaward-dipping limestone plateau and rolling chalk downlands around

Chaldon Hill Chaldon Hill, also called Chaldon Down, is one of the highest hills, , on South Dorset's Jurassic Coast in England. The summit is about west of Durdle Door. A bridleway crosses the hill just below the summit, whilst the South West Coast Path m ...

References

Natural regions of Dorset Natural regions of England {{Dorset-geo-stub