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Swanage
Lulworth
Portland
Tourist Information Offices
For ideas on what to do on a rest day, accommodation advice, hiring a boat to look at some scary
routes on Boulder Ruckle, or if you are just interested in local history; take a look at one of the
Tourist Information Offices listed below. These offices can provide much more useful and extensive
information than it is possible to provide in these pages.
Tourist Information Weymouth
- Pavilion Theatre, The Esplanade. Tel: 01305 785747
Tourist Information Portland
- Portland Bill Visitor Centre. Tel: 01305 861233
Tourist Information Swanage
- Shore Road, Swanage. Tel: 01929 422885
When to Go
Portland and Swanage are both excellent year-round venues whilst Lulworth is best left for the
period of late spring through to the onset of autumn. Summer is often too hot although the east
and west coast of Portland means you can always find some shade. Swanage and Lulworth
offer relatively little shelter from the hot sun. Some of the best conditions are found in spring and
autumn. Fine climbing days in winter are also not that uncommon and can be pleasant in sheltered
spots such as The Cuttings and at Winspit.
Temperature ˚C Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Average Max Temp (˚C)
8.4 8.3 10.0 12.5 15.4 17.9 20.3 20.4 18.3 15.0 11.5 9.3
Average Min Temp (˚C)
3.5 3.1 4.3 6.6 8.1 10.3 12.5 13.3 11.6 9.3 6.2 4.5
Average Sun (hours/day)
2.0 2.8 3.9 6.2 7.2 7.1 7.6 7.0 5.4 3.8 2.7 1.8
Average Rain (mm/month)
76.6 64.3 62.9 47.6 46.6 47.0 35.6 52.2 66.4 77.4 84.5 90.9
Getting There
Trains
Regular train services from all over the country run to the closest stations to the cliffs - these are
Weymouth (for Portland), Wareham (for Swanage) and Wool (for Lulworth). The best method of
checking on times and prices is the website
www.thetrainline.com
Buses
All of the climbing areas in this book are fairly easily reached by regular bus services. The best
method of checking on times is the website
www.traveline.info
.
Portland
is serviced by bus
routes that run close to all of the climbing areas via Easton, Weston and Southwell.
Swanage
has a regular service from Wareham. For the eastern end of the Swanage cliffs
(Subluminal and the Boulder Ruckle) it is a 1.5 mile walk to Durlston Country Park from the centre
of Swanage. For the western end of the Swanage cliffs, a bus service runs from Swanage to
Langton Matravers (for Dancing Ledge) and Worth Matravers (for Winspit). For
Lulworth
a regular
bus service runs from either Wool or Wareham. Lulworth is also easily reached by bus from
Weymouth.
Emergencies
DIAL 112 and ask for the coastguard or other emergency services.
Poole Hospital A&E -
Tel: 01202 665511 (24hr)
Dorchester Hospital A&E -
Tel: 01305 255541 (24hr)
Weymouth Hospital (MIU) -
Tel: 01305 760022 (NOT 24hr)
Portland Hospital (MIU) -
Tel: 01803 614567 (NOT 24hr)
Swanage Hospital (MIU) -
Tel: 01929 422282 (NOT 24hr)
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Information
Dorset Logistics