Perhaps the best known image on the Jurassic Coast is the spectacular natural rock arch of Durdle Door, close by the almost perfectly round harbour of Lulworth Cove. Here the geology of the coast undergoes dramatic changes in just a few miles, from sandstone through dazzling white limestone to black oil-bearing shale.

At the Swanage end of the Jurassic Coast is a region of Dorset known as the Isle of Purbeck, despite the fact that it is an integral part of the mainland. At the point that the Jurassic Coast turns north to Poole Harbour, chalk stacks jut up from the sea, the outermost being Old Harry, depicted here in a painting by Peter Haillay.

Delightful hamlets on or near the coast abound: Branscombe, Eype and Abbotsbury, with its world famous swannery, are just a few of a thousand awaiting exploration whilst Sherborne (perfect for antique hunters), Dorchester, Shaftesbury, Glastonbury, Salisbury and a number of other lovely old towns are not far away.

Atop the hills ancient earthworks testify to man's presence hereabouts for thousands of years: Maiden Castle near Dorchester is the largest of many local examples of age-old hillforts. The National Trust has done much to protect for ever the best of the local landscape, and large tracts of countryside both west and east of Lyme Regis have been acquired and are open for recreation, for hiking and picnicking. Montacute House (also National Trust) and Forde Abbey are well preserved houses a short drive away.

But the Jurassic Coast is really about the sea and here there is surely something for everyone, be it swimming or sunbathing, rambling or fossil-hunting, fishing or diving, sailing or powerboating, windsurfing or body boarding, or just sitting and absorbing the endless exchanges between waves and shingle, sand and wind, gulls and seaspray.