South-West England Dorset locations advice

Son_of_Thor

Son_of_Thor

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Hopefully heading down to the Dorset coast in June for a family break, so long as this damn virus doesn't curtail our plans. I've bought the Fotovue Photographing Dorset book and it looks like I've got plenty of landscape options to choose from (albeit I'm not sure whether some of the bucket list images like Corfe in the mist are at all likely this time of year). Suspect I'll be too late for the like of Wild Garlic/Bluebells. Been really enjoying some of the stuff @Dave Semmens has been posting - be made up if I manage anything near that good TBH! Always open to any ideas of good spots though that might not be mentioned in the book...

I've got the following on the list so far:

Portland Bill
Corfe Castle/Swanage
Durdle Door
Lulworth Cove

Brownsea Island if it's open looks good for wildlife photography, but I'm wondering if there are any other nature reserves/areas I should be looking to explore while I'm down there? Dragonflies and Butterflies are particular favourite subjects, albeit just about anything Flora or Fauna is of interest
 
A bit further West on the coast is Lyme Regis and the coast between Portland and Lyme.

For family days, Monkeyworld is close to Bovington tank museum, both of which offer photographic opportunities.
 
Thanks for the kind comments about my images :)

I haven't been to Dorset in June so can't comment on exactly what you may find.
Unfortunately the sun will rise and set inland so you will not get light on the land on the lead up to golden hour. You may not be worried about that though?
Keep an eye out for things like poppies on social media - I joined a few Dorset photography groups and keep an eye on what people are photographing :)
Kimmerage bay is superb on an outgoing tide but there is a toll road to go down to it if you are driving - go for either sunrise or sunset and you won't have to pay as the hut will be closed.

THe walk from Lulworth Cove over Dungy Head and down to St Oswald's bay then Man o War and finally to Durdle Door is full of potential photographs as well. Just avoid high tide as the beach may be impassable at points then.

Loads of other locations - I would join a few groups on Facebook and just have a good look through them.

HTH

Dave.




 
Dave Semmens said:
Thanks for the kind comments about my images :)

I haven't been to Dorset in June so can't comment on exactly what you may find.
Unfortunately the sun will rise and set inland so you will not get light on the land on the lead up to golden hour. You may not be worried about that though?
Keep an eye out for things like poppies on social media - I joined a few Dorset photography groups and keep an eye on what people are photographing :)
Kimmerage bay is superb on an outgoing tide but there is a toll road to go down to it if you are driving - go for either sunrise or sunset and you won't have to pay as the hut will be closed.

THe walk from Lulworth Cove over Dungy Head and down to St Oswald's bay then Man o War and finally to Durdle Door is full of potential photographs as well. Just avoid high tide as the beach may be impassable at points then.

Loads of other locations - I would join a few groups on Facebook and just have a good look through them.

HTH

Dave.
Click to expand...
+1
 
Nod said:
A bit further West on the coast is Lyme Regis and the coast between Portland and Lyme.

For family days, Monkeyworld is close to Bovington tank museum, both of which offer photographic opportunities.
Click to expand...

Thanks, a couple of things I hadn't considered there :)

Dave Semmens said:
Thanks for the kind comments about my images :)

I haven't been to Dorset in June so can't comment on exactly what you may find.
Unfortunately the sun will rise and set inland so you will not get light on the land on the lead up to golden hour. You may not be worried about that though?
Keep an eye out for things like poppies on social media - I joined a few Dorset photography groups and keep an eye on what people are photographing :)
Kimmerage bay is superb on an outgoing tide but there is a toll road to go down to it if you are driving - go for either sunrise or sunset and you won't have to pay as the hut will be closed.

THe walk from Lulworth Cove over Dungy Head and down to St Oswald's bay then Man o War and finally to Durdle Door is full of potential photographs as well. Just avoid high tide as the beach may be impassable at points then.

Loads of other locations - I would join a few groups on Facebook and just have a good look through them.

HTH

Dave.
Click to expand...

Thanks Dave, the stuff I've seen from your trip is lovely. I'd seen elsewhere that sunrise/set would be inland. I was hoping for a sunrise/set panorama of Durdle Door including the steps - was hoping that I might catch a bit of light on the foreground at least.

Thanks for the advice, I'll see what I can find on social media :)

garryknight said:
If you're going down to Portland Bill, you could park near the Heights Hotel, and stand near the Olympic Rings for a great view down over the north part of the island and Chesil Beach. It's well worth doing once, if the weather conditions are good, IMO.
Click to expand...

Thanks Garry, I was going to head down for a recce with a view to a sunrise or sunset later in the trip - I'll take a look
 
My favourite photography site in Dorset is Osmington Mills. On an outing tide, catching the run of the small river, or looking across the multi-coloured pebble beach into the sea.

www.flickr.com

Osmington Mills

Explore this photo album by Steve Jelly on Flickr!
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com

As previously mentioned, Kimmeridge is worth a visit, although my last visit was in Jan '20, and I tended to go for mono as the colours were a bit drab.

www.flickr.com

Kimmeridge Jan '20

Explore this photo album by Steve Jelly on Flickr!
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com

Dancing Ledge is worth a visit if the weather is playing ball, as is Durlston Country Park.
 
We went to Monkey World a couple of years ago personally I found it a bit disappointing from a photography standpoint.
If you can make it go to Salisbury Cathedral
 
Corfe Castle station is also worth a visit. It is run by volunteers that dress in old uniforms + there are regular steam trains going up and down the coast to Swanage. The station is setup to match the steam era and you can get photos with the castle as a backdrop. The road coming out of Corfe Castle towards Swanage goes over a bridge that the trains go under - again you can get a shot of a steam train in full flight with the castle in the background. Just be careful on the bridge as there isn't much room :) will stick a photo of the train up when I get on a computer.

Dave.
 
Actually - there are a few more photos (including the train) on my Facebook page. Easier to post that link:

www.facebook.com

DPS Photography

DPS Photography, Barnsley. 2,054 likes. I call it my passion and my wife calls it my obsession :) My escape from everyday problems for a few
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com


Dave.
 
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Son_of_Thor said:
Hopefully heading down to the Dorset coast in June for a family break, so long as this damn virus doesn't curtail our plans. I've bought the Fotovue Photographing Dorset book and it looks like I've got plenty of landscape options to choose from (albeit I'm not sure whether some of the bucket list images like Corfe in the mist are at all likely this time of year). Suspect I'll be too late for the like of Wild Garlic/Bluebells. Been really enjoying some of the stuff @Dave Semmens has been posting - be made up if I manage anything near that good TBH! Always open to any ideas of good spots though that might not be mentioned in the book...

I've got the following on the list so far:

Portland Bill
Corfe Castle/Swanage
Durdle Door
Lulworth Cove

Brownsea Island if it's open looks good for wildlife photography, but I'm wondering if there are any other nature reserves/areas I should be looking to explore while I'm down there? Dragonflies and Butterflies are particular favourite subjects, albeit just about anything Flora or Fauna is of interest
Click to expand...


You could try RSPM Radipole ( Weymouth) and a 24 hr MacDonalds just opposite the main car park- bonus :)

I have see all sorts there- a great place for the Beareded Tit too

www.rspb.org.uk

Radipole Lake Nature Reserve, Dorset - The RSPB

www.rspb.org.uk www.rspb.org.uk


Les :)
 
LeeRatters said:
Are all the cruise ships still off the coast line? I guess so.
Click to expand...


There were 3 or 4 in Tor Bay last week (and, I think, HMS Queen Elizabeth. Thought it was an empty container ship but it had 2 towers.)
 
There were apparently a lot over the winter (in Tor Bay) but travel restrictions kept me away from the coast.
 
Jelster said:
My favourite photography site in Dorset is Osmington Mills. On an outing tide, catching the run of the small river, or looking across the multi-coloured pebble beach into the sea.

www.flickr.com

Osmington Mills

Explore this photo album by Steve Jelly on Flickr!
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com

As previously mentioned, Kimmeridge is worth a visit, although my last visit was in Jan '20, and I tended to go for mono as the colours were a bit drab.

www.flickr.com

Kimmeridge Jan '20

Explore this photo album by Steve Jelly on Flickr!
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com

Dancing Ledge is worth a visit if the weather is playing ball, as is Durlston Country Park.
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve, a couple of options to explore that I hadn't previously considered :)
 
Dave Semmens said:
Actually - there are a few more photos (including the train) on my Facebook page. Easier to post that link:

www.facebook.com

DPS Photography

DPS Photography, Barnsley. 2,054 likes. I call it my passion and my wife calls it my obsession :) My escape from everyday problems for a few
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com


Dave.
Click to expand...

Some great stuff on there Dave, I thought I'd seen a train/castle shot somewhere and it looks like that was yours too! The 2nd take on the River Frome sunrise is very nice too..
 
Last edited:
Nod said:
There were apparently a lot over the winter (in Tor Bay) but travel restrictions kept me away from the coast.
Click to expand...

Something else to look out for - it doesn't look like I'm going to be short of things to point the camera at! :)

Thanks for all the responses folks, much appreciated!
 
Well, we made it down to Dorset. Managed a few landscape/wildlife photo opportunities in amongst the family beach days. A very enjoyable trip all in all

flic.kr

Dorset

Explore this photo album by Son_of_Thor on Flickr!
flic.kr flic.kr
 
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