durdle door

stan the man

stan the man

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appologies if this is in the wrong section,but looking for some advice regarding shooting durdle door.basically,what i need to know is...is it best shot at sunrise or sunset,and how far a walk is it from the nearest car park,as my wife isn't able to walk great distances...

thanks in advance
 
I can't advise as regards which end of the day but there is a field which you can park in which isn't too far from Durdle Door (5 min walk) but it is a wee bit steep - gorgeous place though!
 
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=50.621111,-2.276667&spn=0.3,0.3&q=50.621111,-2.276667
Click that, zoom in and switch to satellite view to see walking distances and parking (never been there myself, but google maps has come in handy for planning shoots for me in the past).
Sunrise would produce more of a silhouette type shot, where sunset would give the golden glow, that's presuming you are shooting from the West of the arch
 
It depends when you are thinking of going. I remember the last time we went, the caravan/camp ground was closed and it was huge trek. You have to go down about a zillion steps (and back up again on the way home) which when carrying lots of kit isn't much fun. I think we went for sunset but it was a non-event :(
 
You should be ok till the end of September for the car park through the caravan park , the nearest car park , but to be honest it is quite a long walk down to beach from the car park , the sun rises in the east right , if thats right ,sunrise as sunset you wont get the arch in the shot at sunset hope this helps
 
In my experience sunset is the best time for Durdle Door.

If you are looking towards the arch the sun will be roughly behind and to your right. Sometimes it casts a nice golden glow.

Beware, the treck from the car park is not particularly far - but it is damn steep, and the final set of steps down to the beach are very very steep. You can forgo the steps and take pictures from above looking down on the arch which can also be a nice view.

When are you going ?

edit - Next to Durdle Door is Lulworth Cove which is fantastic too, but a bit easier to get around. They have a carpark at sealevel and fairly easy access.
 
thanks all,for your help.i'm looking at going in september sometime.if the steps are very steep,i may have to go on my own and leave my wife in the car :LOL:.we've been to lulworth cove before,but only had my kodak compact,so a revisit will be on the cards methinks..

i take it you can shoot from either side of the arch?
 
>>i take it you can shoot from either side of the arch?

Only if you have amphibious camera equipment, or a boat. :D

B.
 
>>that'll be a no then

Indeed it will, but just saying No is a bit harsh :D

Durdle Dor itself is parallel to the coast, so most pics are from the shore.. If you are really really lucky, you may get the sun setting through bats head hole, which is at the bottom of the next chalk headland west of Durdle Dor, from the Durdle Dor beach. You need the time of year right, and the tide to be very low, and to be there as the sun descends over Weymouth in the distance. It is possible, just very unlikely :)

B.
 
I guess it depends how mobile your wife is, you may be able to walk down the slope from the carpark, and then get to the cliff above Durdle Door. You can get some good shots from there. You could then take the final walk down the steps (very steep) to shoot from shore level.
 
I have taken a few pics of Durdle Door and Bat's Head earlier in the year. As well as having other conditions right i.e. the weather, the way the light sets and reflects to give detail on Durdle Door is best around April and October, so September is probably a fairly good time to go.

To endorse what others have already said, depending on where you want to take your shots from, either the beach or from the cliff, the steepest section is from the cliff to the beach and back. Having said that, it is a 'maintained' set of rough steps.

If you aim to take the shots from the beach, make sure you have checked the tides for that day.

Durdle Door from the cliff
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Durdle Door from west to east. The shadows on Durdle Door can sometimes be lit from the low sun on the white cliffs.
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Durdle Door Sunset
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Bats Head and Bats Hole
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The light can be great towards sunset and just after and I hope to return to Mupe Bay which is the other side of Lulworth, which is even harder to get to due to the army firing range for a sunrise and sunset.

The main thing missing for me in my shots was an angry or more dramatic sky, but without the rain. As you are literally in the middle of nowhere, if the weather changes you won't find shelter in a hurry. I was out walking the coast for the day but waited at Durdle Door for the sunset along with half a dozen other togs on a beautiful February evening.

Good luck.
Jas
 
this picture was taken about half way down from the car park to the beach. inthe distance you can see people preparing to descend the steeper steps. the door is the bit sticking up in the background. its not too bad, but if you are not too good on your feet then i wouldnt recommend it. when you get to the steps you can take a right down to the durdle door side or left to the man o war bay side which is in the second photo. this is a better beach in my opinion but hey do both. hope you have a good time. :)

durdle_door_045.jpg


durdle_door_034.jpg
 
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