Rank : 8.5 (average on 2 votes)Coordinates : 50.642654, -1.922848 (
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Subjects : Old Harry Rocks are a most impressive set of bright white chalk stacks on the eastern most point of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage site that runs west to Exmouth in Devon. Situated on a beautifully grassy and elevated Handfast Point on the Isle of Purbeck (actually a peninsular), the walking and views on a nice day are wonderful, the as impressive Needles on the Isle of Wight a visual reminder how the two were once joined with dry land behind, before monumental flooding many millions of years ago separated them.The Rocks are also easily visible from Bournemouth and the whole of the Bay to Sandbanks and Studland.The headland and nearby Studland Heath are a haven for orchids, wild flowers, butterflies, heather, small reptiles and much else and for many is reason enough to visit. There is also at least one chalk stack with a colony of seabirds, but this is not my speciality so cannot advise further.
Recommended equipment : It's quite a good distance walking (about 1.6 km) from the nearest road/car park to get to Old Harry Rocks and for many walkers, this is only a small part of a much longer walk, on the South West Coastal Path, to Swanage and beyond. So, lightness of equipment might be a sensible priority. However, you can get right to the edge of the sheer chalk cliffs just behind Old Harry where an ultrawide lens gets the entire height of them in, but normal lenses to get the stacks of Old Harry with a telephoto zoom to concentrate on the details. Macro lens for flowers and longer super tele's for the birds and to close in on very distant details.
Best months : Like anywhere high up and exposed on the coast, winter and bad weather is not advised, not just for comfort but for personal safety. Late Spring is probably the best month as not only are you likely to get a nice sunny day to make the chalk shine but also this is when the wild flowers are at their best. These often grow clinging to the sides of the sheer cliffs and you do not have to be a botanist to appreciate these and how they can enhance your photos. Summer brings out many many more visitors and tourists though I have to say, being up there on a hot day when the sea is a deep blue and there's a slight breeze, is heaven and you wouldn't want to be anywhere else!
How to get there : Access to the Isle of Purbeck and Studland is, by its natural geography, quite difficult and this partially limits the amount of people visiting but that also means in summer and especially on an August weekend, the roads can get so blocked, many turn round and give up!You either have to use a chain link ferry which links to Sandbanks - the queues for this can become horrendous - and you have to pay quite a large amount and as the access road is privately owned, there's a toll, but you only pay the once, entering. There are buses (which I have to catch) from Bournemouth railway station but these take a long time and at busy times, can become unreliable. It is also possible to drive from the west via Wareham but this is a very long (40km?) detour and some roads can be narrow and just as congested in the summer as from the ferry.To get to the car park (another charge) for the path out to Old Harry Rocks you have to take the road to Studland village, where it is signposted.
Visits : Most of the area is under the Stewardship of the National Trust and for UK visitors who are members of the Trust get discounts on car park fees - but not the ferry (there may be other benefits also).
Notes : 
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