Where Dorset meets the English Channel, you find the Jurassic coast. This is a beautiful land and waterscape which stretches 95 miles from end to end, and 185 million years back into geological history. The different rocks, formed at different times in the Earth’s development, create amazing structures - cliffs, arches, coves and more - and reveal secrets of prehistoric life. Among the rocks at the water’s edge and suspended in the cliff faces, keen eyed explorers will spot fossils of ancient life forms like shells, plants and even dinosaurs! The scenery and fossil finds attract millions of visitors to Dorset every year, but most of them will only scratch the surface of this fascinating place. To truly discover the Jurassic Coast’s secrets, you need to leave the car behind, abandon the beaches and footpaths and take a coasteering adventure along the shore.

This is the activity of traversing a coastline, staying as close to the water as possible, by any means necessary. It involves climbing up cliffs, swimming between rocks and jumping from raised platforms into the breakers below. The rewards for braving the harsh conditions that both the land and the sea throw at you are the secrets that you discover, the wildlife you share the environment with, and the thrill of the journey through this semi aquatic zone. Dorset’s coastline could have been designed especially for coasteering: caves and coves, fossilised remains and disused quarries, seabirds and marine mammals combine to make sure that your adventure is the experience of a lifetime.

Where are the best places to go coasteering in Dorset?

Tour operators can be found in the Poole and Bournemouth conurbation, to the East of Dorset, as well as seaside towns Swanage , Lulworth and Weymouth. From there, you’ll go to one of the following natural wonders.

• Dancing Ledge: On the southern edge of the Isle of Purbeck, near the town of Swanage, hills fall towards the sea in a series of cliffs. A shelf of rock juts out of the base of the cliffs, supposedly the size of a ballroom dance floor, and this is the starting point of some of the best coasteering routes in the Southwest. Natural features like caves and cliffs alternate with man made obstacles - relics of the quarrying of Purbeck marble that took place here for centuries. There are no sandy beaches to take a rest as you navigate overhanging cliffs, submerged rocks and plunge pools, but you can always take a break by swimming a short distance out to sea and contemplating the stunning views.

• Lulworth Cove: Further along the coast, different layers of rock have been eroded by the sea to produce the spectacular features around Lulworth Cove. The horseshoe shaped cove itself, backed by white chalk cliffs, is one of the finest of its kind anywhere in the world, but the best coasteering is found just over the headland at the western end. Stair hole is a cove in the making, where the forces of tide and wave are eroding softer rocks almost before your eyes to leave the bare framework of hard limestone. There are numerous arches and holes, as well as exposed strata descending like tiger stripes down the cliff.

• Portland Bill: This is the southerly tip of the Isle a Portland, a rocky island connected to the town of Weymouth by Chesil Beach. The same jagged rocks here are part of the same geological band that you find around Dancing Ledge, but the shoreline is more exposed to elements. In fact, this is a notorious place for shipwrecks, and the tall white lighthouse has been helping ship’s captains steer clear of the rocks for over a hundred years. But if you’ve come here to enjoy this sport, you won’t want to avoid the rocks! Get stuck in and you’ll find a natural playground where the excitement is only limited by how brave you are.

Requirements to do this activity

Taking on land and sea along the shoreline isn’t for the fair hearted, but that doesn’t mean that it’s reserved for outdoor experts and daredevils. The coast here is so varied that there are routes ranging from technically challenging to easily accessible. There are excursions that are suitable for families with children as young as 6 years old that avoid the more rugged parts of the cliffs and take you instead to the rockpools that are exposed at low tide.

To take part in routes that involve more daring stunts children, the kids need to be a bit older and be at least 130 cm tall, and there are some experiences that are only offered to adults. When planning a trip it’s important to remember that you’ll spend time in the water as well as on the rocks so you need to be a competent swimmer - if you can comfortably swim 25 metres, you should be fine.

How long does it take to complete this experience?

The intertidal zone is one of the least accessible natural landscapes around, so once you get there you’ll want to spend a good amount of time around the features and wildlife that are unique to this area. They typically last around 2.5 to 3 hours, and when you add time to change clothes and get to the starting point it’s going to be a half day trip in total.

One way to enhance your coasteering experience is to combine it with a powerboat ride. As well as being a lot of fun, and giving you unrivalled views of the Jurassic Coast, it’s also a practical way to get to the best coasteering spots. Setting off from Swanage, you can get to the cliffs at Dancing Ledge in around 45 minutes.

What do you need to bring on the day of the activity?

Under pressure from the forces of the land and sea, coastal zones are unforgiving environments. Animals that make their home here have special adaptations which we lack, so to enjoy this sport you need some special equipment. You’ll be given a wetsuit, a helmet and life jacket by your guide before facing the challenges of the coast, meaning that the only things that you need to bring are easily found. A swimsuit is a must, for going under the wetsuit, but you should also pack an old pair of shorts to go over the suit and protect it from jagged rocks. You’ll also need a pair of trainers that won’t lose their grip when wet - try and test this out before your activity, and avoid smooth soled shoes like indoor football trainers.

One final word - you will get wet. So put a towel and change of clothes in your bag and you’re ready to go! Don’t forget to tell us all about it.