Under 2 Hours From Portsmouth Is One Of The UK's Most Popular Beaches With Turquoise Waters And Cliff Views

Strike out east from the city of Portsmouth, one of the main gateways to England's South Coast, drive for just over an hour and a half, and one of the most spectacular landmarks in the whole United Kingdom lies in wait. Cue Durdle Door, a place carved out of the Dorset shoreline that's got plaudits coming out of every chip in its salt-washed cliffs — National Geographic hailed it as one of the best beaches on the globe, no less, while Coast Magazine crowned it among the most Instagram-worthy beaches in the U.K.

If those high-flying mentions aren't enough to turn the head, then surely the simply sublime sight of Durdle Door itself will be. The bay here reaches its zenith at the craggy headland on its far eastern end, which hosts a 10,000-year-old rock arch (according to the Lulworth Estate) that pokes out into the English Channel. Spanning out from that, a pebble-peppered beachfront unfolds under the sheer cliffs that are the trademark of the region's Jurassic Coast, a nigh-on 100-mile stretch of coastline that's famed for its rare fossils and striking geology.

Because Durdle Door is located on the southern English coast, it's best to drive here if you can. The trip in should take around an hour from Bournemouth, England's new hotspot for beach trips, which is also where you'll find the nearest airport, Bournemouth Airport (BOH). The cities of Southampton and Portsmouth are also good jump-off points — the first is around an hour and a half drive to the east, while the latter is just 10 minutes more than that, depending on traffic.

Park up at the paid lot and begin your walk down to the beach — it'll be just over half a mile before you reach the sand and the sea, along a rough, rocky path that drops quite steeply before turning into a long staircase to the beachfront itself. You'll suddenly find yourself on a wide scythe of sand and shingle that's protected at one end by the famous limestone arch, offering ample space to kick back, relax, and simply enjoy the view of the local islets and cliffs.

The water that washes Durdle Door — and the rest of the Dorset coast for that matter — often turns clear throughout the summer months, and the reef gardens that halo the whole beach here are a doozy for snorkeling and spotting sea creatures when that happens. What's more, the water at Durdle has been consistently rated as "Excellent" by the U.K. Environment Agency, a fact that, no doubt, helps with the bay's gleaming blue hue.

There are some things to bear in mind if you're planning a day down on this jewel of the Dorset coastline, though. For starters, as tempting as that shimmering, sky-blue water can look, would-be swimmers will need to be wary of rip currents and very steep drop-offs, even close to the shoreline, particularly as there aren't any lifeguards on patrol — even highly experienced swimmers have run into trouble at the spot (as reported by Swanage News). Secondly, Durdle Door is not a secret. It draws some serious crowds, especially on hot days throughout the summer holidays. Arriving early or traveling during shoulder seasons, such as early fall or spring, can help dodge the crowds.

As tempting as the beach below the great rock arch of Durdle Door can be, you might also want to set aside some time to explore the surrounding region. The surrounding Jurassic Coast is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for its roughly 185-million-year-old cliffs and fossil-filled rocks, and comes threaded together by a particularly stunning section of the 630-mile South West Coast Path. This long-distance hiking route links wonders like England's "Little Switzerland" in Lynton and Lynmouth with the U.K.'s surf capital of Newquay.

You can follow that to string together a neat loop that includes viewpoints over Durdle Door itself, along with sightings over other gorgeous coves. A highly rated trail (a score of 4.8 out of 5 on AllTrails) of 7.3 miles starts closer to the big horseshoe bay of Lulworth Cove to the east, before navigating along the high bluffs of Dorset to reveal visions of chalk and limestone formations and coastal meadows aplenty.

It's also possible to hike all the way from the historic holiday hub of Weymouth to the beach at Durdle Door, embarking on a much heftier undertaking of roughly 10 miles that whisks you up on undulating paths that skirt the edge of vertical cliffs, eventually giving unique vistas of Durdle's legendary arch from the west.