Dorset Holiday Corfe Castle

We have left Durdle Door campsite and have driven across to Corfe to the Norden Farm campsite , its in a beautiful valley with several fields for camping, caravans and motorhomes.
All set up and according to google maps we can walk out through the campsite and over the hills to Corfe Castle.

Almost on the top of the hill now, looking across to the campsite.  Poole is clearly visible in the background.

                              Overlooking the castle now,  Mol doesn't appear to interested   .

                                     Down in the Castle,  obligatory stocks shots    haha

                                Chester looks like he has been hung!    short legs   haha

Amazing how parts of  the castle have just dropped  when it was destroyed all those years ago .

                                                                        Modern art!    

                                                     One of the last images of Mollster

                                            A view from the path leading into the village.

                    I have come back for sunset , a long lens shot of the last of the shadows first .

Time to get the drone up, a 9 frame panorama with the last of the sunlight illuminating the turrets.

                                                               A 5 frame Vertorama

                            Half hour later and a little colour in the sky. again 5 frames merged

There is quite nice colour appearing now, a 2 frame merge canon 5dsr 17-40L shot from half way down the hillside.

                                                   This is about the best colour tonight .

                                                                 A 9 frame drone panorama

The end of our last full day in Dorset , we will make our way home tomorrow  via Kingston Lacey.

Dorset Holiday p3 Durdle Door & Mupe Bay

Its a beautiful early sunny morning , I have left Jan and the Dogs in the van and walked down to the beach.   Its already really busy at the top but the beach is almost deserted .

                             Time to walk along this beach all the way to the end at Bat Head.

    I have been Experimenting with different exposure times to show the best water movement.

                                                                      1/4 sec  f14 iso 200

The bright sun is blowing out the highlights on the chalk , switching on "highlight tone priority" on the camera has helped but still having to keep an eye on the histogram to keep exposure in check.
I am standing balanced on a rock taking this image,  with water all around me every time a wave came around.   and yes I did get very wet feet!

                                                                  1/2 sec  f13  iso 200

                                                                       0.6 sec  f14 iso 200

              The patterns formed by  the wet sand make a good leading line through this image.

I have reached the end,   after siting in the sun for a while I make my way back along the beach.

The beach is getting really busy now,   up at the top there are hundreds of swifts and swallows ,I couldn't be sure which   but think swifts  .All circling around and periodically landing on the side of the cliffs in a small area.   fabulous to watch.

It is now late afternoon,  i have always wanted to walk to Mupe bay, which is in the military firing zone . the coastal path has always been closed when we have been here previously but it is open from 5 pm today , so we are on our way at last .
Lulworth cove looks beautiful as we walk around the shingle beach heading for the coastal path on the far side of the bay.

The path continues on this side of the bay.

We have reached the gate, and the open sign ,    its a lovely evening for a walk.

             Arrived at the location I wanted to see,   this would be a great spot for sunrise I guess.

                                  A couple of frames merged to get this image.

Time to start the long walk back now, Jan doesn't want to go any further.      As we get back to Lulworth the tide has come in and I'm not sure if we can actually walk all the way round the bay. Oooops   The alternative route is around and over the headland behind, that's a huge climb   Jan not happy!  
As it turns out there is just enough room to get all the way around the top of the pebble beach, Just!

                                                                  Look at the light now!

             Half way up the steep climb towards the camp site,  the view is always fabulous here.

                             Lovely sunset glow over towards Weymouth in the distance.

The end of a great day, tomorrow we are heading towards Corfe castle...…………….

Dorset Holiday Durdle Door

We have left West Bay and are heading to Durdle Door campsite for 3 days.


Parked up eventually after an eventful drive , the Terrible Twosome don't seem bothered at all though.

                                       This is what happened!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Totally Destroyed!

Anyhow we are walking down to the Door for a walk to clear our heads, its still very cloudy but tonight's forecast is looking good .

                                                                 Bat head long exposure

                         Long exposure and B&W conversion   25 seconds with 10 stop nd filter

                                        Time to walkdown to Lulworth to the chippy   .

                                                                          Stair Hole .

                                                           Cant take her anywhere   lol

                                            Now for the long walk back    Arghhhhhhh

I have rushed down to the Door as the clouds are looking very promising for a good sunset,  there are loads of photographers down here .    Climbing up on the mound overlooking both bays I shoot this first image just as the sun is about to sink below the horizon.

I have been keeping an eye on the clouds behind me over Man-O-War bay , and just look at it now .   Fabulous .     f14     70 seconds

Back  to Durdle Door beach , the colour didn't develop as the cloud was too thick but its looking great now,  after all the other photographers have left  !!!!!

Real stormy looking clouds, very dramatic.

The end of a great evening shooting at this fabulous location.