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.  

Last day in Dorset Charmouth/Lulworth sept 20/21 2014

Well today is our last full day in Dorset :(   the weather is foggy/misty , basically crap!
We are going to Charmouth , the well known fossil hunting beach. the dogs can have a walk and you never know, might even find a fossil!

                 We have parked next to the fossil museum ,    it is very interesting inside :)

                    Now time to walk the Jurassic Duo , it is their last day under this name    lol

                                                      Go Fetch ................  spladoosh!

                                  Watch out for the big wave Cheste........ Toooo late!!!!!

                                                                      Almost got it Mol :)

                                                           Haha  they are having fun.
 

                                                           Spladooosh............... Poor chester :(

                                                                 He got the ball anyhow :)



                                     Time to dry off as we look for fossils, unsuccessfully :(

        Its still very murky , what a shame as tomorrows forecast is superb, when we have to go home!

                         Jan has stayed in the car with the dogs, as they cant go on the other beach.
                        Walking along the beach looking for Ammonites ,  but i cant find anything :(

                                                                     Rushing water     lol

 I have given up looking, and am making way back to the car now , wonder if Jan has finished her book yet? 

It is now  late afternoon , infact its 6.30 and starting to get dark , and we have decided to take a last walk down to Lulworth Cove,  over the headland from Durdle Door ..

             The steep path down to the Village , going to be dark when we come back up here!!!!

    7 o clock , and we are eating chips in Lulworth Cove , these are the best chips i have ever had!
                                                           Starting to get quite dark now.

 A walk to the view point overlooking the cove , its too dark to photograph now, this was shot at iso 3200.

                                 Now for a long walk back in the dark:(   home tomorrow!

                 I just knew i should have got up early to shoot sunrise!!!!!!!!   bloody hell im crap!
look at the weather this morning, and we have to pack up and go home , but first i take Moll for a walk and a last few images of the "Door"

                                                     Look at Mollsters long thin shadow!!!

                                                                   Wow!    amazing light :)

 Its been a wonderful week photographing Durdle Door in different weather conditions, these images are different again .

                         Huge big blue skys and glorious warm early morning light on the grasses :D

                                              My last image , Durdle Door i will return :)