The Isle of Purbeck

The Isle of Purbeck – which isn’t an island, merely a peninsula – is famous for many things, such as the fossil-laden Jurassic Coast and Corfe Castle, a remarkably well-preserved castle considering it was demolished in 1645. Purbeck is also notably hilly, with the main ridge reaching 200m, which might not sound like much but you tend to approach it from sea level…

Corfe you can

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42 miles Ups and downs in a figure of eight This figure-of-eight double loop starts in Corfe and passes back through at about two-thirds distance. The first leg heads west up onto the Purbeck Hills then down to Lulworth Cove. An easy-rolling cruise along the Frome river valley takes you into Wool before looping back into Corfe across Middlebere Heath. Then it’s back up onto the Purbeck ridge but east this time towards Swanage.

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Square route

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26 miles Who needs flat bits? Don’t be fooled by the distance, this is largely the same as the long route but with the flat bits taken out, so it’s still got a decent amount of climbing. You don’t head as far as Lulworth Cove this time, but if you want to extend it a bit then there’s the option to drop right into Swanage rather than cutting the corner off. And you still get to pass – or more likely stop at – the Square and Compass in Worth Matravers.

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Pint-size Purbeck

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13 miles 60 minutes of climbs and descents Looking for all the best bits of the Isle of Purbeck in a pocket-sized ride that you can fit into an hour? Give this one a go. The route starts in the shadow of Corfe Castle and almost immediately climbs onto the ridge of the Purbeck Hills, then a plunge towards Swanage leaves you almost at sea level and with an inevitable climb out. It only averages 4 per cent or so, but there’s 4km of it. Then it’s pretty much downhill back to Corfe.

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