Dorset

Dorset is home to the Jurassic Coast, an ancient sweep of limestone with its own microclimate. Often sunny when other areas are wet or arctic, there is climbing to be had here all year round.

Climbing types: Sport, Trad, Bouldering
Rock type: Limestone

Portland

Britain’s most extensively-bolted area, Portland is home to over 1,500 sport routes, as well as hundreds of boulder problems, and some adventurous trad lines. This tied island is 4 miles long and 1.5 wide, and is the most southerly point of Dorset’s Jurassic Coastline. Quarried since the 17th century, Portland stone has long been a preferred building material worldwide. Over 6 million tons were used to rebuild London after the great fire, including St Paul’s Cathedral.

This World Heritage site and SSSI offers climbing for all abilities, from long slabs to tough test-pieces. With easy and safe access, you can climb on old quarries, giant beach boulders, and cliffs right next to the sea, but without the danger of the rising tide coming in to soak your climbing shoes.

Grade ranges

Sport: Beginner to Expert
Bouldering: Intermediate to Expert

Swanage

Moving east from Portland, we come to Swanage, with some of the UKs most accessible sea cliff climbing. The routes here are predominantly trad, spanning everything from easy grade single pitch to cutting edge multi pitch, with even the odd (or even very odd!) aid route thrown in for good measure. As well as natural cliff lines, there are several sport quarries for the bolt lovers. Steep, technical and pumpy, Swanage lines can be intimidating - abseiling in means that the only way out is to climb. However, with ease of access and the stunning location, you’ll definitely want to keep coming back for more.