Lulworth Cove is one of the most important features of the 95 mile Jurassic Coast, England's first natural World Heritage Site. Its perfect horseshoe shape was created by the sea hollowing out the soft clays to reach the harder chalk behind.
Mupe Bay is a lovely secluded beach due to its relative inaccessibility, and can be quite deserted even in the summer. It's our favourite place for a swim!
The chalk downland of Bindon Hill between the two bays is rich in wildflowers supporting many butterflies including the Chalk Hill Blue and the rare Lulworth Skipper discovered here in 1832.
Free roadside parking is available on Church Road in West Lulworth or there's a large Pay & Display car park at Lulworth Cove. (See the Trailhead Waypoints for the respective starting points.)
This is quite a challenging walk with some steep sections and uneven terrain but those who know the area may be relieved to hear it doesn't go up (or down) the steps above Mupe Bay!
Much of the walk is on the Lulworth Army Ranges which are only open at weekends (with a few exceptions) and most school holidays. Please check the Lulworth Range Walks Opening Times before you set out, and keep to the marked paths.
Note that the red flags fly all the time on the Lulworth Ranges, indicating danger from military debris. Only the marked paths ("Range Walks") are safe as these are checked for debris before the ranges are opened.
The cache itself is NOT on the Range Walks.
To find the coordinates of the cache you need to visit the following five locations (in order) and collect some numbers at each. If you start the cache from the beach do the stages in reverse order to avoid a steep climb up to Stage 1.
Stage 1: Information Board
N 50° 37.290 W 002° 14.575
How many named hills are on the map? Answer = a
Stage 2: Gate
N 50° 37.298 W 002° 14.359
How many horizontal bars make up the gate? Answer = b
Stage 3: Danger Sign
N 50° 37.049 W 002° 13.476
How many warning triangles are on the Danger sign? Answer = c
Stage 4: Pillbox
N 50° 36.986 W 002° 13.745
How many blocked up windows does the pillbox have? Answer = d
Look out for the Fossil Forest on the way to Stage 5.
Stage 5: Stone Seat
N 50° 37.012 W 002° 14.650
How many words are inscribed on the stone seat? Answer = e
Using the numbers collected the cache is at N 50° 37. (a-e) d b W 002° 14. (d+e) (b+c) (c+e) .
The checksum of all the digits in the final coordinates is 51.
The easiest way to the cache from the final stage is via the path which starts 30m east of the stone seat.
After the cache you can return along the beach (depending on the tide) or over the cliff behind the cove. We recommend that you check the Lulworth Cove Tide Times so you can plan the best time to visit. The beach is impassable at tides higher than 2m.
The cache is a 4.4 litre lock & lock box and was last restocked on 19 November 2022. Please trade fairly. All our trade items are new and cost around £1 each. We'd appreciate it if you could mention what you swop in your online log.
It might be best not to leave trackable items in this cache as it doesn't get many visitors!
This cache has been placed with the kind permission of the Lulworth Estate.
