Mupe Bay

Mupe Bay lies on the Dorset coast east of Lulworth Cove, its shingle beach backed by high chalk cliffs. The bay forms part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, where Cretaceous rocks rise from the sea in clear layers. From the north these layers begin at Bindon Hill Chalk, pass through the Wealden Beds, and end at the Purbeck Beds near Mupe Rocks in the south. Visitors can walk the 2.5-kilometre path from Lulworth Cove car park when the ranges are open. At the eastern end of the bay stands Black Rock, a small but distinctive headland. The geological sequence at Mupe Bay is studied worldwide for its clarity and continuity. The Wealden Beds here contain fossils of early flowering plants and dinosaurs from the early Cretaceous period. Mupe Ledges, the rocky ledges just south of the beach, show the same layers tilted gently towards the sea. Mupe Rocks, the group of stacks and reefs beyond the ledges, mark the southern edge of the bay. The contrast between chalk, clays and limestones creates a natural cross-section rarely seen so clearly elsewhere. On the beach itself the shingle is mixed with patches of sand exposed at low tide. The cliffs behind the beach rise steeply, their pale chalk contrasting with darker bands of rock. Walkers can follow the coastal path south towards Arish Mell or north towards Lulworth Cove. The ledges below the cliffs offer sheltered spots for rock pooling when the tide is out. From the eastern headland, Black Rock, the view stretches across the bay to the distant Purbeck Hills.