A perfect little trip out to the coast of the Purbecks where you will find a little ridge of a stone cliff with a intriguing hidden history of radar and a delightful Grade 1 listed building, the St Aldhelms Chapel. Which is believed to be at least 13th century. You can read the history of the Chapel at the Isle Of Purbeck website and on Wikipedia.
Centered in the middle of Worth Matravers, Winspit Quarry and Kimmeridge, this is a gem of a place for a walk. Or as we did drive there, not really recommended unless you have a 4×4 or tractor. It’s a pretty crazy bone crunching journey which probably resulted in things falling off my car but it was extremely fun and worth looking on the map for the paths, the word “road” doesn’t really come into it. The views are stunning as you are so high, there is a coastguard station there which has excellent vantage point for spectacular views far out to sea and along the coastline.
There is also a Memorial to the Radar history of St Aldhelm’s Head which was unveiled by radar legend Sir Bernard Lovell. You can read all about the World War 2 radar achievements and researches on the Purbeck Radar Website.
How the radar towers looked
Echoes of the Past – A DVD history of the Purbeck Radar
Dubman and Streylock 