Herston Halt, Herston Village Hall, Priests Way, Swanage Bay View Caravan Site, Durlston - waymarked both ways (Clone) Herston to Durlston to Herston Halt A gentle waymarked walk between Herston Halt Steam Railway station, via the village of Herston, Swanage Coastal Park and Swanage Bay View to Durlston Country Park and onto Durlston Castle (approx. 3 miles). WP1 1. The route commences at Herston Halt the route is waymarked - follow the waymarkers to Durlston. Dot Waypoints WP2 2. Carefully cross the High Street and follow route to Bell Street. Dot Waypoints WP3 3. Bell Street: many of the old houses here were once quarrymen’s homes Dot Waypoints WP4 4. Priests Way: once used to travel between the churches in Worth Matravers and Swanage. Dot Waypoints WP5 5. Weighbridge : Once used to weigh the road aggregate quarried from the Newton Stone Quarries from 1920s to 1950s. The site is now the Swanage Bay View Holiday Park - it is possible to stop here for refreshments. Dot Waypoints WP6 7. Townsend Local Nature Reserve: Owned by Dorset Wildlife Trust, the old quarry workings, hollows and scar banks are now wonderful limestone grassland habitats Dot Waypoints WP7 8. Former Landfill Site: This ‘hill’, the highest point in Swanage, is actually made up of piles of rubbish, which when it closed in 2005 was covered in a 1- metre thick clay cap. It is now It is managed for wildlife as part of the Durlston National Nature Reserve Stone Quarries: The ‘Warren’ field was, until 1995, an open-cast limestone quarry where Dinosaur tracks were found. With excavation complete the land has been allowed to naturalise, and is now home to rare orchids, beetles and birds. Dot Waypoints WP8 9. Stone Quarries: The ‘Warren’ field was, until 1995, an open-cast limestone quarry where Dinosaur tracks were found. With excavation complete the land has been allowed to naturalise, and is now home to rare orchids, beetles and bird Dot Waypoints WP9 10. Glacial Valley : This gully was scoured out about 10,000 years ago, by melt-water travelling towards the sea at the end of the last ice age. It is now a wonderful sheltered wildlife habitat. The surrounding small fields are enclosed by miles of dry-stone walls Dot Waypoints WP10 11. Durlston Castle the route finishes here but an alternative route can be taken to return via the Woodland Trail Walk back down to the town centre before heading back to Herston Halt Dot Waypoints Durlston Castle image/jpeg