Durdle Door: Archway to the Sea- 22 January 2003

Durdle Door: Archway to the Sea
22 January 2003

Location	Durdle Door, Dorset. I went to Dorset for a couple of days. One clear afternoon I spent at Durdle Door, a strange rock formation by the beach. Durdle Door looks like a T sticking out into the English Channel. This is odd enough but on the right side (seen from land) the rock forms an arch. That arch is what gives the rock its name.

Weather	Clear windy and cold.

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	To the left of the little peninsula is a sheltered cove with breakers in front.

A closer look at the breakers that protect the beach. I like the many different colours in the water.

	And here is the arch, the actual door. It looks like something out of a fantasy novel.

Multiple steep sets of stairs descend down to the beach. This is the view westward from halfway down the stairs. The cliff that juts out further along is Bat's Head.

	Once down on the beach, I took some pictures of the arch. It looked quite dramatic with the sun behind it.

It was getting late in the afternoon and the sun was slowly preparing to set.

	I walked along the beach a little bit and sat down with my sandwiches.

The waves caught my attention. Here one is just falling over. I like the glassiness on top of the wave.

	Here another wave has just fallen over and is starting to foam.

A third wave is breaking up into foam.

	A little bit later as the sun was colouring the water orange, I took one last picture of a wave. I simply love the sound the waves make. It's instant relaxation for me.

Walking back before it got too dark to negotiate the steps safely, I took a picture of the promontory.

	What I particularly liked was the orange hue on the rock inside the archway.

The sun was setting rapidly over the Isle of Portland.

	A closer look of the island shows the intense colours of the sky and clouds. The building that is visible on the right is the Portland Castle. At the top of the hill is HM Prison.

Here the sun has set. Only a slight pink cast remains of the spectacular show.