Lulworth Cove Webcam – Boats and Jurassic Coast Cliffs

The Lulworth Cove Webcam looks across one of the best-known bays on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, England, streaming 24 hours a day in 4K from the shore of the cove. Calm water fills most of the frame, with sailing yachts and small boats lying on their moorings and a floating pontoon out on the water to the left. Ahead, the cliffs close in to a narrow entrance, and through that gap the English Channel runs out to a flat horizon. The cliffs on the far side show steeply tilted bands of rock that catch the afternoon sun, while the headland on the right of the entrance can sit in shade by late afternoon. A corner of shingle beach fills the bottom right of the picture, where paddleboarders and swimmers come and go.

About Lulworth Cove

Lulworth Cove lies beside the village of West Lulworth, on the stretch of Dorset coast that UNESCO listed as part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in 2001. The cove is a textbook piece of coastal geology. A narrow band of hard Portland limestone, less than 30 meters (98 feet) wide, forms the shoreline, with a band of slightly softer Purbeck limestone, less than 50 meters (160 feet) wide, behind it. Once the sea broke through those two bands, it reached 300 to 500 meters (980 to 1,640 feet) of much weaker clays and greensands and hollowed them out, stopping at a band of chalk about 250 meters (820 feet) wide that now forms the back of the cove.

The camera shows the result of that process. The narrow entrance in the middle of the frame is the gap the sea cut through the limestone, and the broad bowl of sheltered water in front of it is where the soft rock used to be. That shelter is what makes the cove a mooring for yachts and small local craft, which ride gently on the tide inside the entrance. The cove draws about 500,000 visitors a year, and roughly 30 percent of them come in July and August.

The camera is run by Beach Life Cams, which streams more than 20 webcams across Dorset, Devon, Somerset and London, in partnership with two local businesses, Jurassic Rib Rides and The Cove Kitchen. Their names sit in the top left corner of the stream, with the webcam’s web address and a date and time stamp along the bottom edge.

Weather and Climate in Lulworth Cove

Lulworth Cove shares the mild, sunny climate of the south Dorset coast. Long-term averages from the weather station at Wyke Regis in Weymouth, further west along the same coast, give July highs of about 20 C (68 F) with nights near 14 C (57 F). January runs from about 4.5 C (40 F) at night to 9 C (48 F) by day. Spring is slow to warm, with April highs around 13 C (55 F), while October holds on to the summer’s heat at about 15.5 C (60 F) by day and 10.4 C (51 F) at night. Weymouth and Portland has one of the sunniest climates in the United Kingdom, with about 1,900 hours of sunshine and 770 millimeters (30.3 inches) of rain a year.

The sea follows the same lag. Water temperatures on this coast run from about 7 C (45 F) in February to 17 C (63 F) in August, so August is the warmest month for a swim. The operator suggests tuning in at sunrise and sunset, and the webcam’s own site points to the light shifting across the cove and the tide rolling in as the things to watch through the day.

Things to Do Near Lulworth Cove

The classic walk from the cove follows the South West Coast Path west to Durdle Door, the rock arch, about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) each way. Closer still, Stair Hole lies less than 0.8 kilometers (0.5 miles) to the west, an infant cove that shows what Lulworth may have looked like a few hundred thousand years ago. The Lulworth Estate Visitor Centre stands at the cove on the route of the coast path. By sea, Jurassic Rib Rides runs rib trips from the cove to Durdle Door from April to September, weather and sea permitting. Trips last about 20 minutes and take walk-ins without booking.

East of the cove, the coast path enters the Lulworth Ranges, an army firing range covering more than 2,830 hectares (7,000 acres). The range walks and that section of the coast path, including the route to the Fossil Forest, are open most weekends and some weekdays when there is no firing. Red flags and flashing lamps on Bindon Hill mean the range is in use. Inland, Lulworth Castle stands about 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles) northeast of the cove. The webcam’s own site also notes that the cove features at the end of the film World War Z.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More live views from the coast of southern England:

• Lyme Regis Harbour Webcam
• Bournemouth Webcam
• Boscastle Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Lulworth Cove located?

Lulworth Cove is beside the village of West Lulworth in Dorset, on the south coast of England. It is part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, with Durdle Door about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) to the west.

What can you see on the Lulworth Cove Webcam?

The camera looks across the cove’s calm water to its narrow entrance and the open sea beyond. Moored yachts and small boats, a floating pontoon, the cliffs on both sides of the entrance and a corner of the shingle beach are all in frame.

Can you see Durdle Door on the Lulworth Cove Webcam?

No. Durdle Door is about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) west of the cove and out of this camera’s view, which faces out through the cove entrance instead. You can reach it on foot along the South West Coast Path, or by rib boat from the cove between April and September.

What is the weather like in Lulworth Cove?

Mild for Britain. Averages from Wyke Regis in Weymouth give summer highs of about 20 C (68 F) and winter highs of about 9 C (48 F), with roughly 1,900 hours of sunshine a year.

How was Lulworth Cove formed?

The sea broke through thin bands of hard Portland and Purbeck limestone at the shoreline, then wore away the much softer clays and greensands behind them until it reached chalk at the back.

Can you swim at Lulworth Cove?

The water inside the cove is sheltered, and the webcam’s operator lists swimming and paddleboarding as things to do there. Sea temperatures along this coast run from about 7 C (45 F) in February to 17 C (63 F) in August.

Do boat trips run from Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door?

Yes, in season. Jurassic Rib Rides, one of the webcam’s partners, runs trips of about 20 minutes from the cove to Durdle Door between April and September, depending on the weather and the sea.

Source: Beach Life Cams