Durlston Country Park and National Nature Reserve Reviews Summary

Scenery and Views

Pros:

• "Brilliant, a really peaceful day out with fantastic surroundings."
• "Absolutely diamond of a find...hot sunny day overlooking the bay, we could of been in Greece or Spain."
• "Absolutely stunning place with something for everyone."
• "Great place, beautiful, stunning views, staff are very helpful."
• "The best views in Dorset, from Peveril Point below, to the Needles on the Isle of Wight, to the Old Harry Rocks."
• "Wonderful coastal views from here, child friendly too."
• "Fantastic views! Great place to spend time."

Cons:

• "We were staying in Swanage and the weather was less than desirable, cool, misty with rain showers."
• "The weather is a little bit disappointed but it's fine."
• "Not suitable for those with vertigo as is very high up and some sections of the track are quite close to the cliff edge."
• "Be careful of slopes/cliffs."
• "We found that Mobile Phone Reception was poor (or NOT Available) along some of the clifftop paths!!!"
• "Some parts of the coastline path are steep and possibly could be slippy if wet."
• "While the place is lovely, the very rude woman who made a complete show of us in front of all the other customers, completely let it down."

Accessibility

Pros:

• "Seventhwave Cafe & Restaurant is a lovely spot for a refreshment and bite to eat, with plenty of options available."
• "Parking was so much cheaper than expected £2 for all day on a weekday or £3 all day at the weekend."
• "Generous car park for those driving there."
• "They also have electric motor scooters for hire if needed."
• "There are lots of ramps and several lifts (The Café is fully accessible)."
• "Good tracks for mobility scooters."
• "The castle / visitor centre has good facilities."

Cons:

• "It's not a very accessible place for anyone with a wheelchair or buggy."
• "The coastal walk are probably not suitable for prams or unsteady walkers due to the paths being steep and uneven in places."
• "The path to the cafe etc from the car park is steep and there is no way of dropping someone off."
• "Online or 'Smartphone payments' are NOT available!!!"
• "The country park and walks were out of bounds for us with mum's age and wheel chair."
• "But there are some hills and stairs around so might be a challenge in a wheelchair to get around the cliff area."
• "However NOT all paths and areas are accessible. Some paths have loose gravel."

Café and Food Services

Pros:

• "Saw a peregrine falcon perching on the cliffs on our last visit!"
• "The food in the cafe is also really nice and the service was efficient."
• "Had lunch in Seventh Wave with my mum and sister, and it was delicious."
• "Nice cafe in the visitor centre with views over the sea."
• "The cafe/restaurant is also very nice serving good food and drinks."
• "Cafe is well worth eating and drinking at, reasonable prices too."
• "The cafe Seventh Heaven has excellent tea, coffee and cakes. Indoor and outdoor seating."

Cons:

• "Very disappointed with the café. The food choice was good and we were looking forward to a tasty lunch, however after waiting in line to order for 30 mins we were then told food orders would take 1 hour to process."
• "Ordered two hot drinks and cake, but then made the fatal mistake of having them in takeaway cups...a very rude member of staff came over to inform us that we shouldn’t be sat in the cafe area because we had chosen to have our order in a takeaway cup."
• "Restaurant or should I say cafe was extremely disappointing, when you ask for 5 ice creams you would expect them in a tub or in a cone or at least presented in a decent fashion, this wasn't the case."
• "Very poor service in the cafe. Sat for almost half an hour before we were served and then I had to ask."
• "The cafe was rather expensive, it did however have nice views & was dog friendly."
• "Café is has outside seating, but it's now a little overpriced and coffee isn't really that great. It does provide takeaway cups."
• "The cafe is fairly expensive but the extra money clearly goes to keeping the park beautiful."

Parking and Facilities

Pros:

• "Car parking is just £6 for a full day."
• "Free to enter, but car park not cheap. We found a parking space out on the road."
• "No paying to get in, just the car parking fee."
• "The car park is pay and display, but without any change we were able to pay in the castle for parking which was useful."
• "There's a large car park and accessible paths to the castle, cafe and shop."
• "Very reasonable parking prices £6 for all day!"
• "Good fair priced car park and public toilets at both the cafe and the Visitors Centre."

Cons:

• "MOST of the machines ONLY take COINS!!"
• "Lovely site etc but paying for carparking is a nightmare! Most machines don't work and signs direct you to one at the other end of the parking area - 5 of us queuing all tried to pay and gave up."
• "The only minor irritation is that the parking charges £2 for one hour minimum which adds up for locals."
• "Take cash for parking coins if possible."