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Here, at the turn of the 20th century, before British beaches were deserted by tourists for warmer climes overseas, the English well-to-do came to bathe. Among the visitors were Virginia Woolf and her sister, the painter Vanessa Bell. The secluded beach and warm shallow seas have something of the Mediterranean about them, and the sand dunes are an important wildlife habitat.

The beach stretches for 5km (3 miles) from Handfast Point and Old Harry Rocks to South Haven Point, and includes Shell Bay. Behind the beach is an area of sandy heathland which is a designated national nature reserve – it really is fragile and special with many species of bird, plant, insect and reptile including adders, deer, foxes and rare butterflies.

This is actually the extreme eastern end of what was once the Great Dorset Heath – it is a remnant that has survived miraculously amid the development of the Poole conurbation.

SECRETS

While you’re there

Visit DURDLE DOOR, a remarkable limestone natural archway eroded by the sea.

Secret place to stay

MORTONS HOUSE HOTEL, Corfe Castle (mortonshouse.co.uk). This 16th-century manor house, now an award-winning luxury hotel and restaurant, is located in the picturesque village of Corfe Castle.