Should swimming be given special treatment in lockdown 2? I could barely contain my excitement.
Dancing Ledge is so called because at certain stages of the tide when the waves wash over the horizontal surface, the surface undulations cause the water to bob about making the ledge appear to dance. I searched along the edge of the quarry for the steps that I was certain must exist, but there were none to be found anywhere. A swimming pool was blasted into the rock for the use of local preparatory schools, particularly Durnford School sometime near the beginning of the twentieth century. Now, it is popular with walkers, climbers and wildlife enthusiasts. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Unfortunately the weather forecast for Sunday’s Swim & Trek isn’t looking good so we have to decided to POSTPONE this event. Welcome to dancingledge.com - the website of writer and sometime photographer Jeremy Miles.
The timings might be useful for any late arrivals or anyone who'd only wish to join us for a pint and a pasty. Sign up to our newsletter and receive a free five-part series on the fundamentals of freestyle by Olympic silver medallist Keri-anne Payne. Our specialities include news, features and publicity work as well as photography of people and places.
Good news! The less confident of swimmers might wish to use a tow float. The hill is steep so you need to be prepared for the walk down and up. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The sparkling water reflected the sky, making everything shimmer; everything seemed so alive with dazzling light. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to contact me.
Look out for this sycamore tree along the walk.
I quickly undressed and slid into the pool.
Durnford …
You can swim off the ledge itself into the sea, though most people plunge into a large rock pool, blasted out by Victorian quarrymen for local school kids.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. From just outside Swanage town, turn off the A351 towards Langton Matravers. It is not the easiest place to get to, especially the last 10 or 12 feet, which are just about vertical; however, it is well worth the effort. Picture credit: Jim Champion, Creative Commons license An approximate one hour walk to Dancing Ledge and a clamber down the rock platforms for the first swim.