Worbarrow Bay is simply beautiful and in an idyllic location. I have visited here several times a year to capture the scene in varying light and each time it is different but of course, the fragility of the landscape is prone to considerable change as the forces of nature create landslips from the cliffs around the bay.

You can only visit this bay at certain times as it sits in the middle of the military firing ranges. In some respects, this helps preserve the site as it doesn’t see quite the same number of visitors as perhaps Kimmeridge which is permanently open to the public.

To reach Worbarrow you must pass through the Tyneham Valley and the lost village of Tyneham.

Before the Second World War Tyneham was a small, peaceful, isolated community, relying mainly on fishing and farming but in 1943 this rural ideal came to an end when the villagers were moved out by Winston Churchill’s War Cabinet following a decision to use the area for D-Day preparations and the Battle of Normandy. Just before Christmas on the 19th of December 1943, the village was evacuated and everyone had to leave. Despite a promise that they would return after the war, the villagers were never allowed to return.

In 1952 the valley was compulsorily purchased for £30,000 and today, the village is still part of the Ministry of Defence Lulworth Ranges. The buildings remain and the memories remain. Tyneham visitors can only witness the remains of residents’ cottages, complete with storyboards about who once lived in them. The school has since been restored and the church, now maintained by the military is now a museum dedicated to the life of the Tyneham valley.

The Bond family had owned the Tyneham Valley for over 200 years and lived in Tyneham’s Manor House. Almost all the villagers had depended on the Bond family for a living and this was the end of an era.

Before they left the Bond family left a note pinned to the front door of the church – it simply read

‘Please treat the church and houses with care. We have given up our homes where many of us have lived for generations, to help win the war to keep men free. We will return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly.’