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Photo locations · Dorset · United Kingdom

Durdle Door Beach View: sunset photography forecast

Durdle Door works best when the setting sun lines up through or beside the arch, while a slower shutter simplifies the busy water below. The beach is easy to see from above, but getting down—and back up after dark—is the part to plan.

Sunrise tomorrowSunrise TuesdaySunrise Wednesday

Will tomorrow's sunset be worth it?

Simplified forecast from the open model run. The full forecast — a second model, your exact viewpoint, the hourly cloud timeline — is in the app.

Global model, about 13 km: less certain than in Europe.

in 18h 33m

Blocked grey lid

Little usable low-sun light expected

Sky colors

Golden hour
Sunset

Light corridor: blocked

Why: Cloud covers every point we sampled, so no direct light gets through.

  • Light path: blocked (72% blocking cloud at the ray's height)
  • Sun: likely hidden. Low cloud fills the horizon (70%); the sun will probably stay behind it.
  • Cloud: the low sun comes down through a high cloud sheet toward the sun (90% at 125–263 km); expect pale, weak golden light.
Viewer's line of sight, tangent to the Earth at your locationNear-ground relative humidity7% cover — too thin to draw as cloud11% cover — too thin to draw as cloud11% cover — too thin to draw as cloud11% cover — too thin to draw as cloud6% cover — too thin to draw as cloud16% cover — too thin to draw as cloud19% cover — too thin to draw as cloud15% cover — too thin to draw as cloud15% cover — too thin to draw as cloudConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–65% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 22–22% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 45–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 49–49% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–65% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 49–64% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 49–49% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 100–100% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–65% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 64–64% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 6–100% cover · 10–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 100–100% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 74–74% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 100–100% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 70–81% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 81–81% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 21–100% cover · 45–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–65% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 100–100% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 100–100% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 21–100% cover · 45–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–65% visual uncertainty100 km · 2.0 km of air with no pressure level in it — the decks above and below are measured, this span is notlow cloud · 52% reported, 34% resolved on a pressure surface — 18% is somewhere between 0 and 3 kmlow cloud · 57% reported, 41% resolved on a pressure surface — 16% is somewhere between 0 and 3 km

Terrain is drawn for illustration only — it is not used to calculate underlight or obstruction.

cloud-cover fieldinterpolation uncertaintysun directionnear-ground humiditycloud at unresolved heightmodelled underlightunderlight · height uncertainunderlight · lit on one readinglit but hidden behind nearer cloud

Forecast refreshed a few hours before sunset.

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For photographers: shooting Durdle Door Beach View

Best months

Late autumn to winter for the classic sun-through-the-arch alignment; spring and summer for warmer, safer evenings and light farther to the northwest.

Suggested focal lengths

16–35 mm from the beach; 50–100 mm for the arch and wave detail from higher ground.

Composition

From the beach, use the wash as a diagonal toward the arch. From the cliff path, keep enough coastline around it to show scale and avoid placing the horizon through the opening.

Recommended arrival

Be on the beach 60 minutes before sunset and start back before the last usable twilight if the steps are wet.

Access planning

Check tide and swell. Stay away from cliff edges and never stand where a rising tide or large wave can trap you against the chalk.

Parking: Paid Durdle Door Holiday Park car park when open; alternative access from Lulworth Cove is longer.

Approach: About 15–25 minutes down a steep path and long staircase from the car park.

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