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Photo locations · Dorset · United Kingdom

Durdle Door Beach View: sunrise 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.

Will tomorrow's sunrise 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.

The light path toward the sun is open.

in 20h 21m

Pale clear glow

Exactly at sunrise: Fair

Ends

in 21h 5m

Harsh directional light · backlit landscapes; harsh for portraits

Some texture is present, but layering or scene depth is limited.

High confidence · event-time scene

Sky colors

Golden hour
Sunrise

Light corridor

Viewer's line of sight, tangent to the Earth at your locationNear-ground relative humidity13% cover — too thin to draw as cloudlow cloud · 28% reported, 13% resolved on a pressure surface — 15% is somewhere between 0 and 3 kmlow cloud · 21% reported, 0% resolved on a pressure surface — 21% is somewhere between 0 and 3 kmlow cloud · 21% reported, 0% resolved on a pressure surface — 21% is somewhere between 0 and 3 kmlow cloud · 27% reported, 4% resolved on a pressure surface — 23% is somewhere between 0.02 and 3 kmlow cloud · 21% reported, 0% resolved on a pressure surface — 21% is somewhere between 0 and 3 kmlow cloud · 21% reported, 0% resolved on a pressure surface — 21% is somewhere between 0 and 3 km

-5 km

Behind you

2/8L 28 · M 0 · H 088%—

Your location

0 m asl

2/8L 21 · M 0 · H 085%—

5 km

Nearby

2/8L 21 · M 0 · H 085%—

20 km

Near horizon

2/8L 27 · M 0 · H 087%—

50 km

Light path

2/8L 21 · M 0 · H 074%—

100 km

Light path

2/8L 21 · M 0 · H 074%—

150 km

Far light path

3/8L 37 · M 0 · H 072%37.7 km

200 km

Far light path

3/8L 38 · M 0 · H 068%38.9 km

300 km

Far light path

5/8L 58 · M 0 · H 079%34 km

350 km

Far light path

6/8L 69 · M 0 · H 085%28.6 km
cloud-cover fieldinterpolation uncertaintysun directionnear-ground humiditycloud at unresolved heightmodelled underlightunderlight · height uncertainunderlight · lit on one readinglit but hidden behind nearer cloud

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

Clouds: Almost no clouds

Almost no clouds above you — expect a clean but pale horizon glow rather than a red sky.

Most cloud is concentrated in one height band, so the scene has limited vertical separation.

Light corridor is open

13% blocking cloud at the ray's height out to 350 km — the low sun's own path is clear. Cloud above that ray is judged separately.

Distant low cloud sits below the light ray (Earth's curvature) — it can't block the light.

Sun may be hidden. Some low cloud toward the horizon (27%) may hide the sun on and off.

Best colour

07:17

in 20h 14m

07:02–08:08, look east · moderate, colour behind you too

Crystal-clear dry air — strong color but hard-edged shadows; tough for portraits.

Clarity: Good

Forecast refreshed a few hours before sunrise.

Know the light
before it happens

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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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