Durdle Door is one of the most famous landmarks on the South Coast of England and probably the most distinctive feature of the entire South West Coast Path. The archway was formed by the action of the sea.

Durdle comes from the Saxon durch meaning `through' and Door is the more modern equivalent.

The strata of rock from which the Door is made has been twisted into a near-vertical plane and once extended all the way westward towards Bat's Head. It also extended eastward across St Oswald's Bay. This is better appreciated from the pictures taken from Swyre Head and Dungy Head.