The Lulworth Ranges and Tyneham Village
The Lulworth Ranges are part of the AFV (Armoured Fighting Vehicles) Gunnery School, an important training establishment of the British Army.
They include the coast from west of Kimmeridge Bay to east of Lulworth Cove, as well as the village of Tyneham, Worbarrow Bay and a number of other walking routes. For operational and safety reasons, access to the ranges is restricted to specific times.
Opening times
The Lulworth range walks and Tyneham Village are open to the public most weekends when no firing is taking place:
- Tyneham school and Tyneham church exhibitions - 10am to 4pm
- gates to the range walks - 9am on Saturday to 8am on Monday
- Elmes Grove gate (allows vehicle access to Tyneham Village) - daily 9am to dusk
In addition to weekends, they are open every day for:
- Christmas - 22 December 2018 to 6 January 2019
- Easter - 6 to 22 April 2019
- May Day - 6 May 2019
- Spring - 25 May to 2 June 2019
- Summer - 24 July to 1 September 2019
- Christmas - 21 December 2019 to 5 January 2020
The ranges are closed on:
- 13 and 14 October 2018
- 3 and 14 November 2018
- 8 and 9 December 2018
- 23 and 24 February 2019
- 16 and 17 March 2019
- 15 and 16 June 2019
- 21 and 22 September 2019
- 5 and 6 Octover 2019
- 16 and 17 November 2018
Firing times
Red flags are flown and lamps are lit during live firing times at the Lulworth Ranges. There is no access to the live firing range danger area at these times.
Firing times can change at the last minute. You can phone 01929 404819 to hear the latest firing times.
Walking routes
The South West Coast Path travels through the Lulworth Ranges.
The range walks are shown on Ordnance Survey maps: Landranger 19 (Dorchester & Weymouth) and OL15 (Purbeck & South Dorset).
You can purchase a map of Tyneham village and 2 suggested walking routes around the Ranges from Discover Purbeck Information Centre.
Information for boats and mariners
The sea danger area extends to 6 nautical miles offshore between Lulworth Cove and St Aldhelm's (St Alban's) Head. Vessels must keep out of the area at firing times.
The Lulworth Information for Mariners Guide 2017 tells you the firing times for the Lulworth Ranges as well as danger signals, range boats and a map of the Lulworth Ranges Sea Danger Area.
Coach and minibus access
Coaches and minibuses with over a 12 seat capacity are prohibited from some roads in Purbeck.
You must apply for a free coach and minibus permit at least 5 working days before you travel.