Beaches

West Bay

Featured in The Good Beach Guide, West Bay has two beaches, East Beach and West Beach.

East Beach is a sloping, shingle beach backed by magnificent sandstone cliffs.

The scenery is truly spectacular here, the golden cliffs rise 50m vertically above the beach and the views towards Chesil Beach and Portland will take your breath away.

TV buffs will recognise this beach from ITV crime drama, Broadchurch.

West Beach is a smaller, quieter beach popular with young families, the protective cove formed between the harbour’s Jurassic Pier and the Esplanade’s rock armour groynes making it safe and shallow for paddling.

Lyme Regis

Lyme Regis offers a variety of beaches to suit everyone’s tastes!

Why not pack up your bucket and spade and head to Lyme Regis' sandtastic Town Beach.  Let the kids (and grown-ups!) get creative building and creating magnificent sandcastles and sea creatures.  Take time out from the busy building and splash around in the sea or play a game or two of bat and ball or you could just sit back, relax and feel the sand between your toes!! There’s nothing like a bit of beach therapy and Lyme Regis offers it in bucket loads!

Head over to Monmouth Beach and hunt for some fossils and marvel at the layer of limestone called the ammonite graveyard or the ammonite pavement due to the large number of ammonites it contains.  Why not follow in the footsteps of Mary Anning and try and uncover your very own Ichthyosaur!

Ringstead Bay

Spend a day on this quiet stretch of the West Dorset coast where you can take a walk across the cliff tops above Ringstead, bring a kite, or pack a picnic and follow one of the steep ancient tracks down to the shingle beach. The water is incredibly clear and safe for bathing.

Part of the Jurassic coastline, on a fine day there are great views across Weymouth Bay to Portland. If you walk out to White Nothe, you will pass above Burning Cliff which once caught fire due its composition of oil shale and iron pyorites.

Burton Bradstock

Burton Bradstock is one of the main gateways to the Jurassic Coast and the South West Coast Path.

The estate is easy to access and offers spectacular cliff-top views along the many varied and picturesque coastal walks.

Hive Beach is a popular family destination, made up of shingle, surrounded by spectacular sandstone cliffs. It forms part of the larger Chesil Beach; a striking section of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and the largest shingle ridge in the world.

Nearby, Burton Cliff offers one of the finest examples of the distinctive, alternate hard and soft layered geology of this Bridport Sands area, which make it appear to glow bright gold in the sunlight.

When you need a break, come and sample the delights on offer at the Hive Beach Café. This local seafood restaurant sits on the shingle beach of Chesil Bank where you can savour some of the best views of the Dorset coastline.

Seatown

Seatown is a small coastal hamlet less than a mile from the neighbouring village of Chideock, 3 miles to the west of West Bay. The shingle shelving beach is privately owned and is a favourite amongst fishermen, fossil hunters and dog walkers alike. This little known beach provides some incredible views of the coastline and sits within one of Dorset’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The beach can be found at the end of a meandering country lane running alongside the banks of the river Winniford that enters the sea at the beach itself. A small car park is provided a short walk from the beach, providing easy access for visitors of all ages.

While Seatown itself is very small with only a handful of cottages and a local holiday park, the beach provides plenty for visitors to enjoy. Regarded as a hotpot for fossil hunting it gives enthusiasts a chance of unearthing finds from the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods.

Perched above the beach you can find the multi award winning Anchor Inn pub, renowned for providing some of the very best seafood dishes with much of the produce caught locally off the coastline. The location provides the perfect setting for eating out in the sunshine with Golden Cap to the west providing a magnificent backdrop. 

Studland Bay

A glorious slice of natural coastline in Purbeck featuring a four-mile stretch of golden, sandy beach, with gently shelving bathing waters and views of Old Harry Rocks and the Isle of Wight.

Studland Bay is ideal for water sports and includes the most popular naturist beach in Britain. The heathland behind the beach is a haven for native wildlife and features all six British reptiles.

Designated trails through the sand dunes and woodlands allow for exploration and spotting of deer, insects and bird life as well as a wealth of wild flowers.