Beaches of the Jurassic Coast Pt.1

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Here's day one of a quick two day whistle stop tour of the Jurassic Coast's best beaches...

SIDMOUTH-A long and mainly pebbly beach with sand at Jacobs Ladder to the west. Here you can find rock pools at low tide to explore. Wide traditional seafront ends with the distinctive red-hued Triassic cliffs.

Ladram Bay

LADRAM BAY-A small shingle beach dominated by distinctive rock formations...kayaks for hire if you want a closer look.

WESTON MOUTH-Only accessible via footpath from the village of Weston. It is a peaceful and isolated beach. Isolated enough to be a popular beach for naturists. It is listed as one of nineteen nudist beaches in the UK.

Beer

BRANSCOMBE-A lovely wide, wild strand of shingle. Not too wild, though...The Sea Shanty serves everything from fry-ups through to cream teas throughout the day.

BEER-Small, picturesque cove. Under the chalk cliffs are beach cafes serving everything from all day breakfasts to homemade cake. After you’ve had your fill, laze away the afternoon in one of the rows of deckchairs while staring at the little fishing boats puttering towards the horizon or drawn up on the pebbles. If you’re feeling particularly energetic, fishing trips leave from the sloping pebble beach.

SEATON-Wide seafront similar to Sidmouth. A long curve of pebbles is backed by a wide promenade. Sand at low tide.

Lyme Regis

LYME REGIS-The main town beach is a steeply sloping pebble beach which shades into a sand near the picturesque Cobb Harbour.. To the east and separate from the main beach is the smaller, quieter Church Beach, pebbles with sand at low tide. To the west, beyond the Cobb Harbour is Monmouth beach; its white flinty pebbles give it an almost Mediterranean feel on a bright summer’s day. Low tide creates a paradise of rock pools for children to explore while an investment in a fossil hammer could give you your very own dinosaur to take home.

CHARMOUTH-The long beach in Charmouth lies about a quarter of a mile from the village centre. It is a mix of shingle, stone and sand divided by the river Char. Apart from beach activities there are fossils to look for as well as rock pools to explore at low tide. The Heritage Centre gives you a fascinating insight into the area and has a cafe.


SEATOWN-Peaceful with shingle which shelves quite steeply.

West Bay

EYPE-  Shingle beach with a backdrop of Golden Cap. Dorset's highest headland to the west. 


WEST BAY-Two wide shingle beaches, East beach and West Beach divided by a small harbour

BURTON BRADSTOCK-Long clean sandy beach overlooked by cliffs and farmland. Strong point: the award-winning Hive Beach Cafe when hunger bites.

CHESIL BEACH-An eighteen mile bank of pebbles which is one of the wonders of the natural world. Currents and a steeply shelving beach make bathing unwise. Behind it lies the Fleet, an enclosed area of brackish water which is now an area of special scientific interest and was the inspiration for the classic story Moonfleet by J Meade Faulkner.
The beach pebbles are naturally graded by the currents; from gravel in the west to large pebbles in the east. In previous centuries fishermen used this phenomenon to guage exactly where on the coast they had landed.

MORE TOMORROW...

George III's holiday snaps pt 7

Royal water babe George III at Weymouth

If you thought a quick dip at Weymouth simply entailed whipping down your trews, whipping on your bathers, sucking in your stomach and then striding manfully into the ocean think again...

Hills and views-Golden Cap

              ENTER YOUR EMAIL ON THE RIGHT FOR YOUR DAILY DOSE OF DORSET

Golden Cap from Charmouth

Golden Cap, at 627 ft, is one of the highest points on the Dorset coastline and dominates the view eastwards from Lyme Regis and westwards from West Bay. 

When I peer groggily from my bedroom window first thing in the morning and see it's still there I know all's right with world. To me, it is Dorset's very own version of Ayers Rock, adopting a myriad of characteristics from blue black and looming through  to golden and purple, depending on the weather and time of day.

Getting to the top is not the struggle you might imagine if you take the route shown. The six mile walk begins at the National Trust car park in Langdon Wood and is clearly signposted. The seagull's eye views are exhilarating and could make you wish for a pair of wings. 

Top of Golden Cap looking east towards Seatown