Dorset Heritage Coast Best Beaches Surfing Beaches UK

Dorset Heritage Coast Geology, Fossil Hunting, Jurassic Coast

The Jurassic Coast Dorset and East Devon World Heritage Site is the first natural World Heritage Site which extends 95 miles from Exmouth in Devon, through into Dorset at Lyme Regis and extending to Studland. It is such a special coastline in that it tells a continuous story of how the Earth was formed spanning 185 million years! You can pick up the South West Coast Path that will take you by some of the amazing rock formations and fossils that make up the Dorset Coast.

The towns and villages along the coast are geared up to help you find out more about the coast and the particular sites of interest nearby. You'll find helpful Tourist Information Centres and Museums displaying artefacts found in the area. You can also pick up boat trips for a sea level view of the rocks and coastline. The coast has a string of camping and caravan sites and the CoastlinX53 bus provides an excellent service for those without cars and walkers who may want to walk a section of the coastline and get a bus back.

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Dorset Beaches

Dorset's coast is studded with beaches all along its length. Dorset's beaches change according to geology so in the west around Lyme Regis, Charmouth, West Bay and Weymouth the beaches are predominantly shingle. The size of the pebbles making up the shingle tends to become larger the further east you travel up to the Isle of Portland.

As you get over to the east because the geology includes chalk cliffs many of the beaches start to become more sandy. Swanage, Poole and Bournemouth and Christchurch beaches are long stretches of sand. You may also find some sandy beaches where the sand is brought in to top up the natural beach material.

If you're looking for a dog-friendly beach, most beaches have times of the year when dogs can either go on the beaches freely or need to be kept on a lead. Generally speaking between October and April many beaches have unrestricted access for dogs and their walkers. During the peak summer season dogs are either restricted to particular parts of the beach or banned totally. At either end of the summer season, in Spring and Autumn, dogs are allowed under certain restrictions such as needing to be kept on a lead.

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Bournemouth Beaches

Bournemouth has seven miles of clean sandy beaches, and along the twelve mile stretch between Bournemouth and Poole there are eight Blue Flag beaches. The Blue Flag beaches are Alum Chine, Durley Chine, Southbourne and Fisherman's Walk, Branksome Chine, Canford Cliffs Chine, Sandbanks Peninsular and Shore Road.

During the summer a whole host of organised games are laid on to keep the kids entertained. Near the seafront is a whole host of beachside restaurants, cafes, bars, amusements and of course Bournemouth and Boscombe Piers. So you don't have to wander too far to find everything you need for a traditional British seaside family holiday.

Bournemouth Beach is zoned into colour coded areas so you can find areas of dog-friendly beach, dog-free beach, smoking free and barbecue areas on the beach. At various places along the seafront in Boscombe and Bournemouth are Bournemouth's famous beach huts. There are 250 beach huts available for hire on a daily or weekly basis. Check the Bournemouth Beach Attractions link right for more information. The ever popular deck chairs are also available during the summer.

When you're ready to head home for the day, there's the Bournemouth Land Trains that run up and down the prom from Boscombe to Alum Chine.

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Boscombe Beach Surfing Bournemouth

Surfing has long been popular around Bournemouth with some of the best waves off the South Coast at Bournemouth Bay, Boscombe Pier, Southbourne Beach and Highcliffe.

Plans are afoot for Europe's first artificial reef off Boscombe Pier. Work is due to start in 2008 and the reef should be in place by the end of the year. This will have the affect of doubling the size of the waves here and should mean there will be more great surfing days throughout the year. Alongside the reef the seafront will be updated as part of the Overstrand redevelopment with retail and catering outlets as well as a surf academy and related facilities. "Super beach huts" are also being designed by Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway MBE that will be available for both surfers and holiday makers.

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Poole Beaches

From the Sandbanks peninsula stretching along the coast to meet Bournemouth's beach, is the stretch of fine golden sand that makes up Poole's Beaches.

There are a variety of access points with car parks that lead you out onto a promenade and the sand. Often there is a chine stretching down towards the beach - a steep sided river valley which has traditionally been cultivated into gardens in the Poole and Bournemouth area. The majority of these access points have toilets, refreshments kiosks or cafes or restaurants and a Pay and Display car park. You can purchase a weekly parking permit for the beach car parks in Poole from Civic Centre Reception, Park Road, Poole which can be handier than carrying a pocketful of change around!

There are specific dog free and activity zones on the beaches and dogs are banned from the main beaches totally between 1 May and 30 September. Lifeguards patrol the beaches between May and September. You can hire any one of the 1,200 beach huts along Poole's beaches on a daily, weekly, six monthly or annual basis by contacting Poole's Leisure Services tel: 01202 708181 or have a look at the link right. Beach huts around at the following beaches: Sandbanks, Shore Road/Flaghead, Canford Cliffs, Branksome Chine, Branksome Dene and Hamworthy Park (site only).

For further information on Poole's beaches contact the Sandbanks Beach Office. It is open Oct-Mar Mon-Fri: 9.30am-4.30pm. Apr Mon-Sun: 9.30am-4.30pm. May-Sept Mon-Sun: 9.30am-6pm. Sandbanks Beach Office, Banks Road, Poole, Dorset BH13 7QQ. Tel: 01202 708181. Fax: 01202 701066. Email: beachoffice@poole.gov.uk.

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Christchurch Beaches

The beaches around Christchurch extend for four miles from Highcliffe, on the eastern boundary of Dorset, to Avon Beach in the west. You can access the beaches at various points from the main A337 road.

Highcliffe Beach is easily accessible with a large pay and display car park minutes from Highcliffe town centre. There are modern toilet facilities and the Cliffhanger Cafe adjacent to the car park. There are walks along the top of the gorse covered slopes and down to the beach from the car park. The beach itself is a mixture of fine shingle and sand. It's popular for walks, body boarding and swimming.

Steamer Point is another access point to a more pebbly beach. There is a small car park adjacent to Steamer Point clifftop wooded Local Nature Reserve.

Avon Beach is a popular sandy beach with a gentle slope to the sea and safe swimming making it popular with families. Beach huts line the beach that you can hire by season, week or day. Check the Avon Beach link right for more information. The beach area in front of the car park is designated for watersports. There is also a shop and cafe so you won't have to go far for refreshments and buckets and spades!

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Swanage Tourist Information Purbeck Beaches

Swanage is on the far south east coast of the Isle of Purbeck. It's a fun family seaside resort bordered by stunning coastline backed by the Purbeck Hills - beautiful countryside great for walking.

Swanage itself was originally a small fishing port until the Victorians descended and turned it into a fashionable seaside resort. Today it is a relaxed family-friendly seaside resort excellent for families. It has a three mile stretch of fine sandy beach with toilets with disabled and baby changing facilities, cafes and shops nearby. Swanage's Central beach is a Blue Flag and its waters are safe for bathing. You're also only a stone's throw from the main town with its shops and banks. Views from the beach looking north over to Old Harry Rocks are beautiful.

Watersports including sailing, diving and windsurfing are popular in Swanage and you can hire boats, canoes and pedalos from the beach.

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Studland Beach and National Nature Reserve

There are in fact four beaches along Studland Bay. Shell Bay, Knoll Beach, Middle Beach and South Beach. The beaches are backed by sand dunes and heathland. The extensive heathland and dune heath is able to support a wide variety of rare species including all six reptile species found in the UK, Dartford warblers and nightjars.

The beaches at Studland were used as a training exercise in the Second World War in preparation for D-Day and the French landings. This area was thought to be one of those most at risk from invasion from the Germans so was fortified with Fort Henry built by the Canadian engineers in 1943.

Studland's beaches stretch for three miles and are a fine white sand. Along Knoll Beach is a designated naturist beach marked by green posts. If you don't want to walk through this area you can always take the Heather Walk Trail through the dunes to save your blushes! There are two other marked walking trails: the Woodland Trail and the Sand Dunes Trail.

The coastline here is naturally eroding over time. This causes certain conflicts with trying to maintain the coast and its villages with allowing natural processes to occur such as erosion and re-establishment of sand dunes which in turn help protect the coast as natural flood defences. The National Trust follow a managed realignment strategy which allows the coast to erode naturally but is likely to mean that facilities will have to be moved over time as the coast erodes.

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Kimmeridge Bay Dorset Heritage Coast Surfing Beaches UK

Kimmeridge Bay is part of the Purbeck Voluntary Marine Nature Reserve. The land owning and wildlife bodies in the area all work together to promote the sustainable use of the area including sensitive tourism and recreation.

Kimmeridge Bay has its own Marine Information Centre and Aquaria which contain displays on the area and its particularly special wildlife and geology. Guided walks and regular events are also organised from the Centre.

Popular recreation activities include rock-pooling and snorkelling to get a close-up view of the rich marine wildlife that survives in this area. A Snorkelling Trail has been devised and is available from the Marine Centre which, with the assistance of a waterproof ID guide, will lead you through the shallow water where you can see a varied amount of marine wildlife. Marine Centre, Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve, Kimmeridge Bay, Wareham, Dorset. BH20 5PF. Tel: 01929 481044. Email: kimmeridge@dorsetwildlife.co.uk

Surfing is also popular off Kimmeridge Bay. There are three main surf breaks, The Ledges, The Bay and The Bench (for the more experienced). These can yield some fantastic waves but the water is shallow here and it can get crowded.

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Lulworth Cove

Lulworth is famous the world over for its crescent shaped bay formed naturally around 10,000 years ago. The picturesque bay with its clear blue waters attracts thousands of visitors every year.

The beach is a thin shingle one, but as it's sheltered from the full force of the winds it makes a very pleasant place to while away the hours with a picnic or for the more adventurous a quick dip or a spot of snorkelling.

Head up the cliff paths for the best views of Lulworth Cove and you'll also see some interesting rock formations where the Lulworth Crumple shows how the layers of rocks have slumped to look like a rhinoceros hide. Arches are being formed in the rock at Stair Hole. In a few hundred thousand years or so the newish bay being formed at Stair Hole will erode back and merge in with Lulworth Cove.

Coastal walks lead out from Lulworth over the cliffs to the east and west. The land to the east is MOD land and can be inaccessible when they're firing. Heading east via the steps at the east end of the beach, a fantastic clifftop walk will take you to the Fossil Forest and ripples in the fossilised sand of an ancient beach and along to Mupe Bay. All along this coastline you'll find natural bays cut into the rock and interesting rock formations.

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Durdle Door

Heading west From Lulworth Cove you can follow the coast path for two kilometres that'll bring you to Durdle Door. The main attraction is the limestone rock arch that sticks out into the sea. If you're interested in the geology this is another good place to see a huge range of rock types in a relatively short space including Portland limestone, chalk, greensand and sandstone. If you're not up to the walk, you can access a coast path down to Durdle Door via the Durdle Door car park which you'll find after driving through the Durdle Door Holiday Park. It is signposted from West Lulworth.

You can access the beach on the Durdle Door side or take the steps down to the beach at Man O'War bay. The steps are steep and can erode in places and the coast path can be a little slippy so make sure you take appropriate shoes. You'll need to take provisions with you too as there's only a refreshment kiosk for drinks, snacks and ice cream so if you want something healthier or more substantial take a picnic with you.

The high chalk cliffs heading west of Durdle Door make for a stunning section of the coast path and you can see how the sea has eroded the chalk into a stack at Bat's Head and Butter Rock.

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Weymouth Family Holidays Weymouth Beach

Weymouth is an excellent summer family holiday destination. The fine sandy beach that runs in an arc alongside the Esplanade is an excellent family-friendly beach. You'll find plenty of traditional entertainment in the form of donkey rides and Punch and Judy shows as well as fun activities like trampolines, crazy golf and pedaloes to keep the family occupied. You can also hire deckchairs or sunbeds along the beach.

For another leisurely way to catch the views of Weymouth Bay try the Seafront Land Train - a miniature train that's great for all the family and includes facilities for wheelchairs. It runs from the Tourist Information Centre between Easter and end of September.

Weymouth is also famous for its sand models that are made from the fine sand, some of which are coloured up and feature famous cartoon characters and animals. You can view them from The Esplanade. The beach also plays host to a range of events throughout the year including volleyball competitions, firework displays, motocross and kite festivals.

During the summer the beach is supervised by lifeguards and there is also a first aid post and lost children centre. There are several ramp access points to Weymouth Beach and there is also a beach wheelchair available for loan from the Control Centre on tel: 01305 838511.

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West Bay Beaches

West Bay's beaches, East beach and West beach, are popular not only for sunning yourself, but also to get a closer look at the Jurassic rocks exposed on the seaward side of Golden Cap.

West Beach is particularly good for younger children as there is a protective cove between the harbour's west pier and the esplanade's rock armour.

East Beach is a mix of sand and shingle and extends along Chesil Beach to Portland Bill.

The sharply cut golden sandstone cliffs at West Bay were laid down in the Jurassic period and are around 180 million years old!

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Hive Beach Burton Bradstock

Hive Beach at Burton Bradstock is a long shingle beach backed by the stunning yellow sandstone cliffs formed by Bridport Sands.

For refreshments the Hive Beach Cafe is renowned for its seafood and friendly welcome. Rick Stein has visited and commented on it. The cafe is open seven days a week and there is ample parking nearby. Hive Beach Cafe, Beach Road, Burton Bradstock, Nr Bridport, Dorset. DT6 4RF. Tel: 01308 897070.

The National Trust own much of the coast around Burton Bradstock. Check their link right for more information and downloadable walks.

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Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre

Alongside the shingle beach at Charmouth is the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre. At the Centre you can find out all about fossils and fossil hunting as well as the local coastal and marine wildlife. Interactive computers, displays and films are available as well as wardens who are on hand to answer queries.

The wardens also organise regular guided fossil hunting expeditions, rockpooling walks and countryside and marine discovery activities. The Centre promotes the sustainable collection of fossils and it's worth checking out the advice on fossil collecting on their website before setting out.

There is a car park, toilets and cafe at the Centre and the shingle beach is beautiful for leisurely walks.

Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, Lower Sea Lane, Charmouth, Dorset, DT6 6LL. Tel: 01297 560772. Email: info@charmouth.org

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