Coast Accommodation

Bats Head, Durdle Door, Coastal walks are popular all along the Dorset Heritage Coast
The South West Coast Path takes in the whole of the Jurasic Coast in Dorset
Lulworth Cove has everything - beauty, interesting geology and is very popular
Durdle Door - another of Dorset's iconic geological sites
The coast near Lyme Regis & Charmouth are particularly rich in fossils
Fossils are easily found in the shale or are just lying on the beach
Fantastic sandstone formations at West Bay
Chesil Beach stretches from West Bay to the Isle of Portland
The chalk cliffs of Old Harry Rocks between Swanage and the Studland Peninsula

Dorset Jurassic Coast Tourist Information

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.

Featured Dorset Accommodation

Coastal Farm & Cottage Holidays - Dorset Coast

Superb choice of hand-picked quality self catering holiday cottages situated in idyllic rural and coastal locations throughout Dorset.

£235 to £1845 Per week (seasonal)

The Jurassic Coast Tourist Guide

All along the Dorset coast you'll find charming fishing villages and seaside towns that are great for convenient coastal accommodation choices if you're walking the coast or hoping to see some of the natural wonders that Dorset has to offer.

There are often Tourist Information Centres with leaflets on the local attractions including advice on fossil hunting, local walks, maps and guides to the Jurassic Coast. You can also pick up guided walks which can be a useful introduction to the area and its heritage.

South West Coast Path - Somerset to Dorset

The South West Coast Path is a 630 mile long trail around the South West of England. The Path goes through some of the country's most beautiful coastal scenery through Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset.

The South West Coast Path starts in Minehead and is estimated to take 7-8 weeks if you want to do the whole route! More realistically, the South West Coast Path website, link right, has details of suggested walks along different parts of it, as well as a search function so you can find a walk to suit your ability and requirements. There's everything from easy strolls, feasible for all abilities, to more challenging week long hikes.

The Path is waymarked with the acorn logo and distances are signed at main access points. The weblink right also includes a distance calculator and links to transport and Tourist Information Centres - everything to help you plan your walk before setting out. You can also purchase guidebooks to the trail.

The South West Coast Path hugs the Dorset Coast along its southern section so not only can you tackle the Path, you can take in some of the country's most spectacular coastline such as Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove.

Public Transport - Coastlinx53 Bus Service

The hugely useful CoastlinX53 Bus Service provides good links to the coast from major towns in both East Devon and Dorset. You can pick it up inland at places like Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Bridport and its route extends to Poole in East Dorset. Where it doesn't hug the coast, you can then pick up additional buses that will take you down to the coast.

This is hugely useful for those wanting to do coastal walks but don't want the hassle of leaving cars all over the place. You can buy a ticket for unlimited daily travel and low floor buses run every two hours.

You can download timetables and related bus leaflets from The Jurassic Coast website, link right.

Lyme Regis Tourist Information

Lyme Regis is a pretty, historic town that clusters around Lyme Bay. Its cliffs that yield fossils at an amazingly regular rate have shaped much of the town's history and draws visitors from all over the world. Its pivotal position on the South West Coast Path and the first Dorset town on the Jurassic Coast make it an ever popular seaside attraction.

Lyme Regis has a lot of famous associations for a small seaside town. Mary Anning, the Princess of Geology, was born here and spent all her life uncovering fossils from the cliffs around the town that helped develop the science of geology. The Cobb that shelters the harbour was dramatically featured in The French Lieutenant's Woman written by local author John Fowles.

The West Dorset coast around Lyme Regis is the birthplace of the sciences of geology and palaeontology. The regular landslips and erosion expose fossils that have been lying in the rocks for millions of years. Mary Anning, a local lady, unearthed many fossils and led to the establishment of scientific study to find out more about how the Earth was formed and how animal life evolved.

Although Charmouth is only a small village its cliffs attract visitors from all over the world as a mecca for fossil hunting. Just walking along the beach you'll stumble across fossils - if you know what you're looking for. Visit the Heritage Coast Visitor Centre at Charmouth to find out what fossils you may be lucky enough to find. Charmouth, Chideock and Seatown have a range of accommodation choices that will base you in central points for the Heritage Coast and the South West Coast Path.

Bridport, West Bay Harbour, Burton Bradstock Diving

Bridport is a thriving market town in West Dorset not far inland from Dorset's Jurassic Coast. Bridport is best known for its markets full of fresh local produce highlighted by local produce champion, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall. Its thriving literary and artistic community hold a variety of events throughout the year. The town is a useful shopping centre in West Dorset as well as a good base for exploring the coast and rolling Dorset countryside.

West Bay is a popular harbour village on the Jurassic Coast in West Dorset. It originated as a port for Bridport and was known as Bridport Harbour. However, it has become much more popular for its beaches and coastal walks in recent times.

The cliffs at West Bay are stunning both for views and geology. Steep yellow sandstone cliffs back the shingle beaches that then stretch for miles to the Isle of Portland as Chesil Beach.

Burton Bradstock is an historic village popular for one of the beaches along the Jurassic coast. Apart from sunning yourself, diving is popular here as is the spectacular geology that backs onto Hive Beach. For a tour around the village there's a heritage trail to follow which shows you some of the buildings and locations that were important to the village's economy as a rope making and flax spinning centre.

Abbotsbury Swannery, Isle of Portland, Chesil Beach

The stretch of Dorset's coast from Abbotsbury to the Isle of Portland offer stunning views of Chesil Beach. The beach is famous for its chert and flint pebbles that increase in size from west to east. Chesil Beach along with The Fleet are important wildlife sites - great for birdwatching and fishing. Linked to the western end of Chesil beach is Abbotsbury where there has been a swannery since Benedictine monks used to rear them for grand banquets.

Where Chesil beach ends lies the Isle of Portland famous for its quarries for Portland stone and its lighthouses at Portland Bill. Today Portland is a great location for walks and birdwatching. Portland Harbour, the deepest man-made harbour in the country is going to be the location for the 2012 Olympic Games Sailing Trials.

Weymouth Tourism, Harbour & Family Holidays

Weymouth is in a central position along Dorset's Jurassic Coast and is one of the Jurassic Coast Gateway Towns. The long sandy beach is the main attraction, particularly for a family seaside holidays. Boat trips operate out of Weymouth for Jurassic Coast tours or fishing trips. For the more active you'll find Weymouth and nearby Portland Harbour brilliant for a wealth of watersports activities including sailing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, water skiing and fishing. Nearby the Isle of Portland offers excellent cliffs suitable for rock climbing and abseiling.

Along with Poole on the Dorset Coast, Weymouth has a ferry terminal in the town with services to Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands as well as St Malo in France. The terminal is easily accessible from the A354 and is located at the southern end of The Esplanade. If you're looking for a family holiday on the Dorset Coast with the option to explore further afield Weymouth fits the bill perfectly. Weymouth is also a good place to pick up a boat trip - whether it's a white knuckle speedboat ride over the waves or a more leisurely cruise around The Fleet you'll find something to suit all tastes from Weymouth.

Weymouth town clusters around the seventeenth century harbourside and is full of character. It's a beautiful place to while away a few hours shopping, strolling or sipping a beverage to two.

Weymouth harbour itself is still a busy fishing port and harbour where visiting pleasure craft will find all they need within easy reach of the moorings. For those who want to explore the high seas, several boat trips taking in the Jurassic coast or Weymouth and Portland's sights depart from the harbour. Just above the harbour smack bang centre of the town is Radipole Lakes a RSPB reserve that is excellent for birdwatching or just to get away from the hustle and bustle to relax.

Lulworth Cove Walks

The Lulworth area on the Isle of Purbeck is managed by the Lulworth Estate. There are several places well worth visiting if you're in this part of Dorset including Lulworth Castle, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. The Estate is crossed by several public footpaths and you can find leaflets detailing self-guided walks from Lulworth Heritage Centre and Lulworth Castle.

Lulworth Cove is hugely popular and receives around 500,000 visitors every year! The attraction is the beautiful blue lagoon-like bay formed naturally in the shape of a horseshoe through rock formations that tell the earth's story over millions of years.

Durdle Door is just along the coast to the east and is another spectacular rock formation hewn from the rock by the sea's forces. The coast can be walked via the South West Coast Path and there are several permissive paths and steps down to the beaches at various intervals.

Attractions in Swanage

Swanage is a beautiful and laid back seaside resort on the east Purbeck coast. It became popular as a Victorian seaside resort and famous children's author, Enid Blyton, used to stay here regularly on holiday.

The town is hugely influenced from its nineteenth century businessmen who shaped the town, developed transport links and brought back pieces of architecture from London - literally! Today it's a sunny, family-friendly seaside resort through which the South West Coast Path runs. Coastal walks will take you past yet more of Dorset's stunning coastal scenery.

Around Swanage is the Isle of Purbeck which contains some of Dorset's most iconic landscapes. It is an excellent place for coastal and countryside walks, bird and wildlife watching.