Lyme Regis Beaches

(Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, UK)

The beaches of Lyme Regis give this town the status of a leading Dorset seaside resort and are well laid out with visitors in mind. Centrally located, it is the Town Beach that is the most popular with summer holiday makers staying in Lyme Regis, since its soft sand and excellent nearby facilities mean that you can easily spend an entire day relaxing here.

For some of the best fossil hunting that Lyme Regis has to offer, head to Monmouth Beach and in particular, around the Undercliff area. Here different layers of limestone have been exposed and really are like a story book for the early Cretaceous and Jurassic periods. Of note, dogs are permitted on all beaches, except for Town Beach, when they are only allowed between the out-of-season months of October and March.

General Information

Back Beach
Back Beach can be found on the north-westerly side of the town centre and lies in the direction of Charmouth. The backdrop of cliffs are known as the 'Spittles' and also for being somewhat unstable, meaning that there are some reasonable fossil hunting opportunities here. Back Beach can be reached from the northern side of the promenade, by simply following the road from the Cobb Gate car park.

Town Beach
Often busy during the summer season of Lyme Regis, the Town Beach is understandably popular, since it has so much to offer and fronts Marine Parade. The northern side of Town Beach has recently seen the arrival of literally tonnes of imported pebbles, which were brought here as part of the town's coastal protection scheme, adding an extra 3 metres / 10 feet of depth to make it level with Cart Road. On the Cobb side of Town Beach, it is the pristine golden sands where most holiday makers come to sunbathe, paddle and make sandcastles, and this sand was actually brought to Lyme Regis all the way from France, to further improve the tourist appeal of the town. Next to Town Beach are shops, seaside amusements, cafes, pubs, and various kiosks, selling everything from hot drinks to '99' ice creams.

Church Beach
Situated right next to the promenade's rocky protection, Church Beach is a mixture of sand and pebbles. At times of low tide, Church Beach does feature an expansive stone ledge, which comes complete with countless rock pools, where shrimps are usually present in large numbers, along with the occasional crab.

Monmouth Beach
Named after the Duke of Monmouth, who actually landed here in the late 17th century, Monmouth Beach extends in a south-westerly direction from the Cobb and features a row of traditional seaside beach huts. Head along the pebbly beach to the collapsing cliffs for the best fossil hunting that Lyme Regis has to offer. The pebbles soon turn into giant rocks and stones, and enormous ammonites are usually easy to find, many of which are almost one metre / three feet wide and really very hard to miss. With a bit of persistence and luck, you may well find ammonites and further fossils of a more manageable size. Experienced seasonal fossil guides can be arranged to help you with your fossil hunting expedition if you want to be assured of success.