Dorset Beaches and Coast

Dorset is in the South West of England on the English Channel coast and is famous for the amazing stretches of fine, sandy beaches and varied shorelines that yield up such treasures as the Jurassic Coast!

There are wide chalk downs here as well as low valleys and beautiful coves and islands. Ports at Portland, Poole and Weymouth as well as an international airport, make it easy to reach and there is a wide variety of accommodation to suit every budget.

There are many historic houses, theatres, art galleries, shopping towns, festivals and events and 185 million years of earth's history in the ninety five miles of coastline making up the Jurassic Coast - a great spot for fossil hunting and beach combing!

If you love walking, Dorset is for you. In fact, cyclists, hikers, climbers, holiday makers, travellers, students, kite flyers, peace seekers, windsurfers, anglers, golf enthusiasts and horse riders rate Dorset as one the United Kingdom's best holiday spots!

Why not check beaches nearby as we have 56 beaches in Dorset, or have a look at our list of Dorset dog friendly beaches, or even our United Kingdom Blue Flag beach list.

Want some ideas on where to visit?

Every favourite location must be visited for the first time. Want some ideas, why not check out the below small selection of coastal locations, including beaches, activities, things to see and do, places to stay and eat:

Newtons Cove Beach

Newton’s Cove is a small cove between the main Weymouth beach and Portland Harbour, next to the Nothe Fort. The cove is a mix of sand, shingle and rock pools. No facilities at the beach although car park, toilets and cafe near the entrance to the Nothe Fort. After parking, you can walk through Nothe Gardens to the promenade and along to Read more…

West Bay West Beach

West Bay beach is a wide sandy beach split by the harbour entrance. The high cliffs here were the location for the TV programme Broadchurch starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman. Parking, toilets and selection of shops and places to eat. Read more…

Boscombe Pier Beach

Boscombe Pier beach is a sandy beach alongside the pier ideal for families with amusements at the pier and a short walk to town centre. Land train runs between Boscombe and Bournemouth. Suitable for water activities including windsurfing, surfing, canoeing and paddleboats. Car park, toilets, disabled Access, cafe / shop, deck chair hire, lifeguards in summer months, disabled Visitor Facilities Read more…

East Cliff Beach

East Cliff beach is to the north of Lyme Regis and can be accessed from the promenade on Church Cliff beach. The beach is backed by steep cliffs and high tide disappears. Access to facilities in Lyme Regis itself. Read more…

Mudeford Sandbanks Beach

A sandy beach at the tip of Hengistbury Head. Swimmers, paddlers and watersports are segregated on designated areas between numbered groynes. The collection of 300 plus wooden beach chalets may look rough but the huts are in great demand due the excellent location. Facilities include toilets, cafe, bistro and shop on the sandbank; Mudeford Quay facilities including pub, cafe, shop Read more…

Hengistbury Head Beach

Hengistbury Head is a headland jutting into the English Channel between Bournemouth and Christchurch, at the end is a spit that creates the narrow entrance to Christchurch Harbour. Hengistbury Head beach is a pebble beach below the imposing clay and ironstone cliffs, with the Hengistbury Head Nature Reserve separates Poole Bay and Christchurch Bay and is a Site of Special Scientific Read more…

White Mill

The White Mill is a corn mill with original 18th-century wooden machinery located in a peaceful riverside setting, nice walks and picnics on the banks of the River Stour. Read more…

Seatown Beach

Seatown beach is a steep shingle beach and is regarded as one of Dorset’s prime fossil-hunting spots and is especially good for the elderly or young as access is good. In the shingle and fallen rocks at the foot of the cliffs you can find small ammonites. Facilities include parking, toilets and food outlets. Read more…

The Cobb

The Cobb is a curving sea wall built at the end of the 13th Century to provide safe anchorage. The Cobb is a must to visit on foot with a great view from the end of Lyme Regis and the surrounding coast. Most people picture The Cobb as seen in The French Lieutenant’s Woman with waves crashing over the wall. Read more…

Abbotsbury Swannery

Abbotsbury Swannery is unique, the only place in the world where you are able to walk through the heart of a colony of nesting Mute Swans. The Swannery was established by Benedictine Monks who built a monastery at Abbotsbury during the 1040’s. The monks farmed the swans to produce food for their lavish banquets. St Peter’s monastery was destroyed in Read more…

Kingston Russell Stone Circle

Kingston Russell Stone Circle is an 18 stone late Neolithic or early Bronze Age circle on a hilltop overlooking Abbotsbury and the sea. No facilities and parking is limited to the grass verge with then a walk along an often muddy farm track. Read more…

Bournemouth East Cliff Beach

Bournemouth’s East Cliff beach is situated between Bournemouth and Boscombe Piers and this is a great sandy family beach. Land train goes along promenade between the two piers. The East Cliff Railway or East Cliff Lift, is a funicular railway and links the seaside promenade and Bournemouth East Beach with the cliff top and the town behind. Facilities include toilets, Read more…

Discover Dorset

Discover Dorset

Dorset Coast Search Bar

Want some ideas on where to visit?

Some more locations in Dorset