Discover the UK & Ireland 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.
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Dorset Coast Search Bar
Where would you like to go? Use our search bar to search across all our local listings, ideal for finding that nearest spot to visit:
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:
- 29th August 2019-1st September 2019The Bournemouth Air Festival is 4 days of varied flying programme, entertainment, live music and evening fireworks.
- 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, parking, cliff lift, cafe/shops and seasonal lifeguards.
- Branksome Chine beach is a sandy beach very popular with watersports. Facilities include parking, food and toilets.
- Manor Steps beach is a sandy beach to the East of Boscombe Pier. Named after the zig-zag path and steps leading down from the cliff above. Facilities include lifeguard in summer months, car parks, toilets, cafe/shops, beach huts.
- Avon Beach is situated at Mudeford to the east side of the Christchurch Harbour entrance, near Bournemouth and is a 1/4 mile of sandy beach with views of the Isle of Wight and the Needles Lighthouse. Avon beach is a great family beach providing a great place for beach games, a safe gentle slope into the sea and sand bars to play on. Watersports has its own designated area in front of the car park and is great location for surfing, SUP, canoeing, windsurfing and kitesurfing. Due to the sand banks the beach provides a good place for kitesurfing and windsurfing beginners. Facilities include car park, toilets, shop, cafe/restaurant and hire of beach huts, deck chairs, sun loungers, wind breaks and canoes. Lifeguards in the summer and free identity wristbands to parents with children to enhance child safety on our 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 including flat walk to town centre.
- 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.
- Canford Cliffs beach is a shallow sloping sandy beach, although as the tide comes in the amount of sand available is limited. The beach is below a steep sandy cliff which means you have steps to go down to get to the beach. Facilities include parking, toilets (with disabled facilities), food kiosks, and lifeguards in the summer.
- 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.
- Bowleaze Cove beach is a sand and shingle beach backed by cliffs and is at the eastern end of the long beach stretch within Weymouth Bay. When the tide comes in the sand disappears and you are left with just pebbles but you can make use of the grass area behind the beach or head into Fantasy Island Amusement Park. This is a great location as it is a dog-friendly beach but you are also close to all the facilities of Weymouth itself. The beach has a slipway that is mainly used by jetskiers and the water has zoned areas to keep waters crafts and swimmers apart. Facilities include car parking, shop, cafe, pub, amusement park and slipway.
- The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin, also known as Sherborne Abbey, has been a Saxon cathedral (705–1075), a Benedictine abbey (998–1539), and now stands as a beautiful parish church. Today you can see parts of the original saxon church in the abbey’s facade, but by far its most striking feature is the 15th Century fan vaulted ceiling. Some of the other original monastery building are now occupied by Sherbourne school.
- Kimmeridge Bay is part of the Jurassic Coast. This is not a sandy beach but a mixture of sand, pebbles, boulders and shale. Although not sandy it does offer swimming and excellent rock pools. Rocky limestone reefs make the area a key habitat and the bay is a designated Marine Nature Reserve and exhibitions of local marine wildlife at the Marine Centre. The sheltered bay gives a good watersports location such as scuba diving, snorkeling, windsurfing and surfing. Access is via a private toll road. Facilities include parking, toilets, ice-cream van on hot days and Village facilities approx. 20 minute walk.
- Knowlton Church is a ruined Norman church, built within a neolithic henge monument. The henge enclosing Knowlton Church is only one of three henges and associated earthworks. However, Church Henge is the best preserved. Nearby is Great Barrow, the largest round barrow in Dorset. Aerial photographs reveal a large number of ploughed-out barrows in the immediate vicinity.
