Discover Dorset

Fine sandy beaches and the Jurassic Coast!
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Accommodation
See & Do
Beaches
Eating
Beach Huts

Discover Dorset

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.

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:

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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:

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Church Ope Cove Beach

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Church Ope Cove beach is a pebble beach with a small stream on the eastern side of Portland and as the tide goes out you have a number of rock pools and some sand. The beach is sheltered as it has cliffs on three sides. Popular diving location to access the many wrecks off Portland. Facilities include car parking a short Read more…
Lyme-Regis-lifeboat-station

Lyme Regis lifeboat station

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Lyme Regis lifeboat station was established in 1853 and now operates an inshore lifeboat from the famous Lyme Regis Cobb harbour. Station and shop open daily. Read more…
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Bowleaze Cove Beach

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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. Read more…
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Lulworth Castle and Park

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Lulworth castle, built in the early 17th Century as a hunting lodge, became a country house with a large estate. Part of this estate being the spectacular Lulworth Cove. Thomas Howard, 3rd Lord Bindon, built the Castle in order to entertain hunting parties for the King and Court. The Howards owned it until 1641 when it was purchased by Humphrey Read more…
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Friars Cliff Beach

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Friars Cliff beach is a mixture of sand and shingle with great views across Christchurch Bay to the Isle of Wight. Good family beach with safe swimming, backed by a promenade that has wheelchair access. Facilities include car parks, toilets, cafe, lifeguards in the summer and beach hut hire. Read more…
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Cerne Abbas Giant

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Cerne Abbas Giant is a huge outline sculpted into the chalk hillside above the village of Cerne Abbas representing a naked, club-wielding giant. The outline is 180ft tall making it Britain’s largest chalk hill figure and probably the most controversial. Managed by the National Trust, although parking is on the roadside and the nearest facilities are in the village Cerne Abbas. Read more…
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St Catherines Chapel

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St Catherines Chapel is a small 14th-century chapel set high on a hilltop overlooking Abbotsbury Abbey. Built by the monks as a place of pilgrimage and retreat. Read more…
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Lyme Bay Beach

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Lyme Bay is situated on the south coast of England, towards the western end of the English Channel. The Lyme Bay coast makes for excellent family holidays with excellent beaches, watersports and great fossil hunting. Lyme Bay is between Torbay in the west and Portland in the east. The counties of Devon and Dorset front onto the bay. The area Read more…
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Durdle Door

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Durdle Door is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset, privately owned by the Welds, a family who own 12,000 acres (50 km2) the Lulworth Estate. The name Durdle is derived from an Old English word ‘thirl’ meaning bore or drill. The arch has formed on a concordant coastline where bands of rock run parallel Read more…
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Canford Cliffs Beach

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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. Read more…
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Shore Road Beach

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Shore Road beach is a large sandy beach that joins with the Sandbanks beach and is the part just before the beach hits the Peninsula. Facilities include cafe, toilets, lifeguards in the summer, parking and easy access to all the facilities at Sandbanks. Read more…
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Castle Cove Portland Harbour Beach

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Castle Cove beach in Portland Harbour is just a five minute walk from Weymouth Town Centre. The beach is sand, rockpools and seaweed and is so different from the golden sand of Weymouth’s main beach. Cafe offers hot and cold snacks, ice creams, homemade cakes and is fully licensed. Read more…

Some more locations in Dorset

Bournemouth Bridport Christchurch Crewkerne Dorchester Lyme Regis Poole Ringwood Shaftesbury Sherborne Swanage Wareham West Lulworth Weymouth Wimborne Minster
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