Jurassic Coast

The Jurassic Coast's Most Spectacular Locations

Durdle Door is the defining image of the Jurassic Coast — a natural limestone arch, the product of millions of years of marine erosion, standing sentinel above a stunning cove accessible by a steep but manageable path from the National Trust car park at Lulworth Estate. The adjacent Lulworth Cove is an almost perfectly circular bay formed by the erosion of softer rock behind a harder Portland limestone ridge — a textbook example of differential erosion that delights geographers and general visitors alike.

Lyme Regis is the fossil capital of England — "The Pearl of Dorset" is a charming Regency town where palaeontological history was effectively made. Mary Anning, working-class fossil hunter and palaeontologist, discovered the first complete ichthyosaur and plesiosaur specimens on these beaches in the early 19th century. The Lyme Regis Museum tells her story excellently, and the town's beaches still yield spectacular fossils after every storm.

Chesil Beach and Portland

Chesil Beach is one of the most extraordinary landforms in Britain — an 18-mile long barrier beach of perfectly graded pebbles connecting Portland to the mainland, enclosing a sheltered lagoon called The Fleet. The pebbles grade from pea-sized at the eastern end to fist-sized at Portland Bill in the west — a phenomenon so reliable that local fishermen could traditionally identify their position in fog by the pebble size alone. Portland Bill lighthouse at the southern tip offers extraordinary Atlantic views.