The Jurassic Coast is a stretch of coast from Sidmouth in South Devon reaching east into Dorset, and including the town of Lyme Regis.
Sidmouth is a cute little town with good cliff walks nearby. We walked up the nearby High Peak cliff-top footpath for lovely views over the bay.
One of the main towns for fossil discovery on the Jurrasic Coast is Lyme Regis. I recall finding a really good curly amemite fossil here as a kid but I lost it down the back of the car seat 😦 I haven’t been back there for a good 25 years, so it was time for a return visit.
We followed a charming little river walk through the centre of Lyme Regis past grand old regency buildings which now house shops, pubs and cafes.
Down at the seafront we found a wide pebble beach with a sandy section perfect for kids, and a row of brightly coloured vintage beach huts.
We had a walk along the “Cobb” (ie. the harbour wall) which is perfect for a stroll to blow away the cobwebs – which is lucky as the weather was a bit dull. Not recommended in strong winds as I can imagine the waves breaking on the Cobb would be massive! This is a good place to check out the fishing vessels and watch the sailing boats going in and out.
After walking to the end, looking for jellyfish (in vein), and having a nosy around the RNLI lifeboat shop, we had a yummy lunch of tuna baguettes in a cafe overlooking the beach, while watching the waves break on the beach.
By this time the sun had come out so after checking out the beach we pottered around the shops along the shopping street, looking at fossils and cute floral fabrics.
It was a lovely day out and comes recommended if you would like to explore a cute Devon seaside town with amenities to keep tourists busy! Just round the coast is West Bay, where the excellent TV show Broadchurch is filmed, and also the beautiful Lulworth Cove. In the other direction is Seaton Jurassic, a newly opened child-friendly museum. I think a future trip is calling…
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