Charmouth

Charmouth beach looking towards Lyme Regis

Charmouth is a seaside village in situated in south-west Dorset in the West Country of England.

Understand

Charmouth is a seaside resort. Surrounded by beautiful coastlines and countryside, the area has now been awarded World Heritage Site Status; famous for its geology and fossil finds.

Get in

By train

The nearest train station is Axminster, which is on the route from London Waterloo to Exeter.

By bus

There is also a good bus service (X53) along the Jurassic Coast.

Get around

One very good way to get around is to walk along the South West Coast Path.

See

• 1 Golden Cap, Golden Cap Estate, Morcombelake, Bridport, Dorset (See website for directions), ☏ +44 1297 489481, goldencap@nationaltrust.org.uk. The highest point of the south coast of Great Britain, owned by the National Trust; visible from Lyme Regis seafront. Stonebarrow shop and information centre open seasonally, Easter to October; see website for opening hours. (updated Oct 2016)

Do

• Fossil hunting. in front of the cliffs by the beach. There are lots of fossilised ammonites in the sediment layers in the cliffs, and as weathering occurs, the cliffs are eroded and the fossils are left on the beach. The best time to go hunting is in Spring, when the winter's storms have exposed many fossils. Most are small, some are the size of your palm, and one or two are surprisingly large--up to a metre in diameter! 
• Relax on the Beach. where you get fantastic views of England's first natural World Heritage Site - the Jurassic Coast. 

Buy

Fossils.

Sleep

• Wood Farm Caravan and Camping Park, Axminster Rd, ☏ +44 1297 560697. 
• The White House Hotel, The Street,, ☏ +44 1297 560411. 

Go next

• Jurassic Coast
• Lyme Regis

Routes through Charmouth

Exeter ← Axminster ←

NW  E

→ Bridport → Dorchester