The Jurassic Coast

Thinking of visiting the UK but a city trip isn't for you?

Why not try the Jurassic Coast?

As the name suggests this has a lot to do with dinosaurs. It is a UNESCO world heritage site because of its fossils, rocks and land formations. Walk along the beaches in this area and you are sure to find an interesting looking rock or even a fossil.

It is a great place for children to explore and for adults who enjoy walking, geology and fossil hunting! If you enjoy these things you are sure to have a great time here. I know our group did.

Getting there

The Jurassic Coast is a 95 mile stretch of the south coast of England between Swanage and Exmouth. Along this coastline there are some towns that can be more easily accessed by public transport, but to get to most of the beaches I would suggest driving. We stayed in Lulworth Cove and our journey time to the Eurotunnel was four hours.

My Experience

We went for a four night break as a mixed group from a teenager to a pensioner and stayed mainly in the Lulworth Cove area. Lulworth Cove itself is a beautiful bay with pubs, restaurants, fish and chips and plenty of places to buy an ice-cream!

From Lulworth Cove we walked to Durdle Door, a famous geological landmark. This walk involved a fairly steep incline followed by many more uphill and downhill sections. You will need to be reasonably fit to complete this walk, but the views are definitely worth the struggle. Durdle Door has a car park so if the coastal walk is not for you then you can start your visit from a closer point. The walk down to the beach and back is around one hundred steps, but the rock formation can be easily seen from the top of the cliff.

A short drive along the coast from Lulworth Cove is Kimmerage, home to the Etches Museum. This is a must for anyone who is interested in fossils. In 2022 a BBC documentary was filmed with Steve Etches and Sir David Attenborough as they excavated a giant Pliosaur skull which is now on display in the museum. It is a very impressive find. All of the fossils in the museum are clearly labelled with interesting details. For my son the most interesting part was the electric microscope where he could study different fossils in microscopic detail and learn about different careers based around geology.

A morning of light rain gave us the opportunity to put our feet up after lots of walking, and also to explore the little shops at Lulworth Cove. When the weather improved we headed out again, this time to Ringstead Bay, look for fossils. The beaches in this area are mostly pebble and so great for looking at beautiful patterns and hunting for fossils, not so great if you want to sunbathe.

Pros and Cons

Pros

The coastline is beautiful. We were very fortunate with the weather and enjoyed blue sky and sunshine for most of our visit. The majority of the car parks along the coast have bathroom facilities and a place to buy coffee and a snack before or after exploring on the beach. The coastal path is well maintained and also well used, especially between Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. The towns in the area are great for museums, eating and shopping.

Cons

The coastline is made up of cliffs which means a steep walk down to the beach, and back up again! Even a walk along the cliffs will be hilly so you need to be reasonably fit to attempt them. Wear good walking shoes and not flip flops, these are not sandy beaches. The coastline is best explored in good weather, but if rain is in the forecast bear in mind that the cliffs are very exposed and there is no shelter.

The Final Score

This is the place for you if you like geology and fossils! Do some research online before you go to find the best beaches to look for fossils. The advice is to go just after high tide when the sea will have moved some of the pebbles and stones around. We found large plates of rock with fossils in and took many photographs of them.

Exploring the coastline in good weather really made this holiday for us, so I would advise avoiding the winter months.

Looking for some extra speaking practice before your holiday to the UK, Ireland or any English speaking country?

Click here to talk to me about conversational English coaching.

Chantal followed an English speaking course before her holiday to Australia and this is what she had to say:

“Very happy that I made the choice to learn to speak better English with Joanne.

My self-confidence has improved as a result. Joanne is very friendly and brought up really nice topics. Recommended."