http://www.jurrasiccoast.com

http://www.charmouth.org

A half term short break in Dorset and we head to the coast for a day – managing to choose the coldest, windiest, greyest day of the holiday for our outing. The six of us, children, parents, grandparents all pile into the car and play ‘spot the pheasants’ through the glorious winding roads away from the holiday traffic.

Charmouth, much as I remember it from my childhood, still has a narrow lane leading from the main street down to the beach. There are several car parks at the seafront where the beach is split into two by the river Char. A short sea defence wall provides a front along which to stroll and there is a toilet block (adequate) tucked away behind a large building housing a café, fossil shop, clothing shop and upstairs, the Charmouth Heritage Centre.

The beach itself is really the bit between the tide and the cliffs and it is incredibly easy to be cut off along these Dorset beaches as the high tides sweep in right to the cliffs in places. But this eroding action of the waves on the cliffs means that the beaches, and Charmouth beach in particular, are constantly supplied with fresh fall of cliff material full of fossils and it is hard not to come away without seeing an ammonite tracing or a bit of a belemnite among the boulder and pebble strewn beach. The cliffs themselves, constantly crumbling, are made of a soft grey clay and mud – the sort that doesn’t wash out of clothes easily!- are not suitable for climbing on.

After a few hours spent slowly picking our way along the beach, declaring every rock to be a newfound treasure, we headed back for lunch at the café. Huge plates of fish and chips, washed down with tea, all sitting in the ‘fresh air’ from a door that needs repairing helped to fortify against the cold and we decide to head up into the Heritage Centre for a minute or two. Staffed by very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful ladies we were delighted to find a range of ‘hands on’ exhibits for children and a very good display of fossils found in the area. Entry into the centre is free but a donation is requested, there is also a range of pocket-money sized items for sale. Our minute or two soon turned into half an hour, worth the donation.

Once back outside we head to the little bridge over the Char to take us to the other half of the beach. There is normally a gaggle of ducks to entertain you as you cross. From this side of the beach you can head up over the cliff walks but we stay on the beach and fly a kite with our backs to the wind and waves until our fingers are too cold to feel anything.

View from Chesil Beach towards Charmouth in distance.

St. Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury.