For the best bits of the Jurassic Coast at your fingertips, choose a holiday in West Bay.
On the western edge of the 18-mile stretch of Chesil Beach, West Bay is a bustling fishing village set around a small working harbour, only one mile away from the market town of Bridport. With its shingle shores and majestic, towering sandstone cliffs, West Bay is known as the ‘Golden Gateway’ to the Jurassic Coast, England’s only natural World Heritage Site where the geology reveals 185 million years of Earth’s history. When you choose a holiday in West Bay, you might even find fossils hidden along the shoreline!
West Bay offers everything you could possibly wish for if you love a traditional seaside holiday. From the simple pleasures of crabbing from the harbour’s edge, takeaway fish and chips and ice creams, to beautiful beaches, coastal walks and water sports, West Bay has it all. From the harbour, you can book onto fishing trips, hire rowing boats and row up the River Brit to Bridport, or book a guided canoe tour. For an adrenaline rush, RIB rides, waterskiing and wakeboarding are also on offer.
When it comes to balmy beach days, you can take your pick from two beaches at West Bay. The bigger of the two is East beach, a wide stretch of fine shingle which shelves steeply into the sea. Spectacular, golden sandstone cliffs rise vertically behind the beach, towering around 50 metres high, which TV buffs will recognise from ITV’s hit crime thriller, Broadchurch. Meanwhile, West beach is smaller, quieter and more sheltered, making it popular with young families to paddle in the safer, shallow waters.
The best way to explore the extraordinary surroundings is on foot, and daily walks along the South West Coast Path are bound to be one of the highlights of your holiday in West Bay. Whilst steep, making your way up onto the headlands is definitely worth it for the breathtaking views. Head eastward to beautiful Burton Bradstock and Hive Beach, or set off westward to Eype and Seatown to climb the mighty heights of Golden Cap - the highest point on Britain’s south coast. Here, the views span all the way from Portland in east Dorset to South Devon and Dartmoor.
When you’ve worked up an appetite from all of your adventures, you’ll be spoilt for choice with places to eat in West Bay. Thanks to its working harbour, you’ll find freshly caught seafood on many menus, as well as restaurants, pubs, takeaways and cafes. Try Watch House Cafe if you like your breakfast, lunch or dinner with an epic sea view, as it’s sat right on the edge of the beach.
If you can tear yourselves away from West Bay’s waterfront, you’ll find plenty to do. Play a round of golf at Bridport and West Dorset Golf Club, or head into Bridport town for an array of independent shops, street markets and farmer’s markets, a leisure centre, museum and array of eateries. If you’re partial to a pint, make sure to visit Palmers Brewery, which is one of the UK’s best small, independent brewers, and is the only working thatched brewery in the country. If wine is your tipple of choice, the nearby Furleigh Estate Vineyard runs vineyard tours and tasting sessions. From West Bay, you can also easily reach Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Weymouth and Dorchester for great days out, or explore west Dorset’s stunning countryside with cycle rides and walking trails.
Whether you’re a budding fossil expert looking to follow in the footsteps of dinosaurs, are dreaming of the ultimate beach holiday or simply need a weekend away by the sea, a holiday in West Bay offers everything and more.
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