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Seaside Towns

Visit our coastal towns and enjoy all sorts of seaside adventures! Along the Jurassic Coast and beyond there are traditional seaside resorts with sandy beaches and activities for all the family as well as busy, colourful harbours where you can sit back and watch the boats go by or climb aboard and take a coastal cruise. Why not watch our stunning video footage of some of the truly remarkable coastline that Dorset boast's. There's a wealth of history to discover and plenty of opportunities to browse the local shops and enjoy some fresh seafood whilst admiring the stunning views.

Bridport

Bridport is a friendly and vibrant market town with its own thriving artistic and literary community. It is recognised for the quality and variety of its locally produced food and has its own food festival. The town is also one of the gateways to the Jurassic Coast, being just over one mile inland from the colourful harbour at West Bay.

Market: Wednesday and Saturday
Farmers' Market: 2nd Saturday of the month

Christchurch

Christchurch is uniquely situated on the shores of its own spectacular harbour, close to the Jurassic Coastand the tranquil New Forest National Park. It has earned an excellent reputation for its variety of restaurants and the annual Christchurch Food and Wine Festival which takes place in May.

Market: Monday
Farmers' Market: 1st Friday of the month

Lyme Regis

Lyme Regis is a traditional seaside town full of atmosphere on the county border with Devon. The narrow maze of streets and shops wind their way down to the ancient Cobb harbour with its spectacular sea views and safe, sandy beach. This is the heart of the Jurassic Coast and the beaches between Lyme Regis and neighbouring Charmouth are world famous for fossil hunting.

Swanage

Swanage is a lively seaside town offering a whole host of activities and attractions and lots of family entertainment. Come and enjoy the lovely sandy beach, which gently slopes making it perfect for lots of family fun in the water. And this is the only beach along the Jurassic Coast to consistently achieve European Blue Flag status. The resort has a real Victorian charm and is well known for its lively calendar of events, particularly the many music festivals on offer.

Weymouth and Portland

Weymouth's elegant Georgian seafront and safe, sandy beach with lots of family entertainment make it a favourite seaside resort for visitors. The seafront is connected by over three miles of level promenade giving access to the beach and busy town centre as well as the historic harbour and Lodmoor Country Park.

Weymouth is known for its exciting year round events programme including an international kite festival, beach volleyball championships and free summer firework nights.

The 'Isle' of Portland is nestled at the heart of the Jurassic Coast connected to Weymouth and the mainland by a thin causeway at the end of the famous shingle Chesil Beach. The Island offers stunning views of Weymouth and beyond and is home to some spectacular and unique wildlife. Portland Harbour is home to the National Sailing Academy and will host the watersports for the 2012 Olympics.

Market: Weymouth - Thursday; Portland - Tuesday (summer only)
Farmers' Market: Weymouth - 2nd Sunday of the month

Bournemouth & Poole

With seven miles of beaches, the neighbouring towns of Bournemouth and Poole offer an array of attractions to see and things to do. Watersports enthusiasts will find plenty of opportunities including Europe’s first artificial surf reef in Boscombe.
With a great shopping and an endless supply of entertainment at the Bournemouth International Centre, there’s plenty for the whole family.

Poole Market: Thursday and Saturday 9am - 5pm
Poole Farmers' Market: Thursday 9am - 2pm

Bournemouth Market: Thursday and Saturday (Boscombe Precinct) 9am - 5pm
Bournemouth Farmers' Market: Friday 10am - 2pm