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Fun in the sun

Fun in the sun

Swanage Beach

Beaches

If spending a day on the beach building sandcastles, swimming in the sea and lazing around with your family in the hot summer sun sounds like your idea of a fantastic holiday then Dorset is definitely the place for you. With Dorset beaches a plenty, you can while away the hours and soak up the sunshine in the most stunning surroundings. Look at our superb video footage of the beautiful Dorset coastline and see just some of the breathtaking scenery you can enjoy.

With so many fantastic family friendly beaches you'll have trouble deciding which one to visit first! We'll leave the deciding up to you.

Featured

Things to Do

Fine Foundation Marine Centre

Fine Foundation Marine Centre

Kimmeridge Bay lies within the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve and boasts the best rockpooling and safest snorkelling site in Dorset! Pop into...

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Number of items: 24

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  1. Highcliffe Castle

    Add Highcliffe Castle to your Itinerary

    Highcliffe Castle

    Type

    Viewpoint

    Highcliffe, CHRISTCHURCH

    Highcliffe Castle is a magnificent Grade 1 Listed 1830s mansion built by Lord Stuart de Rothesay and is situated just four miles east of Christchurch. The cliff-top grounds, with wonderful views of the Dorset coastline and the Isle of Wight, provide access to the beach and to the Christchurch...

  2. Swanage Beach Bungalows

    Add Swanage Beach Bungalows to your Itinerary

    Swanage Beach Bungalows

    Type

    Beach

    Swanage

    Beach huts are let on a daily or weekly basis. They are a popular feature and are provided with a table, four chairs and an electricity power point enabling you to have some comforts whilst gazing out to sea. Hire a beach hut, and your trips to the beach are made easier without having to take all...

  3. Shell Bay

    Add Studland Beach and Nature Reserve to your Itinerary

    Studland Beach and Nature Reserve

    Type

    Beach

    Studland

    Fine sandy beaches stretch continuously for 3 miles from South Haven Point to the chalk cliffs of Handfast Point and Old Harry Rocks and include Shell Bay. A designated section of naturist beach is at Knoll beach. The heathland behind the beach is a National Nature Reserve with many rare birds....

  4. None

    Add Mudeford Sandbank to your Itinerary

    Mudeford Sandbank

    Type

    Beach

    Mudeford, CHRISTCHURCH

    Mudeford Sandbank is a unique spit which adjoins the ancient headland of Hengistbury Head and forms a natural barrier between the harbour and the open sea. The area is designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) making it internationally important to environmentalists and can only be...

  5. None

    Add Highcliffe Beach to your Itinerary

    Highcliffe Beach

    Type

    Beach

    Highcliffe, CHRISTCHURCH

    Highcliffe Beach is just a few minutes walk from the village centre and has excellent cliff top parking. Coastal protection works over recent years have made it into a very attractive beach where breakwaters have created a series of cove-like sand and shingle beaches which are ideal for body...

  6. None

    Add Friars Cliff Beach to your Itinerary

    Friars Cliff Beach

    Type

    Beach

    Friars Cliff, CHRISTCHURCH

    This shingle and sand beach is an ideal spot for a family trip to the seaside. Beach huts line the promenade which is accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Other facilities include a café, toilets with disabled access, shower, water standpipes and car parking. The beach is a designated bathing...

  7. None

    Add Chesil Beach to your Itinerary

    Chesil Beach

    Type

    Natural Feature

    Chesil Beach is 18 miles (28 kilometres) long and, on average, 160 metres wide and rises to 12 metres in height. It is a pebble and shingle tombolo connecting Portland to Abbotsbury and then continuing north-westwards to West Bay near Bridport. It is the largest tombolo in the UK.

    The pebbles...

  8. Hive Beach

    Add Burton Bradstock (Hive Beach) to your Itinerary

    Burton Bradstock (Hive Beach)

    Type

    Beach

    Bridport

    A shelving shingle beach, close to the village of Burton Bradstock.

    On a clear day, visitors can enjoy breath taking views round to Portland and right the way round to the East Devon Coast.

  9. Chesil Beach fishing

    Add Abbotsbury Beach - Chesil Bank and Fleet Lagoon Nature Reserve to your Itinerary

    Abbotsbury Beach - Chesil Bank and Fleet Lagoon Nature Reserve

    Type

    Beach

    Bridport

    A shelving beach made up of pebbles and shingle, popular with both local anglers and families for mackerel fishing. Close to the beach is the village of Abbotsbury, where there are three main attractions - Swannery, Sub Tropical Gardens and the Children's Farm. The village is approximately one mile...

  10. Lyme Regis beach

    Add Lyme Regis Beaches to your Itinerary

    Lyme Regis Beaches

    Type

    Beach

    Lyme Regis

    Lyme regis is a picturesque and historic seaside town set in an area of outstanding natural beauty. A town of steep streets, its most outstanding feature is a delightful 13th century harbour known as the Cobb.

    The beaches in Lyme regis are a mixture of sand and pebbles. Monmouth beach is very...