The World Heritage Site on your doorstep

The World Heritage Site on your doorstep

The World Heritage Site on your doorstep

Picture a sliced open layered cake and that's what the cliffs along this 95 mile stretch of England's southern coastline resemble. Each layer represents a different period of pre-history when the topography in the UK was totally different than it is now. This whole chunk of coastline spans 185 million years of the Earth's history and geographical evolution.

The oldest section is at the western end at Orcombe Point near Exmouth dates back some 250 million years to the Triassic period. Visitors can plainly see compacted sandstone layers which were once dunes in a pre-historic desert. As you progress east towards the "newer " sections in Dorset, there is every chance that you will stumble across fossils from the Jurassic age maybe not always dinosaurs themselves but certainly some of their smaller contemporaries.

Every year thousands visit the area either to explore the entire coastline or smaller, bite sized chunks. There is plenty to amuse all ages. Children particularly enjoy the fossil hunting part of it but there are numerous beaches along the way where they can pursue other more traditional seaside activities.

Adults will also delight in many of the towns and villages along the route together with the spectacular scenery in between. Regency resorts like Sidmouth and Lyme Regis , made famous by the French Lieutenant's Woman, remain as popular as ever while Budleigh Salterton, Beer and Lulworth Cove still have legions of admirers.

To stand the best chance of finding fossils, head for Charmouth, ideally in Winter when the wind and harsh tides dislodge the historical treasure from the cliffs. Further to the East, the sheer cliffs of the south Purbeck coast offer spectacular coastal walking. Formed of Portland Stone and Purbeck Limestone, the rocks can be seen in the old cliff quarry workings of Seacombe, Winspit and Dancing Ledge. The coastal limestone downland supports internationally important plants and animals, and the cliffs are home to colonies of breeding seabirds.

Of course, visitors will from now on be able to round off their tour by seeing the preparations for the 2012 Olympic sailing events at Weymouth and Portland.

Whichever piece of this fascinating part of our natural heritage you decide to visit, it makes sense to plan your route thoroughly if you are to enjoy everything that there is to see and not miss anything. This is particularly true if you are exploring the area on foot. The coastal path is obviously the key thoroughfare and is reasonably easy to follow but it's always better to know what you are looking at and to be able to deviate off course without getting lost. If you don't have a good bookstore nearby, we have always found a good selection of large scale maps, compasses etc can be ordered online at Outbound Maps.com.

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