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Today at Charmouth
FairBig tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
Why: A big 0.6 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.
Safe window: 12:12pm – 3:12pm
Leave the beach by 3:12pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
Why: A big 0.6 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.
22° · overcast · Low tide: 1:59am (0.6 m), 2:12pm (0.6 m) · Wind up to 14 km/h · Waves 0.7 m
Safe window: 12:45pm – 3:45pm
Leave the beach by 3:45pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
Why: A big 0.7 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.
21° · mostly clear · Low tide: 2:31am (0.6 m), 2:45pm (0.7 m) · Wind up to 21 km/h · Waves 0.6 m
Safe window: 1:19pm – 4:19pm
Leave the beach by 4:19pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
19° · overcast · Low tide: 3:03am (0.7 m), 3:19pm (0.8 m) · Wind up to 25 km/h · Waves 0.5 m
Safe window: 1:54pm – 4:54pm
Leave the beach by 4:54pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
18° · clear · Low tide: 3:35am (0.9 m), 3:54pm (1.0 m) · Wind up to 20 km/h · Waves 0.5 m
Safe window: 2:30pm – 5:30pm
Leave the beach by 5:30pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
17° · overcast · Low tide: 4:09am (1.1 m), 4:30pm (1.3 m) · Wind up to 27 km/h · Waves 1.2 m
Safe window: 3:10pm – 6:10pm
Leave the beach by 6:10pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls towards evening, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
17° · mostly clear · Low tide: 4:43am (1.4 m), 5:10pm (1.6 m) · Wind up to 27 km/h · Waves 1.3 m
Safe window: 6:21am – 6:22am
Leave the beach by 6:22am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls first thing, though it is not an especially big one. Daylight cuts the collecting window to under 45 minutes, so don't plan a long session.
17° · overcast · Low tide: 5:22am (1.7 m), 6:00pm (1.8 m) · Wind up to 18 km/h · Waves 1.2 m
Work the loose shingle and the fresh tideline as the water drops — every tide re-sorts the gravel and the sea does the digging for you. The east beach towards Stonebarrow is richest after a blow. Ammonites and belemnites lie loose among the pebbles; nothing at the cliff base is worth the risk.
Ammonites show as coiled ridges in grey limestone, or as golden pyrite spirals the size of a coin. Belemnites are smooth amber-brown rods shaped like rifle bullets. Ichthyosaur vertebrae look like dark, shiny cotton reels. Free identification: the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre identifies finds in person and from emailed photos (charmouth.org).
This coast is a protected site (SSSI). What does that mean?
Allowed: Loose fossils from the beach and foreshore are yours to keep — collecting them here is positively encouraged, because the sea destroys what nobody saves.
Never allowed: Never dig or hammer into the cliffs, ledges or landslide material; fossils still in place must stay in place.
Important finds: Register scientifically important finds with the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre under the West Dorset Fossil Collecting Code.
Rules can change — check locally before you collect.
Detailed location guide at UK Fossils →
Large car park by the Heritage Coast Centre.
Toilets, café, and the Heritage Coast Centre for free fossil identification.
Flat access from the car park; the east beach is richest after storms.
Mudslides at Black Ven. Never approach the cliffs. Easy to get cut off east of the beach on a rising tide.
Fossil Forecast