Dorset
Today at Kimmeridge Bay
FairBig tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
A big 0.5 m low tide falls at lunchtime.
Safe window: 11:09am – 2:09pm
Leave the beach by 2:09pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
A big 0.5 m low tide falls at lunchtime.
Low tide: 1:09pm (0.5 m), 5:11pm (0.7 m) · Wind up to 27 km/h · Waves 0.7 m
Safe window: 4:32am – 6:34am
Leave the beach by 6:34am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
A big 0.4 m low tide falls first thing.
Low tide: 1:44am (0.4 m), 5:34am (0.4 m), 1:52pm (0.5 m), 5:48pm (0.7 m) · Wind up to 23 km/h · Waves 0.6 m
Safe window: 4:33am – 7:08am
Leave the beach by 7:08am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
A big 0.4 m low tide falls first thing.
Low tide: 2:30am (0.4 m), 6:08am (0.4 m), 2:37pm (0.6 m), 6:18pm (0.7 m) · Wind up to 21 km/h · Waves 0.4 m
Safe window: 4:35am – 7:34am
Leave the beach by 7:34am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
A big 0.5 m low tide falls first thing.
Low tide: 3:28am (0.5 m), 6:34am (0.5 m), 3:35pm (0.7 m) · Wind up to 14 km/h · Waves 0.3 m
Safe window: 4:36am – 6:08am
Leave the beach by 6:08am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
A big 0.5 m low tide falls first thing.
Low tide: 5:08am (0.5 m), 5:04pm (0.7 m) · Wind up to 17 km/h · Waves 0.4 m
Safe window: 4:37am – 6:53am
Leave the beach by 6:53am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
A big 0.5 m low tide falls first thing.
Low tide: 5:53am (0.5 m), 6:00pm (0.8 m) · Wind up to 19 km/h · Waves 0.2 m
Safe window: 4:39am – 7:30am
Leave the beach by 7:30am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
A big 0.6 m low tide falls first thing.
Low tide: 6:30am (0.6 m), 6:44pm (0.8 m) · Wind up to 16 km/h · Waves 0.2 m
Look among the loose flat stones between the ledges at low water — ammonites show as coiled outlines on slab surfaces. The big spectacle here is in the ledges themselves: photograph, don't extract. The Etches Collection in the village shows what this bay can produce.
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: Small loose fossils from the beach may be collected for personal use.
Never allowed: No hammering, digging or extraction from bedrock or ledges — Kimmeridge sits in a Marine Conservation Zone with stricter rules than neighbouring beaches.
Important finds: Check current rules with the Wild Seas Centre before collecting; scientifically significant finds belong with The Etches Collection in the village.
Rules can change — check locally before you collect.
Detailed location guide at UK Fossils →
Toll road to a car park above the bay (Smedmore Estate).
Toilets and the Wild Seas Centre; The Etches Collection museum in the village.
Short walk down to the ledges; slipway access.
Wave-cut ledges are extremely slippery and flood quickly on a rising tide. Cliff falls east and west of the bay — keep off the cliff base.