Dorset · Directions ↗
Today at Kimmeridge Bay
FairBig tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
Why: A big 0.4 m low tide falls at lunchtime.
Safe window: 10:15am – 1:15pm
Leave the beach by 1:15pm — 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 0.4 m low tide falls at lunchtime.
9° · drizzle · 8mm rain · Low tide: 3:34am (0.8 m), 12:15pm (0.4 m), 4:05pm (0.8 m) · Wind up to 24 km/h · Waves 1.3 m
Safe window: 10:50am – 1:50pm
Leave the beach by 1:50pm — 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 0.4 m low tide falls at lunchtime.
9° · overcast · 7mm rain · Low tide: 12:27am (0.3 m), 4:13am (0.9 m), 12:50pm (0.4 m), 4:39pm (0.8 m) · Wind up to 21 km/h · Waves 1.2 m
Safe window: 11:24am – 2:24pm
Leave the beach by 2:24pm — 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 0.5 m low tide falls at lunchtime.
8° · clear · Low tide: 12:58am (0.4 m), 1:24pm (0.5 m), 5:03pm (0.8 m) · Wind up to 24 km/h · Waves 1.0 m
Safe window: 11:57am – 2:57pm
Leave the beach by 2:57pm — 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 at lunchtime.
7° · clear · Low tide: 1:25am (0.5 m), 1:57pm (0.6 m) · Wind up to 16 km/h · Waves 0.6 m
Safe window: 12:38pm – 3:38pm
Leave the beach by 3:38pm — 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 0.8 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.
9° · drizzle · Low tide: 1:42am (0.7 m), 2:38pm (0.8 m) · Wind up to 15 km/h · Waves 0.7 m
Safe window: 2:57pm – 5:00pm
Leave the beach by 5:00pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one.
12° · overcast · 8mm rain · Low tide: 1:47am (0.8 m), 4:57pm (0.8 m) · Wind up to 19 km/h · Waves 0.6 m
Safe window: 3:49pm – 4:59pm
Leave the beach by 4:59pm — 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.
13° · overcast · 3mm rain · Low tide: 2:05am (0.9 m), 4:50am (1.0 m), 5:49pm (0.8 m) · Wind up to 25 km/h · Waves 1.1 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.
Fossil Forecast