Dorset · Directions ↗
Today at Seatown
Quiet dayWhy: Low tide falls at lunchtime, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
Safe window: 10:04am – 1:04pm
Leave the beach by 1:04pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls at lunchtime, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
9° · rain · 9mm rain · Low tide: 12:04pm (0.9 m) · Wind up to 21 km/h · Waves 1.4 m
Safe window: 10:41am – 1:41pm
Leave the beach by 1:41pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls at lunchtime, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
10° · overcast · 4mm rain · Low tide: 12:19am (0.9 m), 12:41pm (1.0 m) · Wind up to 22 km/h · Waves 1.1 m
Safe window: 11:16am – 2:16pm
Leave the beach by 2:16pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls at lunchtime, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
8° · clear · Low tide: 12:53am (1.0 m), 1:16pm (1.1 m) · Wind up to 25 km/h · Waves 1.0 m
Safe window: 11:50am – 2:50pm
Leave the beach by 2:50pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls at lunchtime, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
7° · clear · Low tide: 1:26am (1.2 m), 1:50pm (1.2 m) · Wind up to 15 km/h · Waves 0.6 m
Safe window: 12:22pm – 3:22pm
Leave the beach by 3:22pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one.
8° · overcast · Low tide: 1:57am (1.4 m), 2:22pm (1.4 m) · Wind up to 12 km/h · Waves 0.8 m
Safe window: 12:53pm – 3:53pm
Leave the beach by 3:53pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one.
12° · drizzle · 11mm rain · Low tide: 2:26am (1.5 m), 2:53pm (1.5 m) · Wind up to 18 km/h · Waves 0.7 m
Safe window: 1:28pm – 4:28pm
Leave the beach by 4:28pm — 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.
13° · overcast · 2mm rain · Low tide: 2:56am (1.7 m), 3:28pm (1.7 m) · Wind up to 27 km/h · Waves 1.1 m
Work the shingle west towards Golden Cap where the tide has just uncovered it. Belemnites are almost guaranteed in the fine gravel; ammonites turn up after storms. The freshest material appears at the top of a falling tide.
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 →
Pay-and-display car park behind the beach (seasonal charges).
The Anchor Inn by the beach; toilets in season.
Flat walk onto shingle; best hunting west towards Golden Cap after storms.
Frequent rockfalls below Golden Cap — keep well away from the cliff base. Shingle banks steepen quickly towards high water.
Fossil Forecast