Dorset
Today at Seatown
Quiet dayLow tide falls at lunchtime, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
Safe window: 11:16am – 2:16pm
Leave the beach by 2:16pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Low tide falls at lunchtime, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
Low tide: 1:16pm (1.0 m) · Wind up to 28 km/h · Waves 0.6 m
Safe window: 12:00pm – 3:00pm
Leave the beach by 3:00pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
Low tide: 1:50am (0.8 m), 2:00pm (0.9 m) · Wind up to 24 km/h · Waves 0.5 m
Safe window: 12:45pm – 3:45pm
Leave the beach by 3:45pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
Low tide: 2:34am (0.7 m), 2:45pm (0.9 m) · Wind up to 17 km/h · Waves 0.3 m
Safe window: 1:30pm – 4:30pm
Leave the beach by 4:30pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one.
Low tide: 3:19am (0.8 m), 3:30pm (1.0 m) · Wind up to 13 km/h · Waves 0.3 m
Safe window: 4:38am – 5:04am
Leave the beach by 5:04am — the tide will cut off your route back.
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.
Low tide: 4:04am (0.9 m), 4:16pm (1.2 m) · Wind up to 12 km/h · Waves 0.4 m
Safe window: 4:40am – 5:49am
Leave the beach by 5:49am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Low tide falls first thing, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
Low tide: 4:49am (1.1 m), 5:02pm (1.4 m) · Wind up to 12 km/h · Waves 0.3 m
Safe window: 4:41am – 6:34am
Leave the beach by 6:34am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Low tide falls first thing, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
Low tide: 5:34am (1.3 m), 5:50pm (1.5 m) · Wind up to 16 km/h · Waves 0.2 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.