West Bay
Local highlightThe shingle-and-sand beach west of West Bay's little harbour on the Dorset coast, under the golden Bridport sandstone cliffs
West Bay is the old harbour at the mouth of the River Brit, once the port for Bridport just up the road, and now a small seaside spot on the Dorset Jurassic Coast. The West Beach lies to the west of the harbour piers, a bank of shingle over sand beneath West Cliff, which is built of the deep-yellow sandstone that gives the whole place its colour. Next door, over the harbour, the towering flat-faced East Beach at West Bay cliff is the one you’ll recognise from the television series Broadchurch. It’s a good base for a walk, with the South West Coast Path climbing the cliffs either side. These sandstone faces shed rock without warning, so keep well back from the base and don’t be tempted to climb them.
