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Today at Charmouth
FairWhy: A recent south-westerly blow should have brought fresh cliff material onto the beach. An early-autumn blow like this restocks beaches after the quiet summer. Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one.
Safe window: 2:06pm – 5:06pm
Leave the beach by 5:06pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: A recent south-westerly blow should have brought fresh cliff material onto the beach. An early-autumn blow like this restocks beaches after the quiet summer. Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one.
20° · drizzle · 1mm rain · Low tide: 4:06pm (0.8 m) · Wind up to 32 km/h · Waves 1.3 m
Safe window: 2:51pm – 5:51pm
Leave the beach by 5:51pm — 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.
22° · mostly clear · Low tide: 4:27am (0.9 m), 4:51pm (1.1 m) · Wind up to 27 km/h · Waves 1.2 m
Safe window: 5:57am – 6:12am
Leave the beach by 6:12am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: 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. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
20° · overcast · 2mm rain · Low tide: 5:12am (1.2 m), 5:43pm (1.3 m) · Wind up to 30 km/h · Waves 1.4 m
Safe window: 5:58am – 7:06am
Leave the beach by 7:06am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls first thing, though it is not an especially big one.
20° · mostly clear · Low tide: 6:06am (1.5 m), 6:51pm (1.6 m) · Wind up to 10 km/h · Waves 0.5 m
Safe window: 6:00am – 8:19am
Leave the beach by 8:19am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls first thing, though it is not an especially big one.
23° · clear · Low tide: 7:19am (1.7 m), 8:26pm (1.8 m) · Wind up to 24 km/h · Waves 0.6 m
Safe window: 8:19pm – 8:20pm
Leave the beach by 8:20pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls towards evening, though it is not an especially big one. Daylight cuts the collecting window to under 45 minutes, so don't plan a long session. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
21° · mostly clear · Low tide: 8:59am (1.8 m), 10:19pm (1.7 m) · Wind up to 21 km/h · Waves 0.5 m
Safe window: 8:38am – 11:38am
Leave the beach by 11:38am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: Low tide falls mid-morning, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
18° · overcast · 5mm rain · Low tide: 10:38am (1.7 m), 11:37pm (1.4 m) · Wind up to 37 km/h · Waves 2.5 m
Work the loose shingle and the fresh tideline as the water drops — every tide re-sorts the gravel and the sea does the digging for you. The east beach towards Stonebarrow is richest after a blow. Ammonites and belemnites lie loose among the pebbles; nothing at the cliff base is worth the risk.
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 →
Large car park by the Heritage Coast Centre.
Toilets, café, and the Heritage Coast Centre for free fossil identification.
Flat access from the car park; the east beach is richest after storms.
Mudslides at Black Ven. Never approach the cliffs. Easy to get cut off east of the beach on a rising tide.
Fossil Forecast