Conditions guidance only. Cliffs are dangerous — never dig in or stand near them.
Check tide times locally and tell someone where you're going.
Safety page
Leave beach by4:36pmthe tide will cut off your route back
Safe window1:36pm – 4:36pm
Weather19° · drizzle
Tide nowFalling ↓ until 3:36pm
Low tide6:33am (0.6 m), 3:36pm (0.4 m), 7:01pm (0.8 m)
Wind & sea33 km/h · 1.4 m waves
Daylight5:51am – 8:29pm
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
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. A big 0.4 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.
Today's tide at Ringstead Bay — heights in metres above chart datum. Guidance only: check the official tide table locally.
Leave the beach by 4:36pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
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. A big 0.4 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.
19° · drizzle · Low tide: 6:33am (0.6 m), 3:36pm (0.4 m), 7:01pm (0.8 m) · Wind up to 33 km/h · Waves 1.4 m
Thursday 3 September
Fair
Safe window: 2:12pm – 5:12pm
Leave the beach by 5:12pm — 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 mid-afternoon.
21° · overcast · Low tide: 4:00am (0.3 m), 4:12pm (0.5 m), 7:49pm (0.9 m) · Wind up to 30 km/h · Waves 1.3 m
Friday 4 September
Fair
Safe window: 2:53pm – 5:53pm
Leave the beach by 5:53pm — 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 mid-afternoon.
22° · mostly clear · Low tide: 4:35am (0.5 m), 4:53pm (0.6 m), 8:47pm (0.9 m) · Wind up to 34 km/h · Waves 1.5 m
Saturday 5 September
Fair
Safe window: 5:56am – 6:18am
Leave the beach by 6:18am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
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. A big 0.7 m low tide falls first thing. Daylight cuts the collecting window to under 45 minutes, so don't plan a long session.
20° · overcast · Low tide: 5:18am (0.7 m), 5:51pm (0.8 m), 10:08pm (0.9 m) · Wind up to 10 km/h · Waves 0.6 m
Sunday 6 September
Good day to hunt
Safe window: 5:58am – 7:28am
Leave the beach by 7:28am — 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 first thing, though it is not an especially big one.
23° · clear · Low tide: 6:28am (0.9 m), 10:34am (1.0 m), 11:57pm (0.7 m) · Wind up to 26 km/h · Waves 0.7 m
Monday 7 September
Fair
Safe window: 10:22am – 1:22pm
Leave the beach by 1:22pm — 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 at lunchtime, though it is not an especially big one.
21° · mostly clear · Low tide: 8:55am (0.9 m), 12:22pm (0.8 m) · Wind up to 21 km/h · Waves 0.7 m
Tuesday 8 September
Not safe
No safe daylight window
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
Why: Rough seas with big waves forecast — stay off the beach today.
18° · overcast · 8mm rain · Low tide: 12:59am (0.5 m), 10:07am (0.8 m), 1:17pm (0.6 m) · Wind up to 40 km/h · Waves 2.5 m
Where to look
Walk east towards White Nothe and search the foreshore ledges and gravel at low water — oysters and ammonites wash from the Kimmeridge Clay. The rock pools hold polished fragments the sea has already prepared for you.
What fossils look like here
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).
Fossil Forecast