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: 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.
28° · overcast · 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.
Why: Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
29° · mostly clear · Low tide: 1:50am (0.8 m), 2:00pm (0.9 m) · Wind up to 22 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.
Why: Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
25° · clear · Low tide: 2:34am (0.7 m), 2:45pm (0.9 m) · Wind up to 16 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.
Why: Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one.
25° · mostly clear · 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.
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.
24° · drizzle · 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.
Why: Low tide falls first thing, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
27° · clear · 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.
Why: Low tide falls first thing, though it is not an especially big one. No recent storms, so expect a picked-over beach.
25° · mostly clear · 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.
Fossil Forecast