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Today at Seatown
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: 1:48pm – 4:48pm
Leave the beach by 4:48pm — 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° · overcast · Low tide: 3:48pm (0.9 m) · Wind up to 35 km/h · Waves 1.3 m
Safe window: 2:25pm – 5:25pm
Leave the beach by 5:25pm — 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.
21° · mostly clear · Low tide: 4:11am (1.0 m), 4:25pm (1.2 m) · Wind up to 27 km/h · Waves 1.2 m
Safe window: 3:11pm – 6:11pm
Leave the beach by 6:11pm — 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 towards evening, though it is not an especially big one.
21° · overcast · Low tide: 4:50am (1.3 m), 5:11pm (1.5 m) · Wind up to 36 km/h · Waves 1.4 m
Safe window: 5:58am – 6:42am
Leave the beach by 6:42am — 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. Daylight cuts the collecting window to under 45 minutes, so don't plan a long session.
20° · mostly clear · Low tide: 5:42am (1.6 m), 6:23pm (1.8 m) · Wind up to 10 km/h · Waves 0.5 m
Safe window: 6:30pm – 8:22pm
Leave the beach by 8:22pm — 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 towards evening, though it is not an especially big one.
23° · clear · Low tide: 7:17am (1.9 m), 8:30pm (1.8 m) · Wind up to 25 km/h · Waves 0.6 m
Safe window: 7:53pm – 8:20pm
Leave the beach by 8:20pm — 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 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.
21° · mostly clear · Low tide: 9:04am (1.9 m), 9:53pm (1.6 m) · Wind up to 21 km/h · Waves 0.5 m
No safe daylight window
Why: Winds gusting around 70 km/h forecast — not a day to be under cliffs.
18° · overcast · 8mm rain · Low tide: 10:14am (1.6 m), 10:53pm (1.3 m) · Wind up to 40 km/h · Waves 2.5 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