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<\/p>\nThis article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).<\/p>\n
Were you to dig below Lyme Regis\u2019 bunting-slung streets, you\u2019d hit a geological marvel: the Blue Lias. This vast sequence of limestone and shale layers, formed during the Mesozoic era some 200\u00a0million years ago, reveals fossils as it erodes, making the town one of Europe\u2019s most important paleontological centres. It\u2019s a badge locals wear proudly: you\u2019ll find a weather-beaten statue of celebrated fossil hunter Mary\u00a0Anning overlooking Church Cliff Beach. In 1823, while wandering Lyme Regis\u2019s coastline, she unearthed the world\u2019s first complete skeleton of a Plesiosaurus and, nearly two centuries after her death, the town remains a magnet\u00a0for excavators.<\/p>\n
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Lyme Regis’ seafront is a walkable promenade best discovered at dusk.<\/p>\n
Graham Custance, Getty Images<\/p>\n
Where should I begin?<\/p>\n
The main strip is Front Beach, which fringes the promenade with its wash of pastel huts. On its western end, you\u2019ll find Shoreline Sauna<\/a>, whose wood-fired, Nordic-style saunas sit right on the sand. Close by is the Cobb: a\u00a0man-made harbour featured in the novel Persuasion by Lyme Regis habitu\u00e9 Jane Austen. It leads off Monmouth Beach, a quieter, pebbled stretch popular among fossil hunters scouring for ammonites \u2014 those distinctive, spiralled molluscs that have become a symbol of the town. You can learn more about Lyme Regis\u2019s prehistoric residents at the Dinosaurland Fossil Museum<\/a>, home to a collection of more than 30,000 specimens, including a dolphin-like ichthyosaur unearthed nearby and the skull of a vast, carnivorous mosasaur. The museum also organises fossil walks run by local palaeontologists, with the chance to collect fossilised bullet-shaped belemnites \u2014\u00a0the shells of squid-like creatures that once swam the oceans.<\/p>\n Did you know? <\/b> What else is there beyond the fossils?<\/p>\n The Cobb is the launch point for Lyme Rib Rides<\/a>, whose sightseeing cruises zip along the coast. Choose between the exhilarating, 20-minute \u2018Lyme dash\u2019 or the hour-long cruise that passes towering cliffs and secret coves. Otherwise, head up the stairs linking Monmouth Beach with the South West Coast Path \u2014 a 630-mile trail tracing this wave-lashed corner of England. Walk west for an hour and you hit the Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs National Nature Reserve. The distinctive character of this seven-mile stretch of coastline was formed by a succession of landslides, yielding undulating bluffs and diverse woodland. Back in Lyme Regis, visit the Town Mill<\/a>: the site dates back to 1340 and its 17th-century watermill has been painstakingly restored by volunteers. It\u2019s become a home to local businesses including art studios, a vintage-inspired boutique and a potter\u2019s workshop, plus Lyme Regis Brewery<\/a>, whose craft beers go down a treat in the courtyard.<\/p>\n A boat ride is an exhilarating way to see Lyme Regis\u2019s coastline.<\/p>\n Lyme Bay Rib Rides<\/p>\n At Rockfish, TV chef Mitch Tonks serves sustainable seafood with views over Lyme Bay.<\/p>\n Ed Ovenden<\/p>\n Where\u2019s good for food?<\/p>\n Start your day at Kiosk<\/a>, on Front Beach, serving sausage- or halloumi-stuffed breakfast bagels that are best enjoyed while reclining on a sunlounger on\u00a0the shingle. For lunch or dinner, there\u2019s Sandro\u2019s<\/a>, a dinky, family-run operation masterminded by ex-River Cottage chef Alessandro Strillozzi. The menu is seasonal, with British ingredients going into Italian-style dishes like venison with polenta.<\/p>\n Atop the hill overlooking Lyme Bay, you\u2019ll find Rockfish<\/a>, from sustainable fishing advocate and TV chef Mitch Tonks. Guests choose from a list of daily catches from nearby Brixham Fish Market and dine to views of Lyme Regis\u2019s historic centre. Then there\u2019s Tom\u2019s<\/a>, an AA Rosette bistro whose fish board \u2014\u00a0piled with lobster, scallops, crab croquettes, pearl oysters and prawns \u2014 is legendary.<\/p>\n How to do itThe closest train station is Axminster, which has direct services from London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids. From there, take the X51 or X53 bus into town. Jurassic Properties<\/a> has cottages and apartments from \u00a3180 per night (two-night minimum stay).<\/p>\n More info:<\/b> This story was created with the support of Visit Dorset.<\/p>\n Published in the September 2026 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).<\/p>\n To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller\u00a0(UK) magazine click here<\/a> (available in select countries only).<\/p>\n\n
Lyme Regis local Mary Anning was just 12 years old when she discovered the famous ichthyosaur skeleton now housed in London\u2019s Natural History Museum. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ET_ukbreak_enhanced_lyme_bay_rib_charter_18aba288-14a3-4539-b548-77f14c1cb146_ukHR.jpg\"\/)
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