Lyme Regis to Abbotsbury
Start and Finish
From Lyme Regis to Abbotsbury
Distance
16 miles
Type of Walk
Tricky beach walking even at low tide (NOTE: due to cliff collapes, beach walking out of Lyme is now not an option - hence walkers have to take a disappointing detour inland). Then a big beautiful clamber across National Trust land (a very friendly NT cabin sells hot drinks and snacks) up to Golden Cap (627ft) which offers a view well worth the climb. Then a few ups and downs, mixing beach walks with some lower cliff walking. The cliffs along the beach are very ancient, beautiful and crumbly in places. Then the south west coastal path approaches the start of Chesil Beach - mainly pebbles, but with a path offering firmer walking, certainly for the first stretch. If Abbotsbury is too far, West Bexington is a good overnight option.
Useful links:
for update on Lyme Regis beach landslip www.swcp.org
Points of Interest
Lyme Regis beach, with bounteous fossils (NOTE collapsing cliffs now make the Lyme beach dangerous and not a through-route); the view from Golden Cap; the view of Chesil Beach and the stroll on the pebbles. West Bexington is a quiet spot with a decent hotel/bar/restaurant, and Abbotsbury is a village which has nestled safely from the coastal breeze for many centuries, with a full history of religious settlements since medieval times.
For information and pictures of Golden Cap visit: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-goldencap
To take a look at the West Bexington hotel/restaurant, visit : www.themanorhotel.com
