Beaches

Kilve (5.5 miles) – a SSSI

Famed for being the Jurassic coast on the Bristol Channel. A perfect location for collecting fossils. The beach is also ideal for rock pooling, set in tranquil surroundings and ideal for all the family to enjoy.

Doniford (2 miles) - another SSSI

Doniford is a mud and sand beach with plenty of rocks and rock pools containing numerous fossils.

Doniford SSSI Beach for more fossil hunting

Dunster (7 miles) – A sand and pebble beach

Immediately behind the beach, “The Hawn” is a body of water which was at one time a navigable channel. In medieval times there was a harbour here. Today The Hawn is a freshwater lake and provides a haven for bird life. Dunster Station, one of the stops on the historic West Somerset Railway steam train service, is a short walk from the beach.

Blue Anchor (6 miles)

A long sandy beach sprinkled with alabaster rocks, which are great for finding fossils. There is another West Somerset railway station here.

Blue Anchor Beach - Try the lovely Driftwood cafe

Minehead (10 miles)

known as The Strand, is a wide expanse of sand, with some areas of shingle and a variety of rock pools. As the tide goes out this sandy stretch of beach becomes ideal for beach games and for building sandcastles.

Minehead - North Hill - Fantastic walks and views up there too

St Audries Bay (3.5 miles)

A beautiful bay with two waterfalls which cascade down the cliffs along the back of the beach.

Watchet (2.5 miles)

The cliffs here are famous for their abundance of fossils and ammonites, particularly on the stretch between Watchet and Blue Anchor. Local fossil finds are on display in the Market House Museum. Beachcombing is popular on the beach, as many interesting fossils get washed up by the tides.