Fossils and fish and chips on a weekend in Lyme Regis
Set on the Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site in west Dorset, Lyme Regis is a delightful port of call for a weekend away filled with fossils, fish and fine food.
Famed for its fossils and ancient sea wall, Lyme Regis is known as “the pearl of the Jurassic Coast”. Staggered down a hill towards a curved shingle-and-sand bay, this old fishing town lures fossil hunters who come to scour its rocky bays for geological finds and pay homage to pioneering Victorian palaeontologist Mary Anning. Anning, the first person to discover the complete skeleton of a plesiosaurus, was born here in 1799.
It also hooks holidaymakers with its easy-breezy seaside charms. Stroll away from the beach, though, and you’ll discover an enchanting higgledy-piggledy town with a thriving food scene. Its endearing jumble of architectural styles (from medieval stone bridges through to splendid Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian villas and Art Deco dazzlers) and a tangle of alleys and wonky laneways were made for mooching. Here's how to spend a weekend in this seaside town.
Friday
Check-in at: The Rock Point Inn – you couldn’t get a better lookout of Lyme Regis and the shifting colours and light of its bay than from these sea-facing rooms. The handsome Georgian-era building commands the waterfront on the eastern side of the town and has nine charming rooms. Downstairs, the bar has a convivial, cosy feel (wood panelling, log fire and bay side windows with even more wide and eye-catching views) while its terrace is a fine spot for a pint of St Austell’s ale on a sunny day. Watch people promenade along the seafront as you sip, then set off to join them.
Go for a stroll: Walk west along Marine Parade, past pastel beach huts and ice cream kiosks. Stop to paddle on the small sandy beach then keep going to the Cobb – a curved seawall which has stretched out south-eastwards into the sea here since the 13th century. Today much of the monumental Grade I-listed structure, built to protect the harbour, is made of square blocks of Portland stone.
For stirring blustery views of the harbour and across the coast to Charmouth and West Bay, stroll along the top of the landmark. The Cobb featured in Jane Austen’s Persuasion (she visited the town in 1803 and 1804) and John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman, which was set in the seaside town. The dramatic opener of the 1981 film version with a windswept Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons was shot here too.
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Pick up fish and chips: Clamber down Granny’s Teeth, the Cobb’s narrow protruding stairs, and walk back around the harbour to Marine Parade. Herbie’s takeaway van is the place for freshly fried fish and chips, or go for a special of hand-dived Lyme Bay scallops and chips. Sit by the sand or Cobb to eat but do keep watch for the greedy seagulls, who tend to swoop from behind.
Walk on ammonites: Carry on walking away from the harbour wall to Monmouth Beach. At low tide the Ammonite Pavement, a limestone ledge embedded with fossils of long-extinct marine creatures, is exposed on the walk towards Seven Rock Point and Pinhay Bay. You may well find your own ammonites, belemnites or plant fossils as you go.
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Shop ‘til you drop: Broad Street is lined with fossil shops and an attractive mix of independent and upmarket chain stores. For geology, walking and local history books, along with shelves full of fiction, head into the independent Lyme Regis Bookshop. No luck finding fossils? Pick up prime specimens in the Old Forge Fossil Shop.
Go for drinks and dinner: Natural wines, along with pickled, fermented and preserved wild food, are on the menu at Robin Wylde on Silver Street. If you can snag a table (it’s only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings), the elegant 18-cover restaurant offers an inventive tasting menu where chef Harriet Mansell peppers dishes with produce plucked from Dorset’s coastline, hedgerows, moors and fields. Like what you tried? The restaurant also runs foraging walks.
Saturday
Go for a dip: Feeling invigorated by all that sea air? Seize the day and go for an early morning swim across the bay. The water is full of swimmers, paddleboarders and kayakers all year round. Yellow buoys mark a swim line from the north wall of the Cobb across the main sandy beach to Church Cliff Beach. Don’t fancy full cold-water immersion? Rent a kayak from Lyme Kayak Hire, which has a shack on the beach.
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Have a hearty breakfast: Warm up with an excellent coffee and breakfast bagel from Kiosk, right on the pebbly beach. Or head inside to café-bar Swim on Marine Parade. The Field breakfast with roasted field mushroom and tomato, smashed avocado, house beans, sauté potatoes, fried egg and toast will set you up nicely for the rest of the day.
Brush up on local history at: the Lyme Regis Museum. Built on the site of Anning’s family home and fossil shop, it's a treasure trove of local items and info. As well as its fine collection of fossils, the museum has an assortment of maritime objects, paintings, prints and photographs that detail the town’s history from its first mention in AD 774, to its emergence as a prosperous medieval trading port, then evolution into a fashionable 18th-century sea bathing resort.
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Pick up picnic supplies: Stroll up Broad Street to Good Food, an enticing café and deli, to buy warm pasties or wedges of Dorset apple cake, then nip over to Ammonite Fine Foods for a waxed truckle of Dorset Cheddar, local chutneys and bottle of Lyme Bay Winery’s Shoreline. Stuffed full of southwestern goodness, expect to leave this delightful deli laden down with tasty titbits. Lacking something sweet? Nip into Lyme Rocks, a gorgeous little sweet shop on Bridge Street groaning with colourful candy treats including stripy rock and fossil-themed treats.
Admire Anning’s statue: Set out east along Long Entry, where a bronze statue of Anning commands the walkway. Striding purposefully with a geologist’s hammer in one hand and an ammonite in the other, her trusty dog Tray is shown at her side. If the tide is low, walk out from Church Cliff Beach onto Broad Ledge, a craggy expanse of limestone rock riddled with rockpools, and head along East Cliff Beach, and keep an eye out for ammonites and belemnites that may have been washed out of the cliffs. If the tide is in, follow the Church Cliff Walk along the top of the sea wall instead. It has spectacular views of the dark cliffs and honey-hued Golden Cap, the highest point on the south coast.
Visit a working flour mill: Back in town, the ancient flour mill was painstakingly restored by the Town Mill Trust and reopened in 2001. Take a tour, buy flour or simply peek in to see the wheel in action before strolling around the tiny but tranquil Miller’s Garden. The restored mill buildings now house artisan producers, galleries and a clutch of places to eat. From here you can follow a restored riverside footpath to the village of Uplyme.
Enjoy dinner at: The Millside, a delightful little restaurant. If the weather permits, sit on its pretty terrace where you can hear the Lym trickling as you slurp rock oysters with a zingy passionfruit mignonette, or get stuck into a steaming bowl of west country mussels in a turmeric and lime leaf broth. The whole Lyme Bay cracked crab with roast fennel, green bean, heritage tomato and orange salad is a standout, as are the puddings.
Sunday
Enjoy baked delights: Turkish eggs, sourdough pancakes, fresh pastries or the full Baker’s Breakfast (or Veggie Baker’s Breakfast) with lashings of sourdough are all on the menu at the Town Mill Bakery and café on Coombe Street. Coffee connoisseurs are assured of a great brew with beans from Bristol-based Extract Coffee Roasters.
Catch mackerel: Local fisherman Harry May has led fishing trips out from the harbour for as long as anyone can remember. Snare your spot on one of his two fishing boats, Marie F and Sunbeam, which take up to 10 passengers per day for one-hour mackerel or three-hour deep sea fishing trips (weather permitting). The crew will prepare your catch for you to take away – and show you how to DIY next time. Harry has an arrangement with Herbies who will cook your fish, or you can leave it on ice at the fish shop by the harbour for later.
Feast on seascapes: Appetite suitably piqued, walk up through Langmoor and Lister gardens to Mark Hix’s lofty The Oyster and Fish House. Ask for a window seat and sit down to feast on fish and seafood plucked from the southwest coast. Nibble on cockle popcorn and scrumpy fried oyster with scotch bonnet mayonnaise followed by grilled Lyme Bay lobster with garlic butter and chips. The menu changes daily, depending on what the fishermen can catch.
Check out: Music fans should check out the Marine Theatre, a handsome community-run waterfront theatre that hosts free Sunday Sessions with live music from local bands. Originally a sea water baths, which opened in 1806, the building has been a theatre, garrison, cinema and entertainment venue. Now it hosts a range of community events, theatre and comedy productions, along with open-air performances in summer.
For more information about things to see and do in Lyme Regis, take a look at Visit Dorset.
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