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Museum
Lyme Regis Museum
Museum on the site of Mary Anning’s family home, with fossils, local history and guided fossil walks.
A mini guide to
Lyme Regis & Charmouth
Fossils, Mary Anning and the curve of the Cobb
Photos
1 / 6Welcome to the area
Fossils, Mary Anning and the curve of the Cobb
Lyme Regis is a seaside town in west Dorset on the border with Devon. Wikipedia notes its fossil-rich cliffs and beaches and the Cobb, the harbour wall that appears in Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Lyme Regis Museum stands on the site of the home of Mary Anning, the fossil collector.
Charmouth, about 2 km north-east, has a pebble beach below fast-eroding cliffs and the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre. Visit Dorset says the best places to find fossils on the Jurassic Coast are the beaches at Charmouth and Lyme Regis, and that the best place to look is the beach, not the cliffs.
Highlights
Start here
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Harbour wall
The Cobb
Curving harbour wall at Lyme Regis that features in Jane Austen’s Persuasion and in The French Lieutenant’s Woman.
Fossil museum
Dinosaurland Fossil Museum
Privately run fossil museum in a Grade I listed former Congregational church.
Directions Website Report a problem with Dinosaurland Fossil Museum
Visitor centre
Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre
Charity-run centre on Charmouth beach with fossil displays and advice on looking for fossils safely.
Directions Website Report a problem with Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre
Beach
Charmouth Beach
Pebble and sand beach below crumbling clay cliffs, well known for loose fossils washed out of the cliffs.
Aquarium
Lyme Regis Marine Aquarium
Small aquarium of local marine life in a building on the Cobb.
Directions Website Report a problem with Lyme Regis Marine Aquarium
Find your way
On the map
The map shows Lyme Regis & Charmouth and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Before you go
1
Look on the beach, not in the cliffs
Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre and Visit Dorset both say the best fossils are loose on the beach and that you should not climb or dig in the cliffs. Check current advice before fossil hunting or walking below cliffs.
2
The cliffs move all the time
The Heritage Coast Centre says the cliffs around Charmouth are very unstable, with mudflows and landslides all the time. Do not go near the cliff face, climb on landslides or mudflows, or hammer or dig into them.
3
Start at a fossil centre
The Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre and Lyme Regis Museum both run fossil walks according to Visit Dorset. Visit Dorset says a guided walk is one of the safest ways to look.
4
Mud can trap you
Visit Dorset warns that soft mud and sand can trap people. If you get stuck, stay calm, spread your weight, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.
Tips from the Britlens editors
Explore this guide
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Open the mini guide →Photo credits
- Lyme Regis & Charmouth (area photo): Martinvl, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lyme Regis Museum: Joadl, CC BY-SA 3.0 at, source
- The Cobb: Jim Osley, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dinosaurland Fossil Museum: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre: Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Charmouth Beach: Tanya Hart, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Lyme Regis Marine Aquarium: Paul the Archivist, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Town Mill: Paul the Archivist, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Langmoor and Lister Gardens: Jonathan Billinger, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Monmouth Beach: Robin Stott, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Black Ven: Gary Rogers, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Stonebarrow Hill: Gary Rogers, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Lyme Regis Beach: Jim Osley, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Seaton, Beer & Sidmouth: michael cooper, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Swanage, Studland & Purbeck: Bob Harvey, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door & Wareham: Brian Deegan, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Weymouth & Portland: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 4.0, source
- Bridport & West Bay: Martinvl, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
Keep exploring the Jurassic Coast