20 Attractions to Explore Near Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre

Charmouth is a delightful unspoiled seaside village set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with a fantastic beach world-renowned for its fossils. The large shingle beach and the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre on the seafront are a must-visit for those interested in fossils and local natural history. It is great for the family – lots of sand especially at low tide, safe swimming, picnic areas, cafes, and beach shops.

Lyme Regis Museum houses some fantastic fossils and is a great place to learn about the long history of fossil collecting in the area. It is built on the site of the birthplace and home of the fossil hunter Mary Anning. The Anning family also ran a shop here.

Dinosaurland Fossil Museum is a private museum which is owned and run by Palaeontologist Steve Davies and his wife Jenny. The museum contains a spectacular collection of the local Jurassic marine fossils. The ground floor of the museum houses a spectacular collection of 200-million-year-old Jurassic fossils which have been discovered along the local coastline. Exhibits range from the enormous Ichthyosaur to the tiniest fish and ammonites.

The Town Mill is a unique mix of working watermills, art galleries, and creative artisanal businesses. Centered around a beautiful medieval cobbled courtyard and featuring a landscaped ‘Miller’s Garden’, the Town Mill is one of Lyme Regis’ leading attractions. watch the giant waterwheel turn as it is driven by water from the River Lym. A miller will demonstrate how the huge gears harness this power to drive the heavy grindstone.

Monmouth Beach is a pebble and rock beach which was located just outside the town of Lyme Regis, and stretches from the famous Cobb for about one mile, to Pinhey Beach. This beach is so named because the Duke of Monmouth landed here in 1685 in an attempt to wrest the crown from King James II. One of the family-friendly beach and is apt for a swim and bath.

Golden Cap is a hill and cliff situated on the English Channel coast between Bridport and Charmouth in Dorset. The great rocky shoulder of Golden Cap offers magnificent views at every compass point. On a clear day, you can see across Lyme Bay to Dartmoor - well worth the effort of the walk uphill. Langdon is owned by the National Trust and encompasses a circular walk of approximately one mile.

Forde Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery dating back to the early 12th century. Throughout the 20th century, the 30 acres of gardens that surround this unique house have been transformed by the present owners. The house and gardens are run as a tourist attraction while the 1,600-acre estate is farmed to provide additional revenue. Forde Abbey is a Grade I listed building.

Discover over 250 million years of history as you explore the interactive displays at Seaton Jurassic, a community lead centre, which allows visitors to learn more about the Jurassic Coast. Seaton Jurassic host a number of exciting events, designed to engage children with the natural surroundings and coastal and marine life. These include weekly craft sessions, nature trails and talks and seminars.

Seaton Tramway operates narrow gauge heritage trams between Seaton, Colyford and Colyton in East Devon's glorious Axe Valley, travelling alongside the River Axe estuary through two nature reserves and giving an unrivalled view of the abundant wading birdlife. Fourteen tramcars are part of the visitor attraction, which sees about 80,000 visitors per year.

Forde Abbey is a stunning example of history preserved but not petrified, where the Kennard family continues to live and work in an informal style and where visitors will always receive a warm welcome. It has a long and varied history and was mostly neglected in the 19th century. The current family owners have lived in the house since 1905. The gardens are Grade II* listed and they cover 30 acres. There are several water features, planted gardens and an arboretum.

Beer beach is a beautiful family friendly shingle beach surrounded by limestone cliffs. Beer Beach is close to Seaton town, and a great day out if you are based in Seaton. Once a smuggler's haven. Specially designed boats are launched from beach by skilled fishermen and mackerel fishing trips available.

Pecorama is a beautiful tourist attraction with 9-acre site that includes the manufacturing production of the world-famous PECO products, the team behind Railway Modeller and Continental Modeller magazines. It also includes a display of many model railways, gardens, a shop, and the Beer Heights Light Railway and so more.

Mapperton is a glorious sandstone manor house and romantic valley garden deep in a lost Dorset combe among tumbling hills and unspoiled countryside. It hosts several events each year, including charity plant fairs, classical concerts, easter trails, creepy crawly shows, food shows and halloween fun days. The house is open by guided tour only, which run at set times each day.

Chard Museum and Heritage Centre is a museum located in the village of Chard near the border with Devon. Exhibits include the history of Chard, historical agricultural equipment, a display on cider making, a 1960's exhibit, a blacksmith's forge display and an exhibit on John Stringfellow, who worked in Chard and was a pioneer of powered flying machines.

A beautiful 19th- century watermill set in 5 acres of peaceful, landscaped water gardens, deep in the heart of Somerset. This watermill combines beautiful original features and traditional character with modern comforts. Today it has been beautifully converted into a 4-star hotel, with the historic mill’s stunning original features carefully preserved and sensitively integrated. All of the hotel’s cosy en suite rooms are individually designed and decorated in a traditional country style.

A beautiful farm runs over almost 134 acres, including 10 acres of woodland, and is perched on top of a hill 805 feet above sea level, looking out over the beautiful valley of Farway which is home to almost 300 donkeys and mules. The donkeys on the farm are some of the youngest and fittest in the sanctuary, as the fields leading down to the valley are very steep.

Magnificent Victorian walled garden set in 20 acres of the woodland valley. It was probably one of the best gardens of its type in the world. Winner of the silver medal at Chelsea and silver-gilt at Hampton Court Show. The gardens are in a wooded and sheltered valley, leading down towards the sea at Chesil Beach; this combination produces a microclimate in which more delicate plants than are usually grown in southern England can flourish, and plants that would otherwise need greenhouses can be

Abbotsbury Swannery is the only place in the world where you are able to walk through the heart of a colony of nesting Mute Swans. Visitors to the Swannery can help hand feed over 600 swans at 12.00 noon and 4.00pm daily, which is an experience not to be missed. The accompanying talk from the swanherd provides an enaging and informative insight into these graceful birds.

Barrington Court is a charming Tudor manor house complimented beautifully with Gertrude Jekyll-inspired gardens, apple orchards and a working kitchen garden. The house was originally surrounded by a medieval deer park and in the 17th century a formal garden was constructed. This had largely disappeared until a new garden was laid out by garden designer Gertrude Jekyll in an Arts and Crafts-style.

A beautiful 390 acre open access Country Park, superb countryside and Iron Age earthworks. Ham Hill has amazing panoramic views of Somerset. Ham Hill Country Park is now more accessible for all than ever before. There are suitable walks and trails for all levels of walkers.