Lyme Regis & The Cobb
Lyme Regis
A seaside 'Fossil Capital' town, with the curving old stone breakwater known as the Cobb, fossil-rich beaches and the story of Mary Anning.
Lyme Regis is the most popular town on the western section of the Jurassic Coast. The Cobb is a curved stone breakwater built from the 13th century onwards, made famous by the novel The French Lieutenant's Woman. East of town, Monmouth Beach has rock surfaces covered in ammonite fossils, and at low tide you can see the 'Ammonite Pavement'. The Lyme Regis Museum is built on the site of fossil hunter Mary Anning's former home and displays ichthyosaur fossils. You can join a guided fossil-hunting tour, but be mindful of falling rocks and the tide.
Opening hours
Open all day; museum approx. 10:00 am–5:00 pm
Nearby sights
- Charmouth Fossil Beach
- Golden Cap
- West Bay
- Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens
- Abbotsbury Swannery
- Chesil Beach
- Maiden Castle
- Cerne Abbas Giant