Ringstead Bay
Ringstead Bay and the small village of Ringstead are located on the coast in Dorset, southern England. They are accessible by way of a private road that you have to pay £5 to be able to use with a car park at the end near the sea. There is an alternative car park that is free. This one is a national trust area and there is access to the sea by a 15-20 minute walk and there is also a picnic area. The area lies on the Jurassic Coast and is known for its natural beauty and fossils.
Ringstead Bay has a pebble and shingle beach with some sand. There are offshore reefs approximately 600 metres in length at the western end opposite the village that are uncovered at low tide. This forms is intertidal zone between the low cliffs to the north and the English Channel to the south.
The original village and church at Ringstead, located in a field to the east of the current settlement and mentioned in the Domesday Book, no longer exists. It may have been destroyed by pirates or plague.
Immediately to the east are the white chalk cliffs of White Nothe, dominating the bay. It is possible to walk to the top of White Nothe and back, with spectacular views of the bay and across to the Isle of Portland.[1] It is also possible to walk to Ringstead Bay on a circular walk from Lulworth Cove to the east, via Durdle Door and White Nothe.[2]
The small village of Osmington Mills lies on the coast about 1.5 km to the west and there is a footpath along the cliffs, via Bran Point.[3][4] Perry Ledge is a reef off the beach near Bran Point. The large town of Weymouth is situated approximately 8 km west of Ringstead Bay.
[edit] Gallery
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View west across Ringstead Bay
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View across Ringstead Bay to White Nothe
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Rocky foreshore on the east side of Ringstead Bay
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Beach and cliffs, Ringstead Bay
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Ian West, Ringstead Bay to White Nothe, Dorset, Geology of the Wessex Coast of Southern England, University of Southampton, UK.
- ^ Durdle Door & White Nothe circular, The South West Coast Path National Trail, UK.
- ^ Ian West, Osmington Mills to Ringstead Bay — Corallian Strata, Geology of the Wessex Coast of Southern England, University of Southampton, UK.
- ^ Osmington, Osmington Mills and Ringstead, Dorset, UK.
[edit] External links
- Map sources for Ringstead Bay
