__NOTOC__ Ringstead Bay, with the small

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

of Ringstead at the eastern end and the prominent headland of

White Nothe White Nothe (meaning "White Nose") is a chalk headland on the English Channel coast at the eastern end of Ringstead Bay, east of Weymouth in Dorset, England. The area is well known for its geology and fossils. Its flanks are the result of preh ...

at the western end, is located on the coast in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, southern

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The area lies on the

Jurassic Coast The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. It stretches from Exmouth in East Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset, a distance of about , and was inscribed on the World Heritage List in mid-December ...

and is known for its natural environment and

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s. Ringstead Bay has a pebble and shingle beach with some sand. There are offshore

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...

s approximately in length at the western end opposite the village that are uncovered at low tide. This forms is

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...

between the low cliffs to the north and the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

to the south. The

Ringstead Coral Bed The Ringstead Coral Bed (also sometimes in the plural) is a geological formation with fossilized coral in England. It preserves fossils dating back to the Jurassic Period (geology), period. The beds are exposed at Ringstead Bay in Dorset, on the ...

geological formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...

exposed at Ringstead Bay, hence the name. It preserves

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

dating back to the

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

. Immediately to the east are the white chalk cliffs of

, dominating the bay. Below is Burning Cliff. It is possible to walk to the top of White Nothe and back, with views of the bay and across to the

Isle of Portland An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...

. It is also possible to walk to Ringstead Bay on a circular walk from

Lulworth Cove Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, southern England. The cove is one of the world's finest examples of such a landform, and is a World Heritage Site and tourist location with approximately ...

to the east, via

Durdle Door Durdle Door (sometimes written Durdle Dor) is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset, England.West, I.W., 2003.Durdle Door; Geology of the Dorset Coast. Southampton University, UK. Version H.07.09.03. It is priva ...

and White Nothe.Durdle Door & White Nothe circularThe South West Coast Path National Trail
UK. Ringstead Bay also has a

nudist Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...

beach that is a 20-minutes walk east of the main Ringstead beach.

Access

Ringstead Bay is accessible by way of a

private road A private road is a road owned or controlled by a private person, persons or corporation rather than a road open to the public and owned by a government. Private roads can be on private land or can be constructed on government land for use by gov ...

with a

car park A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surfac ...

at the end near the sea and Ringstead village. There is an alternative free car park in the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

area further inland, with footpath access to the sea via a 15–20 minute walk.

Gallery

File:Ringstead bay beach east end.jpg, The east end of the beach at Ringstead Bay File:Ringstead bay from the clifftop.jpg, View west across Ringstead Bay File:Ringstead bay white nothe.jpg, View across Ringstead Bay to White Nothe File:Rocky ringstead bay shore dorset.jpg, Rocky foreshore on the east side of Ringstead Bay File:Ringstead bay beach.jpg, Beach and cliffs, Ringstead Bay File:Isle_of_Portland_from_Ringstead_Bay_with_Weymouth.jpg, View of the

from Ringstead Bay File:Isle of Portland from Ringstead Bay.jpg, View of the

from Ringstead Bay

References

External links

* {{Jurassic Coast Bays of Dorset Jurassic Coast National Trust properties in Dorset Nude beaches

Access

Gallery

See also

References

External links