Ringstead

Ringstead sits on the coast about 5 miles (8 km) east of Weymouth, above Ringstead Bay. The sloping pebble beach along the bay is a favourite with families, and offshore reefs about 600 metres long are exposed at low tide.

The South West Coast Path runs along the cliffs. From the National Trust car park you can follow it west towards Osmington and Weymouth, or east towards Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove. A circular walk from Lulworth Cove reaches the bay via Durdle Door and White Nothe. White Nothe is the prominent headland at the east end of the bay, with white chalk cliffs and views across to the Isle of Portland. Walking out to it, you pass above Burning Cliff, which once caught fire because of the oil shale and iron pyrites in its rock.

There is a car park near the sea, reached by a private road, and a National Trust car park further inland, which is a 15 to 20 minute walk to the water. Both charge for parking. The original medieval village, West Ringstead, was deserted, most likely after the Black Death reached Weymouth in 1348, and its remains lie in a field west of the present settlement.

Weymouth, 5 miles west, is the nearest town, and the coast path leads west from the bay towards Osmington.