West Bay

West Bay is a small harbour village on the Dorset coast, south of Bridport. The harbour has been moved more than once because of silting and storm damage. Work began on a new harbour 270 metres to the west in 1740, and it opened in 1744. Improvements finished in 2005 added the Jurassic Pier.

The cliffs either side differ in rock: East Cliff is Bridport Sand Formation and Inferior Oolite, while West Cliff is Frome Clay and Forest Marble from the Middle Jurassic. West Bay East Beach is the larger of the two beaches now, built up by drifting sediment, and it forms one end of Chesil Beach, the barrier that runs 18 miles to the Isle of Portland.

West Bay Discovery Centre is in a Grade II listed former Methodist chapel of 1849, beside East Beach and next to the Bridport Arms. Entry is free, and it opens seasonally, so check its opening times before you go. Dorset Council car parks around the harbour are pay and display.

ITV filmed the first series of Broadchurch at West Bay in 2012, and visitor numbers rose after it aired in March 2013. Bridport, with its Wednesday and Saturday street market, is the nearest town. From Hive Beach, a cliff-top walk on the South West Coast Path leads west to West Bay and then on to Thorncombe Beacon.