Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
JURASSIC COAST
The kind of massive, hands-on geology lesson you wish you'd had at school, the Jurassic Coast is England's first
natural World Heritage site, putting it on a par with the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon. This striking
shoreline stretches from Exmouth in East Devon to Swanage in Dorset, encompassing 185 million years of the
earth's history in just 95 miles. It means you can walk, in just a few hours, many millions of years in geological
time.
It began when layers of rocks formed, their varying compositions determined by different climates. Desert con-
ditions gave way to higher then lower sea levels before massive earth movements tilted all the rock layers to the
east. Next, erosion exposed the different strata, leaving most of the oldest formations in the west and the youngest
in the east.
The differences are very tangible. Edging east out of
Exmouth
the rusty-red Triassic rocks are 200 to 250 mil-
lion years old, and are at their most striking at
Orcombe Point
,
Ladram Bay
and
Sidmouth
. In between,
Budleigh Salterton
's famously pebbly beach is made up of some of the coast's oldest rocks: nuggets of quartzite
that are slowly being released from the cliffs and smoothed by the sea. Then comes the geological quirk at
Beer
,
where a creamy-white segment of cliff interrupts the rose-red line. This is chalk from the Cretaceous period - a
mere 65 million years old. It survived at Beer because the earth's forces folded this layer down, so it wasn't worn
away, as it has been elsewhere. That legacy can be seen at the fascinating Beer Quarry Caves (
Click here
)
and a
stunning hike between Branscombe and Beer (
Click here
)
.
The website
www.jurassiccoast.org
is an excellent information source; also look out locally for the highly read-
able
Official Guide to the Jurassic Coast
(£4.95), or buy it at
www.jurassiccoasttrust.org
.
Sleeping
New Moorings
( 01395-223073;
www.newmoorings.co.uk
; 1 More-ton Rd; s £30, d £60-70; )
The unfussy but
charming rooms here are decked out in neutral gingham and sanded wood. The bathrooms
are small but spotless, the breakfast menu is extensive, and the hosts are past masters at
warm welcomes - the sign on the front door says, simply, 'Smile!'
B&B
£
HOTEL
£
Dolphin
( 01395-263832;
www.dolphinhotelexmouth.co.uk
; 2 Morton Rd; s/d £40/80; )
The bedrooms here
may be supremely simple but they're also quite sweet; choose from warm red and pine, or
blue and cream. There's an impressive number of single and family rooms, too.
Royal Beacon
( 01395-264886;
www.royalbeacon.co.uk
; The Beacon; s £65, d £105-145; )
Exmouth's classiest
sleep spot sits proudly on Exmouth's classiest street - a villa-backed rise overlooking the
sea. It exudes that warming feel of a well-run, long-established hotel. Plush furnishings,
HOTEL
££
