Towards Chesil Beach Dorset-041120 (1) _Explored
Part of a circular walk I was enjoying from Abbotsbury. The building in the centre of the shot is St Catherine's Chapel, see later photos for more details & a close up.
Chesil Beach is an 18-mile long shingle barrier beach stretching from West Bay to Portland and is one of Dorset’s most iconic landmarks.
Forming part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, the sweeping, shingle ridge stretching for miles into the distance is a sight to behold, in fact, the view of Chesil Beach from the coast road above Abbotsbury has been voted by Country Life Magazine as Britain’s 3rd best view.
The pebbles on Chesil Beach are graded in size from potato-sized near Portland to pea-sized at Bridport and are made up of mainly flint and chert from the Cretaceous and Jurassic rocks, along with Bunter pebbles from Budleigh Salterton. It is believed that smugglers landing on the beach at night could could judge their position along the coast simply by picking up a handful of shingle.
Behind Chesil Beach lies a large saline lake known as the Fleet Lagoon, one of the few remaining undisturbed brackish lagoons left in the world.
The lagoon is home to the mute swan colony at Abbotsbury, the only place in the world where you can walk through a nesting colony and one of Dorset’s most popular tourist attractions.
Towards Chesil Beach Dorset-041120 (1) _Explored
Part of a circular walk I was enjoying from Abbotsbury. The building in the centre of the shot is St Catherine's Chapel, see later photos for more details & a close up.
Chesil Beach is an 18-mile long shingle barrier beach stretching from West Bay to Portland and is one of Dorset’s most iconic landmarks.
Forming part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, the sweeping, shingle ridge stretching for miles into the distance is a sight to behold, in fact, the view of Chesil Beach from the coast road above Abbotsbury has been voted by Country Life Magazine as Britain’s 3rd best view.
The pebbles on Chesil Beach are graded in size from potato-sized near Portland to pea-sized at Bridport and are made up of mainly flint and chert from the Cretaceous and Jurassic rocks, along with Bunter pebbles from Budleigh Salterton. It is believed that smugglers landing on the beach at night could could judge their position along the coast simply by picking up a handful of shingle.
Behind Chesil Beach lies a large saline lake known as the Fleet Lagoon, one of the few remaining undisturbed brackish lagoons left in the world.
The lagoon is home to the mute swan colony at Abbotsbury, the only place in the world where you can walk through a nesting colony and one of Dorset’s most popular tourist attractions.