Why the U.K.'s fossil capital is the perfect seaside getaway

Were you to dig below Lyme Regis’ bunting-slung streets, you’d hit a geological marvel: the Blue Lias. This vast sequence of limestone and shale layers, formed during the Mesozoic era some 200 million years ago, reveals fossils as it erodes, making the town one of Europe’s most important paleontological centres. It’s a badge locals wear proudly: you’ll find a weather-beaten statue of celebrated fossil hunter Mary Anning overlooking Church Cliff Beach. In 1823, while wandering Lyme Regis’s coastline, she unearthed the world’s first complete skeleton of a Plesiosaurus and, nearly two centuries after her death, the town remains a magnet for excavators.

Where should I begin?

The main strip is Front Beach, which fringes the promenade with its wash of pastel huts. On its western end, you’ll find Shoreline Sauna, whose wood-fired, Nordic-style saunas sit right on the sand. Close by is the Cobb: a man-made harbour featured in the novel Persuasion by Lyme Regis habitué Jane Austen. It leads off Monmouth Beach, a quieter, pebbled stretch popular among fossil hunters scouring for ammonites — those distinctive, spiralled molluscs that have become a symbol of the town. You can learn more about Lyme Regis’s prehistoric residents at the Dinosaurland Fossil Museum, home to a collection of more than 30,000 specimens, including a dolphin-like ichthyosaur unearthed nearby and the skull of a vast, carnivorous mosasaur. The museum also organises fossil walks run by local palaeontologists, with the chance to collect fossilised bullet-shaped belemnites — the shells of squid-like creatures that once swam the oceans.

What else is there beyond the fossils?

The Cobb is the launch point for Lyme Rib Rides, whose sightseeing cruises zip along the coast. Choose between the exhilarating, 20-minute ‘Lyme dash’ or the hour-long cruise that passes towering cliffs and secret coves. Otherwise, head up the stairs linking Monmouth Beach with the South West Coast Path — a 630-mile trail tracing this wave-lashed corner of England. Walk west for an hour and you hit the Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs National Nature Reserve. The distinctive character of this seven-mile stretch of coastline was formed by a succession of landslides, yielding undulating bluffs and diverse woodland. Back in Lyme Regis, visit the Town Mill: the site dates back to 1340 and its 17th-century watermill has been painstakingly restored by volunteers. It’s become a home to local businesses including art studios, a vintage-inspired boutique and a potter’s workshop, plus Lyme Regis Brewery, whose craft beers go down a treat in the courtyard.

Where’s good for food?

Start your day at Kiosk, on Front Beach, serving sausage- or halloumi-stuffed breakfast bagels that are best enjoyed while reclining on a sunlounger on the shingle. For lunch or dinner, there’s Sandro’s, a dinky, family-run operation masterminded by ex-River Cottage chef Alessandro Strillozzi. The menu is seasonal, with British ingredients going into Italian-style dishes like venison with polenta.

Atop the hill overlooking Lyme Bay, you’ll find Rockfish, from sustainable fishing advocate and TV chef Mitch Tonks. Guests choose from a list of daily catches from nearby Brixham Fish Market and dine to views of Lyme Regis’s historic centre. Then there’s Tom’s, an AA Rosette bistro whose fish board — piled with lobster, scallops, crab croquettes, pearl oysters and prawns — is legendary.