[Closed] Chesil beach - is it just pebbles

Chesil beach – is it just pebbles

Yes

From my personal experience.

Other sand based beaches reasonably locally though, e.g. sanddown.

Lyme Regis has a nice sandy bit that's proper seasidey

The pebble beaches are still great for fossil hunting and rock hopping

Yes. And fairly deep shelving with strong currents. Crap for swimming with kids as dangerous.

However, if you like sea fishing, it can be great.

The film was terrible

Beach at Weymouth town is sandy and quite pleasant.

The book's awesome.

As is the associated joke from Peep Show.

Also a couple of nice sandy beaches inside Portland Harbour near Castle cove. GreAt when the town beaches are full or if there are cold northerly winds.

Chesil Beach, sometimes called Chesil Bank, in Dorset, southern England is one of three major shingle structures in Britain. Its name is derived from the Old English ceosel or cisel, meaning "shit beach".

Wikipedia

It's said that a local fisherman washed up in total darkness on Chesil Beach  could tell you exactly where you were by the size of the pebbles.

Handy if you were passing and wanted to know the way to the pub.

Go to Lyme Regis, One of my favourite seaside places, A sandy beach and you can see the kids from several pub gardens.:-)

It’s said that a local fisherman washed up in total darkness on Chesil Beach could tell you exactly where you were by the size of the pebbles.

If I remember my O level geology field trip from 40 yrs ago right they are graded by size by longshore drift:)

Thats one of two things I remember from that field trip (thanks Julie)

If I remember my O level geology field trip from 40 yrs ago right they are graded by size by longshore drift:)

Thats one of two things I remember from that field trip (thanks Julie)

I did A level geography an AO level Geology:-) and seem to recall the origins being open to debate, though longshore drift would seem an obvious explanation

It would appear my notions may be simplistic 🙂 Thanks for that, i always appreciate being informed by someone with better knowledge and I'm going to read that properly once it's not friday night and I'm sober.
But you can't take Julie away from me 🙂

Yes, but they're graded by size and rougness as you walk alongh the beach. 😉

It's also Snoop Dogg's favourite coastal location.

It's such a shit beach, Barnes Wallis was told to make a bomb to blow it up, the locals found out though, and at the last minute, the RAF changed their minds and blew up some dams in Germany.

True story

Chesil Beach is just pebbles and as the others have said it is only good for fishing and bouncing bombs.

However, a ten minute drive west along the B3157 will get you to Burton Bradstock which is sandy with an upmarket cafe/sea food restaurant or drive another ten minutes in the same direction and go to West Bay. There you’ll find lots for kids to do, an ok beach with lifeguards (aka the Broadchurch cliffs), catching crabs in the harbour, ice cream and fish & chips.

Yes. And fairly deep shelving with strong currents. Crap for swimming with kids as dangerous.

Yep it’s not really a kid/anyone friendly beach.

my parents once sent me snorkelling off chesil beach.

But you can’t take Julie away from me 🙂

I'll swap you my geology teacher Mr Baxter, the driest, dustiest, squarest  teacher in the history of geology and geography. He may well be dead now, it was 37 years ago, mind you it would probably be hard to tell.

Must have been good at his job though, that bit of information about Chesil beach has remained with me all that time.

Pebbles and incredibly posh 1960s English couples looking meaningfully into the distance without talking to each other. Frankly I'd avoid - you can't move for fey-looking couples who just need some marriage counselling.

I voluntered at work to go down and help out to rebuild it after some storms, but they brough the army in to do it. Pissed me right off that did.

Me to Mrs Ampthill

"I'm disappointed that you didn't tell me that Cheryl Beach is graded .y sediment size along its length"

Mrs Ampthill

"I knew that"

Me

"But you didn't tell me"

Mrs A

"Well I didn't know that you didn't know. I thought it was obvious"

Mrs A "it's because of the long shore drift"

Me "I think you'll find it's not complicated than that"

The long winter evenings fly by at Ampthill Towers

It’s said that a local fisherman washed up in total darkness on Chesil Beach could tell you exactly where you were by the size of the pebbles.

If I remember my O level geology field trip from 40 yrs ago right they are graded by size by longshore drift:)

Yes, but visiting in order to find this out is something of a waste of time, tbh.
Several years ago I drove down to Portland Bill just to check it out, I’d only ever been there once to watch part of an offshore powerboat race, many years before, so it looked worth visiting again.
It was, but only the once, and I stopped off to have a look at Chesil Beach. Walking from the car park to the water was hard work, walking along it? Nah, not worth the effort. It’s a spectacular coastal feature, but barely worth the effort of driving there.
Take the kids somewhere like Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Seatown, West Bay or Burton Bradstock, where they can go fossil hunting, and you can get food and drinks.

Thanks all. Looks like we'll look elsewhere..