Cliff-top locations can be quite exhilarating to walk along as I have found when visiting Beachy Head, Dover, and West Bay.
West Bay, also known as Bridport Harbour, on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast is a truly lovely holiday spot that was used in the TV series Broadchurch.
This small harbour, sited at the mouth of the River Brit, is about one and a half miles south of Bridport and 15 miles from Weymouth.
The views of the delightful Dorset coastline, shown as a backdrop when David Tennant and Olivia Colman starred in the television drama, made me long to revisit it.
West Bay forms part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage site which stretches for 96 miles and can boast of some excellent beaches.
There are plenty of places to eat such as The West Bay Hotel, an 18th century inn overlooking the beach, and The George – plus a lot more in nearby Lyme Regis.
In addition to providing the perfect setting for television producers when planning Broadchurch, the magnificent West Bay cliffs, and those at Beachy Head, help inspire authors. This was certainly the case with my wife, Heather Flood, when writing the new edition of her children’s book Mousey Mousey and the Witches’ Spells. She has used a cliff-top drama for her latest adventure story.
Until Broadchurch, the Beachy Head location was more famous and has unfortunately been the scene of several accidents and suicides.
The dangers along this East Sussex coast have been increased by heavy rain falls which has resulted in rock falls and slips such as those seen at Birling Gap, in which large sections of the cliff face have fallen into the sea.
So don’t go too near the edge when exploring these otherwise wonderful holiday beauty spots.
