Part of the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, West Bay is a beautiful harbour settlement. Originally designed as a commercial harbour for nearly Bridport to export fishing nets, West Bay declined in importance with the advent of the railways. Not a natural harbour and exposed to the south, over the centuries many attempts have been made to prevent it from silting up and to repair storm damage.

Today, West Bay is a thriving fishing harbour popular with tourists. With a wonderful beach and impressive cliffs, it's well worth visiting. It should be noted that it's part of an eroding landscape and cliff falls have occurred in recent years so always respect warnings and signage.

Brian

January 22, 2017

West Bay, also known as Bridport Harbour, is a small harbour settlement and resort on the English Channel coast in Dorset, England, sited at the mouth of the River Brit approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Bridport. The area is part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site.

The harbour at West Bay is not a natural landscape feature and it has a long history of having been silted up, blocked by shingle and damaged by storms, and each time repairs, improvements and enlargements have subsequently been made. The harbour has been moved twice: it was originally 1 mile (1.6 km) inland, then was moved to the coast beside the East Cliff, then was moved again 270 metres (300 yd) along the coast to the west, where it is located today.

The previous main commercial trade of the harbour—exporting Bridport's ropes and nets—declined in the second half of the 19th century. When the railway arrived in 1884, attempts were made to provide the settlement with the facilities of a resort, and today West Bay has a mixed economy of tourism and fishing.

Bettina

November 10, 2019

From the pier you have a particularly good view of the famous cliffs.
Impressive place with rough seas!

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 50 m

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Max wind speed: 13.0 km/h

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Location: Bridport, West Dorset, Dorset, South West England, England, United Kingdom

West Bay Harbour

1. Bridport to West Bay loop — National Trust coastal walks in West Dorset

2. Eype & Thorncombe Beacon loop from West Bay — Dorset

3. Bridport & Eype loop from West Bay — Dorset

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