Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for jurassic coast
The Pearl of Dorset
By Linda Tancs
At the heart of England’s Jurassic Coast is the historic town of Lyme Regis. Locally known as Lyme, the designation Regis owes to its first Royal Charter given by King Edward I in 1284. Founded during the Saxon period, the pretty seaside town boasts narrow streets and Georgian architecture to complement its pastel-colored beach huts and rental cottages. Affectionately known as the “Pearl of Dorset,” it’s the site of curiosities like Granny’s Teeth (the stone steps along the Cobb harbor wall) and an endurance walk stretching from Lyme to nearby Seaton marked by the Undercliffs. Created by a series of landslips, the Undercliffs are only accessible on foot and lead to a jungle-like area of thick vegetation, one of the great wilderness areas of southern England.
England’s First Natural World Heritage Site
By Linda Tancs
England’s first natural World Heritage Site is known as the Jurassic Coast, covering 95 miles of unforgettable coastline stretching from East Devon to Dorset. Despite its name, the area actually covers three geological time periods: the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. Each period is spectacularly covered. For starters, there’s the red rocks of the Triassic Period at Orcombe Point at Exmouth, site of the former supercontinent Pangaea. The famous Durdle Door limestone arch near Lulworth lures fans of the Jurassic Period. And the white chalk stack of Old Harry Rocks at Handfast Point near Studland highlights a time during the Cretaceous Period when the ever widening Atlantic Ocean breached the chalk ridge. Use the South West Coast Path to access the entire site.

