There are so many things to do in Lyme Regis! I guess growing up there, I would say that, but there is no getting away from the fact that this place is special.
Nestled in the Lym Valley on the boarder of Devon and Dorset, Lyme is your typical English seaside town. Boasting a quintessentially British high street, beautiful public gardens, the famous Cobb and 3km of marine walk with stunning views of the Jurassic coast both to the east and west there is nowhere better along Britain’s south coast (in my eyes anyway!).
Having lived in Australia for the last five years I was surprised to see on my return what were independent shops sadly turned into multinationals such as Tesco, WH Smith, Fat Face and even worse Costa Coffee! Lyme has enough to keep you busy for a day or a week - here are my top picks to fill your time whilst keeping the £’s in our community’s back pocket.
The top things to do in Lyme Regis…
An hours mackerel trip around the bay
A childhood memory is of the fishermen stood on the corner of the Cobb intermittently shouting, almost singing ……. “Fishing trip around the bay”… “One hours mackerel fishing around the bay”. Harry May, a local legend when it comes to Lyme fishing trips charters Marie F and Sunbeam - booking is essential.
Water sports
Growing up by the beach meant we were in the sea as much as possible… Jumping off North wall, swimming, water skiing or wake boarding. For those of you thrill seekers West Bay Blast is an exciting and exhilarating trip blasting along the coast at speeds of up to 45mph. Equally fun book a waterski or wake boarding lesson with all equipment provided with the same company. Boylos is a water sports shop located on Marine Parade if you’re up for giving SUP a go!
Relax in Langmoor Gardens
After all that adrenaline action a relax is required! Offering panoramic views of the Jurassic Coast there is much to enjoy. Take a woodland walk, take in the scented gardens, or perhaps a game of mini golf or ping pong! This was our teenage playground! There is a hut in the middle of the gardens, named by locals as ‘Chinese Hut’. My friends and I have spent many a summers evening up to mischief here!
A wander along the Cobb
A visit to Lyme is not fulfilled until you have walked around what Lyme is famous for The Cobb, featured in many a film, TV series and advert. Take a stroll onto the historic Cobb harbour wall and pose for a photo coming down ‘Grannies Teeth’ a staircase half way along of jutting out stones. Discover close up the local fish and marine life, even hand feed some mullet by visiting Lyme Aquarium at the end of The Cobb. Still independently run and owned by the Gollop family for years. On the way back offload your coins at the Arcade - A British seaside tradition!
A mooch in town
Wander down Broad Street stopping for a coffee in Aroma. This trendy cafe makes as much of their cakes, meals and drinks as they can with local products as possible. Accessible either via steps at the top Broad Street car park or via Coombe Street the Town Mill is a wonderful area to explore. Nestled around a cobbled courtyard this area is the epitome of local. With its restored water mill. Silversmith, stone sculptor, art galleries, pottery and micro brewery it also has a cafe and restaurant for either lunch or dinner. The Millside is personally one of my favourite local restaurants.
Get to know Lyme Regis
If you are interested in the wealth of history surrounding Lyme then the museum is a must, packed with fascinating displays and is built on the site of the home of Lymes’s famous fossil hunter Mary Anning. A number of walks are on offer through the museum - a great way to get to know what Lyme has to offer.
A performance @ The Marine Theatre. Our 122 year old theatre has a fascinating and colourful history. This beautiful traditional small town theatre is definitely worth an evening visit.
Fossil hunting
I’m the daughter of a geologoist, as a result, many childhood weekends were filled with walks along the Jurassic coast. Always hunting for treasure, be it ammonites, belemites or lumps of fools gold! World famous for fossil collecting you have a food chance of finding something pre-historic along this place of coast. A couple of years into retirement the legend that is my Father is taking guided fossil hunting walks so I darn’t recommend anyone else….he’s the best by far anyway!!
If you wanted a DYI option walk eastwards from Lyme along the newly built sea defence wall to Charmouth on an ebbing tide. Be careful of tides though - check them here! Another childhood memory is of Dad constantly being called out on the lifeboat to rescue uneducated fossil hunters. Once in Charmouth don’t miss free entry to The Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre where a variety of local fossils are displayed and explained including one of my mate’s Dad (Chris Moore) most recent find - Attenborough’s Sea Dragon.
Dinosaurland
For more context, history, and information on the fossils you’ve now found why not visit Dinosaurland! Nestled in the backstreets of Lyme this is a private traditional museum run by palaeontologist Steve Davies and his wife Jenny. This wonderland contains a spectacular collection of over 8,500 Jurassic marine fossils which is growing each year. It’s probably the best collection on display in SW England.
Lunch in West Bay
Driving in Lyme Regis can be a nightmare in the summer months. Instead, why not take the water route to lunch? Running between West Bay and Lyme, this beautiful half hour trip along the stunning cliffs of the Jurassic Coast is one special way to travel with zero chance of a traffic jam!
A good old pub crawl
Of course what holiday wouldn’t be complete without a pub crawl? For a town of its size, we boast many a public house and watering hole! Start at HIX with a couple of cocktails and maybe some oysters! Wander through the gardens down to the three institutions on the harbour - The Cobb Arms, The Harbour Inn and The Royal Standard. Take a break from the pints whilst you wander back along marine parade towards Cobb Gate, where you will find The Rock Point Inn and opposite The Pilot Boat. Climb the hill of Broad Street and stop in The Volunteer (our smallest pub) before taking the right hand fork up Silver Street and finishing in probably the most ‘local’ of all ‘locals’ The Nags Head (great live music most Sundays).