Thorncombe Beacon – West Bay Harbour loop from West Bay

Hiking trails & Routes

Thorncombe Beacon – West Bay Harbour loop from West Bay

Moderate

4.8

(16)

189

hikers

Thorncombe Beacon – West Bay Harbour loop from West Bay

02:22

8.30km

200m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: October 16, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Dorset National Landscape

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

925 m

Coastal Landslide in Dorset National Landscape

Highlight • Viewpoint

There seems to be more and more landslides across the whole coastal area

Tip by

1.40 km

Thorncombe Beacon

Highlight • Viewpoint

Thorncombe Beacon once formed part of a chain of beacon sites along the South Coast to warn of the approach of the Spanish Armada in 1588. These days, you can still enjoy wonderful coastal views from this great vantage point.

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2.34 km

View of Golden Cap from Doghouse Hill

Highlight • Natural Monument

People lived on Doghouse Hill on the Golden Cap estate up to 10,000 years ago.
Finds included a stone hearth, fire pit and pot shards from Bronze Age periods (2,500 …

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2.82 km

Thorncombe Beacon: Smugglers' Song, Beacon, and Watering Well

Highlight (Segment) • Summit

3 little things to see on this section.
A Smugglers song by Rudyard Kipling
IF you wake at midnight, and hear a horse's feet,
Don't go drawing back the blind, …

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4.34 km

Eype Beach

Highlight • River

Be advised the car park is no longer an honesty box. it is run by euro car parks with an ANPR camera. the machine and signage have been heavily vandalised

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4.61 km

View of West Cliff and Lyme Bay

Highlight (Segment) • Natural Monument

West Cliff rises spectacularly between West Bay and Eype Mouth above Dorset's Lyme Bay. From this cliff path, you can see the vast Thorncombe Beacon to the west and, in …

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5.94 km

West Bay Harbour

Highlight • Settlement

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 …

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6.25 km