Best beaches in Dorset

Below are a list of the top 10 beaches in Dorset as selected by the users of the Beach Guide website.

The current most popular beach in Dorset is South Beach. If you would like to have your say on which are the best beaches in Dorset just follow the link to the beach and vote by clicking the star ratings at the top right of the page.

1. South Beach (Studland)

South Beach, on the Studland Peninsula is a sheltered cove where a 2km stretch of sand slopes gently into the sea. It is popular with families with young children as the waters of the bay are relatively shallow. South Beach faces north and is backed…
2. Chesil Cove

Chesil Cove is the southern extremity of the twenty-nine kilometer pebble bank known as Chesil Beach. The Cove is very popular with scuba divers, especially those with less experience, as the waters are shallow, with little tidal current. Also popular…
3. Church Ope Cove

Church Ope Cove is located on the Isle of Portland near Weymouth. The beach consists of soft limestone pebbles and is surrounded by cliffs on three sideswhich provide shelter from the often strong breeze in the area. As the beach faces south, it…
4. Bournemouth Beach (Pier)

Bournemouth's main beach has been catering for beach-goers since Victorian times, yet remains one of Britain's favourite beaches. It is easy to see the attraction; a huge swathe of fine golden sand set on the doorstep of this vibrant coastal resort…
5. Sandbanks Beach (Poole)

Sandbanks is a spit of golden sand that crosses the mouth of Poole harbour and continues all the way to Bournemouth, a distance of around five kilometers. Dubbed Britain's Palm Beach, because of astronomical land prices, Sandbanks is well-served…
6. Swanage Beach (North)

The clean, white sands combined with sheltered, clear waters of the bay make Swanage beach an ideal destination for a bucket and spade excursion. The bay is flanked by magnificent chalk headlands on either side, and views out over the Isle of Wight…
7. Chesil Beach

Chesil beach is one of the most unusual beaches you will find anywhere in Britain. Stretching nearly 17 miles from Portland to West Bay the beach is comprised of a huge bank of pebbles. The beach is unnaturally straight and consistent along its…
8. Ringstead Bay

700 yards of shingle beach, once used by smugglers, and overlooked by unspoilt farmland and cliffs. The beach is quite a walk down hill from a National Trust car park.
9. Pier Beach (Swanage)

This little sand and shingle beach lies just west of the town, on the way to the pier. Whilst not quite of the same standard as Swanage main beach's golden sands the beach here is a lovely spot to relax and watch life go by. With clear, clean water…
10. Greenhill Beach (Weymouth)

The mainly pebble beach of Greenhill lies in Weymouth Bay and is less crowded than the sandier beaches in the area. The beach is backed by a promenade which actually forms a section of the South West Coast Path. There are some lovely beach huts…