Jurassic Coast Beaches – Posts about Eype

Bivalve shell fossils in sandy marl in a boulder on the beach at Eype.

View looking west toward Thorncombe Beacon from the base of the cliff at Eype

Eype is tucked between West Bay and Seaton on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. You can walk to it over the cliffs from West Bay or travel by road – although the last part of the journey is along narrow, single passage lanes. The cliffs are crumbling. Numerous large boulders of different rock types have tumbled down to the pebble beach from the cliffs. These rocks show many interesting shapes, colours, patterns, and textures depending on which level and geological stratum of the cliff they come from, and how much they have been weathered and worn by the elements since their fall. Sometimes the beach boulders incorporate fossils such as bivalve molluscs and belemnites.

The small pebbles of the shingle seashore do not support much in the way of marine invertebrate life (at least not seashore creatures that can be readily observed by the casual visitor enjoying a bracing walk). A pebble beach is a difficult environment for small animals to survive and thrive because it tends to be constantly on the move. The larger, heavier, and more stable rocks lying between the tide marks can be covered with common British seaweeds arranged in interesting ways. Drift lines of seaweeds may be washed ashore and up the pebble banks. One time I visited Eype all these seaweeds were branching red Irish Moss beautifully covered with white lacey seamats or Bryozoa.

Below is a list of posts that I have previously written about Eype on Jessica’s Nature Blog. Just click on any title to view:

JURASSIC COAST NATURE – EYPE

Seamat-covered Carragheen seaweed at Eype

Seaweed on rocks at Eype

Eype beach stream 1

Eype beach stream 2

Eype beach stream 3

Eype beach stream 4

Mud cracks in Eype clay

Rock textures at Eype 1

Rock textures at Eype 2

Beach boulders at Eype 1

Beach boulders at Eype 2

Beach Boulders at Eype 3

Wet boulders at Eype

Some pebbles from Eype

Boulders at Eype 2

Lots more pebbles from Eype