Home

The Jurassic Coast

The Dorset and East Devon Coast is now officially England's first natural World Heritage Site. UNESCO's World Heritage Committee announced the decision on the 13th December 2001. The site has been named the Jurassic Coast.

The coastline has been awarded the status due to its outstanding geology, which offers a fascinating glimpse into the Earth's ancient past, with a complete record through 185 million years in just 95 miles. In addition to Jurassic, the site includes rocks from the older Triassic and the younger Cretaceous periods. The whole World Heritage Site lies within the South West Coast Path, thus adding extra prestige to the National Trail.

Contained within the site are a number of stunning fossil localities and features such as landslips, Chesil Beach and impressive cliffs. This unique combination of features, contained in such a beautiful and largely accessible coastline, forms the basis for the World Heritage Site accolade.

Last updated 4th March 2006

The South West Coast Path is part of the National Trail Network Copyright ©2008 South West Coast Path Association
Whilst care is taken to ensure accuracy of the information provided, neither the website authors or The South West Coast Path Association will be held responsible for consequences arising from using information from this website. In situations where accurate information is required readers are recommended to cross-check using other published sources.