Across the pond

p>p>p>p>p>

This is the area where the rocks and assorted debris landed on the beach, where children had been playing earlier in the day. I went down there today at 2.57 PM, which was low tide. For two hours around low tide it is still possible to walk from Lyme Regis to Charmouth, though as you skirt the section photagraphed you must be prepared to walk ankle-deep in mud.

The very green tree in the centre of the picture fell off the cliff top half an hour before I arrived, a clear indication that it is still unstable. The landslip covered a section of cliff about 400 yarsd broad. Most of it slipped to a level half way below the top but did not fall on to the beach. You can see this in the next picture showing the eastward part of the slip (the Charmouth side).

<

The picture above is the section to the left (westward) side of the previous picture, showing where the rocks started to spill on the beach. The picture at the top of the blog overlaps with this picture.

The slip may have brought down some interesting fossils but all that is visible so far is the archaeology of the twentieth century, which came down from a disused council tip at the top of the cliff.

<

<

<

Most of this part of the Dorset coast is unstable. The coastguard told me today that they had been expecting the next big slip to be on the other side of Charmouth below Stonebarrow Hill and the Golden Cap. This is shown in the picture below.

<