Eighteen miles of steep shingle running from Portland to West Bay, the most storied beach mark in the south. The shelf drops fast at the Portland end, putting deep water under your rod tip; further west toward Abbotsbury the beach flattens and works better on the flood. Cod and bass move along the shingle through autumn; spotted ray, smoothhound and bull huss show through summer; turbot and plaice come into the deeper sections in spring.
Target species here
Tide times for Chesil Beach
EA gauge · Bournemouth
Next high tide at Chesil Beach is 05:00 (0.8 m). Next low tide 06:00 (0.7 m).
| ↑ High | 04:00 | 0.5 m |
| ↓ Low | 05:00 | 0.5 m |
| ↑ High | 07:00 | 0.7 m |
| ↓ Low | 11:00 | 0.1 m |
| ↑ High | 16:00 | 0.7 m |
| ↓ Low | 18:00 | 0.5 m |
| ↑ High | 20:00 | 0.6 m |
Fishes best on the flood.
Access & rules
Park at Ferrybridge, Cogden or West Bexington. Long walks down the back of the beach, wheels for your tackle barrow are essential. The steep shelf at the Portland end is unforgiving on tackle but produces the biggest fish.