From the famous Cobb, the view is of a steep pebble beach, a thin line of colourful beach huts and an esplanade backed by solid Georgian and early Victorian houses. Lyme Regis is a picture postcard town with what appears to be more holiday homes than residents and consequently a popular escape, especially for families with young children, many of whom fill the small section of sandy beach. The town behind is predominantly a collection of small, independent shops and pastel terraces that cling to the slopes of the Lim Valley. To the west beyond the sailing clubs, the large, rounded grey stones on Monmouth Beach hold as many fossils as fossil hunters and is extraordinary.

Along the coast is Chesil Beach; it is vast and decked with a long line of sea fishermen.