Ringstead Bay and the small village of Ringstead are located on the coast in Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...

, southern England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. They are accessible by way of a private road that you have to pay £5 to be able to use with a car park at the end near the sea. There is an alternative car park that is free. This one is a national trust area and there is access to the sea by a 15-20 minute walk and there is also a picnic area. The area lies on the Jurassic Coast

Jurassic Coast

The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of ....

 and is known for its natural beauty and fossil

Fossil

Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...

s.

Ringstead Bay has a pebble and shingle beach with some sand. There are offshore reef

Reef

In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....

s approximately 600 metres in length at the western end opposite the village that are uncovered at low tide. This forms is intertidal zone

Intertidal zone

The intertidal zone is the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide . This area can include many different types of habitats, with many types of animals like starfish, sea urchins, and some species of coral...

 between the low cliffs to the north and the English Channel

English Channel

The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...

 to the south.

The original village and church at Ringstead, located in a field to the east of the current settlement and mentioned in the Domesday Book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

, no longer exists. It may have been destroyed by pirates or plague.

Immediately to the east are the white chalk cliffs of White Nothe

White Nothe

White Nothe is a chalk headland on the English Channel coast at the eastern end of Ringstead Bay, east of Weymouth in Dorset, England. The area is well-known for its geology and fossils...

, dominating the bay. It is possible to walk to the top of White Nothe and back, with spectacular views of the bay and across to the Isle of Portland

Isle of Portland

The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...

. It is also possible to walk to Ringstead Bay on a circular walk from Lulworth Cove

Lulworth Cove

Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Dorset, southern England. The cove is one of the world's finest examples of such a landform, and is a tourist location with over 1 million visitors a year...

 to the east, via Durdle Door

Durdle Door

Durdle Door is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset, England. It is privately owned by the Welds, a family who own in Dorset in the name of the Lulworth Estate. It is open to the public...

 and White Nothe.

The small village of Osmington Mills

Osmington Mills

Osmington Mills is a coastal village situated between Ringstead Bay and the town of Weymouth in Dorset, England. It is located within the civil parish of Osmington.- Tourism :...

 lies on the coast about 1.5 km to the west and there is a footpath along the cliffs, via Bran Point

Bran Point

Bran Point is a small headland on the Dorset coast in southern England, about half way between the small villages of Ringstead to the east and Osmington Mills to the west. There is a picturesque cliff-top path between the two villages via Bran Point....

. Perry Ledge

Perry Ledge

Perry Ledge is a reef west of Ringstead in Dorset, England.The ledge consists of limestone dating from the Jurassic period and is exposed at low tide. It is located close to Bran Point....

 is a reef off the beach near Bran Point. The large town of Weymouth is situated approximately 8 km west of Ringstead Bay.