A thrilling trail of Chesil Beach, taken in trepidation.
I found Chesil Beach in 2002. I was crew for the Queen’s Jubilee Baton Relay team for the Manchester Commonwealth Games. The baton relay team visited Portland.
My fascination began then with this unique beach, the longest pebble beach in the world, at 18 miles, almost. I wanted to attempt a full length trail. A trail allows you to run, walk, or a mix of both depending on the terrain. I wondered if a 66 year old retired man was capable of a non-stop wall-to-wall trail. So on May 6, 2026, I began it.
From Fortuneswell, starting at the very beginning, the sea wall steps, I began the trail. In the first mile I was a little too eager, running on shifting pebbles, one mile in around 12 minutes. I decided to conserve my energy on the difficult sections and try and build up the pace on the easier sections. The pebbles really do change in size along every mile. Starting at Fortuneswell, the pebbles for the first mile were the size of potatoes! With little shifting underfoot. The further along the beach, they continually change in size and shape. The smaller and rounder the pebbles, the more energy-sapping effort was required to run or walk. I didn‘t think I was up for it and had overcommitted. I intended to call it a day at Abbotsbury car park cafe, a distance of around 11 miles.
The views along the trail were captivating. I even caught sight of a hare. I managed to capture a picture of it. It‘s also amazing the amount of detritus that can be found along the way. Some very beautiful sea-carried timbers in the form of washed up tree trunks and branches. Anyway, once I got to Abbotsbury, with only seven miles to complete the trail, I just kept going. The trail, all three miles after Abbotsbury, was awfully energy-sapping. Luckily, I brought electrolyte drink with me, grapes and dates. They definitely make a difference to your energy capacity. The pebbles here are as small and round as marbles. Your feet sink immediately and the pace is taxing. Walking here is actually quicker than running, strangely! Eventually, I came to the River Bride, which runs across the beach to the sea.
Perfect timing had me at this spot at low tide. At low tide you can simply walk across the river as it is very shallow. You wouldn‘t be able to cross the river at high tide because the river water becomes a torrent and will topple you and take you out to sea. In this situation you will have to take a footpath along the river to cross a footbridge and then backtrack to the beach again.
If you intend to attempt this trail of Chesil Beach, remember that migratory bird season dates are from, 1st April to end of August and the beach is closed 6 miles along from Fortuneswell untill, Dragons Teeth by Abbotsbury. I sought advice from Dorset Wildlife Trust to ask if I could still be allowed to walk the beach if I kept to the seashore and always below the crest of the beach. I received an encouraging email with good advice. I made sure I kept that encouraging email with me. Just in case any authorities questioned my activity.
A helicopter actually flew over me on several occasions but I, as promised, kept low to the sea and much below the height of the beach, way outside and out of sight of the protected bird sanctuary. It‘s a little unnerving being a tiny human being, walking along the base of such a massive amount of pebbles.
The last four miles, due to low tide, allowed me to take advantage of hard, exposed, grit sand. I had a marvellous day. It ended at the sea wall in West Bay, where I stopped my watch for a Garmin proof of route taken. Thanks to advice from Dorset Wildlife Trust, I was able to complete something that I thought would end in failure. I was able to take the X53 bus to Weymouth. The bus stop is directly outside the George Hotel, in West Bay. A lovely 30-minute journey by bus back to my car. There are beautiful villages and sights of Chesil Beach along the way.
Vincent Jones
Date of experience: May 2026