Ringstead Bay

Ringstead Bay is a peaceful shingle and sand beach east of Weymouth, tucked beneath the great grassy sweep of White Nothe and the smoking Burning Cliff. It is a rewarding, low-key alternative to the honeypots further west along the Jurassic Coast. Parts of the clifftop and approach are National Trust and the whole area is an SSSI, so take off and land from the beach foreshore below the mean high water mark rather than the Trust-owned slopes above. There is no Flight Restriction Zone here, with Bournemouth around 30km east, so you are in open class G airspace, but stay alert for military and coastguard helicopters that transit this coast. The chalk cliffs hold nesting seabirds and peregrines in spring and summer, so keep well back from the faces and gain height out over the water instead of skimming the edge. The pebble beach and small car park stay relatively quiet outside peak weekends. A calm, clear morning delivers glassy water over the reef at low tide, dramatic cliff textures and long views toward Portland, with the softest and least gusty air of the day.