A Guide to Christmas & New Year on the Jurassic Coast
WHERE TO STAY AND WHAT TO DO FOR CHRISTMAS IN LYME REGIS AND NEW YEARS IN BEER, DEVON THE JURASSIC COAST.
Most people see the Jurassic Coast as a summer holiday destination. Come December and these characterful towns personality come to life. Christmas markets open, tram rides to the North Pole from Seaton, and fancy dress sea dips on new years for the braver few.
This is our guide to Christmas and New Year on the stretch of coast between Beer in Devon, and Lyme Regis in Dorset. You’ll find local festive events, things to do, and how to get the most out of a week celebrating either Christmas or New Years.
Whats on at Christmas on the Jurassic Coast
Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast at its most community minded, and at Christmas the whole town turns out. It is one of our favourite places to spend the festive weeks, and for families with little ones it brings the magic of Christmas to life.
Lyme Regis Big Christmas Weekend
The Big Christmas weekend runs from Saturday 12th to Sunday 13th December and takes over the whole town. From a Lyme Regis Town Band Christmas concert on the Saturday to Santas grotto on Sunday evening, there is something for every age during this weekend.
Lyme Regis Christmas Tree Festival
Opening on the Friday as part of the Big Weekend, the Christmas Tree Festival is one of the town’s best loved festive traditions. Held in the Pine Hall at the Baptist Church, it is filled with trees decorated by local groups, businesses, schools and organisations. In 2024 there was an amazing 34 trees and more than 1,200 visitors.
Seaton Tramway Polar Express
Five minutes from Beer and fifteen from Lyme Regis, Seaton Tramway is made for children who want a proper Christmas adventure. On selected dated from late November to Christmas Eve, families board a tram to Santa’s home at the North Pole. The experience lasts around two and a half house, with a hot chocolate and a cookie, time to talk to Santa, and a wander around the North Pole among the Christmas lights. This is a great way for children wanting some extra Christmas magic.
Beer’s Victorian Christmas Fair
On Saturday 5th December, Beer steps back in time for its Victorian Christmas Fair. The village shops dress their windows in a Victorian style, with a prize for the best. There is live music, a performance from the Beer Wurlitzer, Victorian themed stalls and plenty more besides.
Christmas Walks on the Jurassic Coast
However you usually spend Christmas Day, a morning walk is an English tradition, and there are few better places for it than the Jurassic Coast. Two of our favourites start from the villages we know best.
From Beer, the coast path climbs out of the village and follows the dramatic coastline to Branscombe, about two miles each way past Beer Head. There are hills at both ends, so you will have earned your pub stop before turning for home.
From Lyme Regis, a low tide opens up a flatter route along the beach towards Charmouth, and it suits a family with dogs, who can run off the lead on Charmouth’s East Beach. Check the tide times before you set off and give the cliffs plenty of room.
One is a climb with a pub waiting at the end, the other a stretch of shoreline with the dogs running ahead. Either way, you will be home in time for dinner.
New Years on the Jurassic Coast
Seeing in the new year privately with your group can feel very different from seeing it in among the town’s quirkier community traditions. Which you prefer may help you decide where to stay.
New Years in Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis has its own way of welcoming the new year, and has a close local community that is never short of creative ideas. The two main highlights are the New Years Duck Race, and the Lyme Lunge held just an hour apart on new years day.
The Lyme Lunge has become an annual tradition on new years day. For the braver few starting at 1pm you can take part in a fancy dress sea dip alongside hundreds of other people all dressed in wacky outfits. For those not wanting to brave the cold its still a great event to watch along the beachside and grass banks alongside thousands of other spectators. It is a great way to start a fresh new year and is definitely and event worth a trip to Lyme for.
At midday, the Mayor of Lyme Regis starts hundreds of bright yellow toy ducks on their way down the River Lym from Woodmead Road bridge, racing to the finish line at Jordan Flats. You can buy a duck online to enter, with cash prizes for first, second, third and last home. If you fancy a gentler start to the year, there are worse ways to spend it than cheering on rubber ducks from the riverbank.
New Years in Beer
Starre Manor in Beer offers a more traditional way to see in the new year, with everyone together under one roof. With 12 beds, large living spaces and a dining room with a table for the whole group, the manor gives you room to gather without anyone drifting off. The games room has a pool table, a poker table and a chess board, and the fully equipped kitchen makes it easy to cook, graze and keep the drinks flowing.
Spend the early part of the evening at the manor with the people closest to you. Then head down to Beer beach for the New Year fireworks, and come back to carry on the celebrations. It is a heritage home with modern comforts, and it has the space to bring a whole family together when the clock strikes midnight.
Whether it’s a cold winters dip in the sea, or a Christmas walk along the coastline the Jurassic Coast has plenty to offer once the summer crowds have disappeared. If you want to spend your festive period away this winter Lym House and Starre Manor are two properties perfect for this kind of stay.