Ringstead Between Coast and History

Ringstead combines coastal scenery with traces of history. Around Ringstead Bay, a pebble beach and coastal paths shape the character of the area; alongside them are remains from medieval and later times. If you are looking for a hotel in Ringstead, these highlights can guide your travel plans: are you especially interested in seaside walks, geological features or the history of preserved sites? The places and paths offer different starting points for exploring them.

Coast, Beach and Walking Paths

Ringstead Bay is accessible via the A353 through the village of Upton. The pebble beach is reached by steep old paths. This form of access is as much a part of the coastal landscape as the sea itself. The South West Coast Path passes through Ringstead Bay on its route from Ferrybridge to Lulworth Cove. From the car park, the path runs along the top of the cliffs to Burning Cliff and onwards to White Nothe.

The walk from Ringstead along the beach to the first section of the White Nothe landslip and back also has a geological focus: it is suitable for detailed geological study. A 2013 walking guide describes this route as relatively easy. These are two useful perspectives on the same path: an assessment of the walk’s character and an interest in its geological formations. Path, access and safety conditions can change; check them before setting out.

Burning Cliff lies above Ringstead Bay. The slope once caught fire because of its composition of oil shale and iron pyrites. This gives the coastal walk an unusual geological and historical feature.

Archaeological and Historical Traces

One of the notable preserved structures is the Ringstead Ice House. Its square flint chamber measures three metres on each side and lies beneath a mound of earth, stone and turf. The mound measures nine by twelve metres and is 1.5 metres high. These dimensions give the structure a clear, tangible form: the chamber and the much larger outer mound represent two distinct scales.

Ringstead’s medieval fishpond also survives, though as a depression in the ground. It is about 0.5 metres deep and 28 metres in diameter. Ringstead Deserted Medieval Village represents another form of archaeological trace: earthworks with house platforms and hollow ways survive there. The earthworks of West Ringstead extend across about five hectares. These examples range from individual features in the landscape to extensive earthworks, giving Ringstead’s history a variety of scales.

A later historical site is RAF Ringstead, established in 1941 as a Chain Home radar station. Among the main surviving components of the former station are two transmitter blocks, two receiver blocks, two receiver-tower bases, a transformer station and a standby equipment hut. The different structures show that the surviving traces include more than a single building.

Churches and Their History

A church on the site of Ringstead Old Church is first mentioned in 1227. The surviving masonry appears to date from the 13th century. Glebe Cottage offers a different perspective on religious architectural history: the building is a former church converted into a residence; the chancel arch, among other features, survives.

St Catherine by the Sea is a small wooden church at the top of Burning Cliff. From the National Trust car park at Ringstead Bay, a path leads about half a mile downhill to the church in 15 minutes. Car park and path conditions can change; check them before your visit. The Benefice Good Friday Walk ends at St Catherine by the Sea. As arrangements may change, check the current details if you are planning this walk.

Discover more destinations: Blandford Forum, Wareham, Chickerell, Dewlish, Alton Pancras, Sturminster Newton, Worth Matravers, Saint Leonards.

For the main travel overview: Dorset.