A SPOT on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast has topped a list of the world’s best beaches to visit in winter.

Travel guide publisher Lonely Planet has put together a list of the top beaches to visit in the cold winter months – picking destinations from around the globe.

But sitting proudly atop the list – which features locations in the likes of France, the US, New Zealand and even South Korea – is somewhere closer to home.

Charmouth Beach is the best to visit in winter.

“While it may not be the warmest beach to visit in winter, fossil finders will be happy to forget about taking a dip and stay on shore,” the guide said.

“Located on England’s Jurassic Coast, Charmouth Beach is famous for its abundance of fossils.

“If you want to get in on the action, the side west of the river is the best spot to search for prehistoric relics.

“But remember to keep your fossicking to the stones and rocks on the foreshore – no digging into the cliff face.”

The best beaches to visit in winter, as compiled by Lonely Planet, are:
1. Charmouth Beach, Dorset, UK
2. Reynisfjara Beach, Vik, Iceland
3. Plage de la Conche des Baleines, Île de Ré, France
4. Inchydoney Beach, West Cork, Ireland
5. Kvalvika Beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway
6. Hot Water Beach, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand
7. Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA
8. Cox Bay Beach, Tofino, Canada
9. Haeundae Beach, Busan, South Korea