Chideock (/ˈtʃɪdək/ CHID-ək) is a village and civil parish in south west Dorset, England, situated close to the English Channel between Bridport and Lyme Regis.

[2] Four local Catholic men—John Cornelius, Thomas Bosgrave, John Carey and Patrick Salmon[6]—were martyred in the late 16th century; their trial took place in the main hall of what is now Chideock House Hotel and they were executed in Dorchester.

[6] During the English Civil War Chideock was a royalist stronghold,[6] and the castle changed hands more than once before it was ultimately left ruinous in 1645 by parliamentarian forces under the Governor of Lyme Regis, Colonel Ceeley.

[citation needed] Parts of the castle remained standing until at least 1733[5] but only some of the moat can be seen today; it is in a field, accessed by Ruins Lane, and marked by a crucifix as a memorial to the martyrs.

Seatown has a long shelving pebble beach, with views up towards the hill which forms Golden Cap, which at 191 metres (627 ft) is the highest cliff on the south coast of England.

Fossilised ammonites and belemnites can often be found on the beach due to continued coastal erosion of the soft blue lias clays which make up the cliffs.

[18] The National Trust refused permission for a prospective bypass[18] over land it owns to the north of Golden Cap, citing its importance as an area of natural beauty.

On 4 May 2010 a protest against the lack of a bypass was initiated by some residents and involved constant operation of a pedestrian crossing at the centre of the village for one hour's duration every week.