Lyme Regis is a coastal town in West Dorset, west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. It lies in Lyme Bay, on the English Channel coast at the Dorset–Devon border. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 3,671. The town has grown around the mouth of the River Lim (or Lym) which drops from a plateau at about 200 metres (656 ft) before flowing around 5–6 km (3–4 miles) south and south-east to the sea. Its name is of British origin and probably cognate with the Welsh "llif" meaning flood or stream. Historically there were mills along its length. Its lower reaches coincide with sections of three recreational footpaths: the Wessex Ridgeway, Liberty Trail and East Devon Trail.