article: Visitors are scouring its pebble beach for fossils and taking photos of the stripes of rock strata embedded in the surrounding cliffs - a visual reminder of millions of years of history. And they are all asking each other the same question: "What time is it?" The clocks on our phones have reset themselves to French time, and for the surprising number who are not wearing watches, the confusion is palpable. Then the phones start beeping. "Welcome to France!" read the incoming text messages. "Your roaming costs are..." Inadvertent roaming, as it is called, is surprisingly common in this part of the country, despite France itself being a fair distance away - there are 74 miles (119km) between Poole and Cherbourg, a popular ferry route. Visitors to the surrounding areas, including Portland near Weymouth, can find themselves suddenly connected to French networks, and, if they're not careful, run up their phone bills with every phone call, text and social network update being charged as if it was made from abroad. It's not only a problem along the south coast of England - residents and visitors along the borders of Northern Ireland face substantial issues with their phones connecting to Irish networks, often without them even realising it. In 2012 research carried out there by industry regulator Ofcom found that on average those affected were spending Â£300 a year each on accidental data roaming, and only 11% of them had thought to switch the service off on the phone itself. The worst affected areas were east and north County Londonderry - notably Portstewart, south County Armagh and south County Down. "The EU Roaming Regulation requires that mobile operators take reasonable steps to protect their customers from paying roaming charges for inadvertently accessed roaming services while situated in their home member state, and to make information available to their customers on how to avoid inadvertent roaming in border regions," said an Ofcom representative. With the EU looking to lower the existing cap on data roaming charges this summer, inadvertent roaming may soon become a less expensive accident - and for local residents it can be something of a mixed blessing. Daff Tambling lives in the popular walkers' haven of Worth Matravers, to the east of Lulworth. The village played a key role in the development of the use of radar during World War Two - but it is no longer a hotspot for communications technology. "On certain windowsills in certain weather conditions I can just about get enough UK signal to receive a text," she said. "The phone has to stay at the same angle." Ms Tambling estimates that most days she will end up with either a French connection - or nothing at all. "It preserves a stillness - there's something nostalgic and romantic about it. I quite like it on many levels," she added. "But when it gets irritating is when companies are increasingly relying on texting you. If you need to verify your PayPal account or change your email password... even with deliveries and doctors' appointments, they want to remind you
summary: It's a beautiful spring day at Lulworth Cove, a striking part of the Jurassic Coast, which stretches across south Dorset and Devon in the UK.