Fossil Hunting Trip to the Jurassic Coast
By Jason Sandy
Ammonite and belemnite fossils found in Charmouth (Jason Sandy).
I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned all night, anxiously waiting for morning to come. After the three-and-a-half-hour drive from London to Lyme Regis the evening before, I was exhausted but couldn’t fall asleep. As the first rays of light appeared through my bedroom window around 6 am, I rushed to the living room, flung open the curtains, and stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the calm, tranquil sea. To my surprise, the sky was golden, and the sea glistened from the orange glow of the rising sun over Charmouth and the Golden Cap in the distance. It was a surreal and serene spectacle.
Sunrise in Lyme-Regis (Jason Sandy).
As I slowly watched the sun ascend, I was joined on the balcony by my fellow travelers, Matt and Kirsti Scott, who had arrived in England earlier that week. After the global pandemic canceled the trip they had originally planned in 2020, we finally made it to the Jurassic Coast to go fossil hunting together. It was a dream come true!
I must admit that I am a bad host. After quickly buying some breakfast pastries, fresh fruit, and juice in a local grocery store, I dropped them off at our rental apartment and left Kirsti, Matt, and my still-sleeping son, Jayden, to eat breakfast while I headed down to the beach to go fossil hunting alone. I was determined to be the first one on the beach, and I was duly rewarded for being the early bird.
19th-century millefiori bead (Jason Sandy).
Although I was looking for prehistoric fossils, the first thing I spotted was a colorful, millefiori bead from the 19th century, which must have recently washed out of the Victorian dump that is slowly eroding into the sea. I was super excited because I have never found one of these types of beads during my 11 years of mudlarking along the River Thames in London. I quickly took a photo and messaged it to Kirsti, who shared my enthusiasm.
Statue of Mary Anning in Lyme-Regis (Kirsti Scott). Fossilized plesiosaurus skeleton in the Natural History Museum (Jason Sandy).
Located along the world-famous Jurassic Coast in southern Britain, Lyme Regis is the epicenter of fossil hunting in the United Kingdom. It is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is definitely one of the coolest places on the planet. Millions of years ago, this land was submerged below a warm, tropical sea, abundant with aquatic life and large marine animals such as ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. In the 19th century, Mary Anning and her brother found some of the first complete skeletons of these prehistoric beasts in the mudflats and cliffs of Lyme Regis and Charmouth. These fascinating discoveries rocked the scientific world, and Mary’s findings made their way to London to be proudly displayed in the Natural History Museum, where you can still see them today.
Jim Thomas at the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site in Lyme Regis (Kirsti Scott).
Since it was Kirsti and Matt’s first time fossil hunting along the Jurassic Coast, I recommended a guided tour with a local expert Jim Thomas from lymeregisfossils.net, who has decades of experience and has discovered some amazing fossils. After three hours of beachcombing along the base of the “Black Ven” in Lyme Regis, we had collected many different types of fossils. We also found Victorian pottery sherds, sea glass, and even a worn Victorian coin.
Ichthyosaur vertebra found in Lyme Regis (Jason Sandy). 19th-century illustration of ichthyosaurus (left) and plesiosaurus (right) reptiles (Édouard Riou).
By far, the best find of the day was the circular vertebra from an ichthyosaur. These large marine reptiles roamed the seas between 245–85 million years ago at the same time as the dinosaurs. Ichthyosaurs or “fish lizards” had elongated, slender snouts with a long row of sharp teeth like a crocodile. With their crescent-shaped tails and strong, front paddles, they could swim quickly as they hunted for fish and squid to eat. They ruled the seas with other large marine reptiles called plesiosaurs, whose skeletons have also been found in Lyme Regis.
Crinoid fossil found in Lyme Regis (Kirsti Scott).
Crinoids are another type of fossil we found as we were beachcombing. Although they look like plants and are commonly called sea lilies, they are actually marine animals, which feed on planktonic particles. They were attached to the bottom of the sea by a long, slender stalk which has a star-shaped cross section. From the tall stalk, feeding arms extended and expanded into feathery pinnules which caught plankton and fed it to the mouth of the crinoid located on the upper surface. Some species of crinoids still exist today.
After an exciting morning of fossil hunting, we treated ourselves to hot drinks and hearty, warm soup for lunch at a local café along the delightful promenade in Lyme Regis. As we waited for our food to arrive, we emptied our bags on the wooden table to examine the fossils, pottery, and sea glass we had found.
Mary Anning’s fossil shop (Kirsti Scott). Beach promenade in Lyme Regis (Jason Sandy).
After the delicious lunch, we meandered through the quaint, picturesque town and visited the charming, little shops selling local fossils and other curiosities. We spent an hour in the Dinosaurland Fossil Museum located in an old, neo-classical municipal building. It contains over 16,000 fossils and other natural treasures, which we carefully studied so we knew what to look for on the beaches.
Large ammonite embedded in a boulder (Jason Sandy).
It was a hot summer’s day, and Jayden and I cooled off as we swam in the Lyme Regis harbor during the afternoon. Before going for dinner, we took a long stroll along Monmouth Beach on the western side of Lyme Regis aptly called “Ammonite Pavement.” As we explored this secluded and deserted part of the coastline as the tide receded, we spotted several large boulders containing very large ammonites. In some of the huge rocks, there were literally hundreds of ammonites and other fossils visible on the surface.
Matt on the “Ammonite pavement” in Lyme-Regis (Kirsti Scott). Walking on the rocks filled with ammonites (Kirsti Scott). Lyme-Regis Harbor (Matt Scott). Mud slip on Charmouth Beach (Kirsti Scott).
Before we headed back into town, we watched the sun set behind the cliffs lining Pinhay Bay. After dinner and a few locally crafted beers in a seaside pub, we headed back to our apartment to unwind after a long, action-packed day.
Boulder containing many ammonites (Jason Sandy). Charmouth coast with beach huts (Kirsti Scott).
The next morning, we woke up to a dreary, overcast morning. On our way to nearby Charmouth, it started to rain, which turned out to be a blessing. When we arrived on the beach, there were only a few brave souls wearing waterproof ponchos or carrying umbrellas to avoid getting drenched. Recently, there had been a new “slip” which caused part of the cliff to collapse into the sea, releasing the fossils which had been hidden for millennia in the soft clay.
Jason and Jayden on Charmouth Beach (Kirsti Scott). Jason holding favorite fossil finds (Kirsti Scott). Jason’s ammonite fossils (Kirsti Scott).
The driving rain and lapsing waves did a great job eroding the mud and exposing the beautifully preserved ammonites, waiting for us to pick them up. I felt like a kid in a candy shop walking swiftly along the water’s edge picking up the pristine ammonites lying on the surface of the beach.
Ammonite fossil formed in iron pyrite (Jason Sandy). Illustration of a living ammonite (Nobu Tamura).
Ammonites are approximately 65–240 million years old and lived at the same time as the dinosaurs before they went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period. Ammonites were cephalopods with ribbed, spiral shells (similar to a nautilus) and eight arms which they used to propel themselves backwards through the water. Millions of ammonite fossils have been discovered along the Jurassic Coast, which attest to their abundance in the warm sea in prehistoric times.
Belemnite as found on Charmouth Beach. Handful of belemnite fossils (Jason Sandy). Matt’s ammonite fossil (Kirsti Scott). Sea glass in Kirsti’s hands (Jason Sandy).
We also found a lot of pencil-shaped belemnite fossils. They originate from an extinct squid-like cephalopod, which lived around 100 million years ago. Dating to the Late Triassic to Late Cretaceous Periods, belemnites had a cone-shaped skeleton, a pair of fins, and ten hooked arms which were used to swim and capture prey. Made of calcite, the pointed guard is typically all that survives as a fossil.
Kirsti and Matt’s fossil, sea glass, and beach rocks from Charmouth Beach (Kirsti Scott).
After we finished fossil hunting, we headed to the beachside café in the Charmouth Heritage Centre, where we enjoyed warm jacket (baked) potatoes and toasted paninis for lunch. As we ate, we examined our unbelievable haul of fossils (top). I was still shivering with excitement. It was the best day of fossil hunting EVER! We found a large number of ammonites and belemnites in just 2½ hours. Kirsti also found a handful of beautifully frosted sea glass.
Scenic Jurassic coastline (Jason Sandy).
The Jurassic Coast is not only world famous for the rich fossil hunting opportunities, but it is also well known for its breathtaking coastline. Two of the most scenic spots along the south coast of Britain are “Durdle Door” and “Old Harry Rocks.” On our way back to London from Charmouth, we stopped at both locations.
Durdle Door natural rock formation (Jason Sandy). Jason and Jayden swimming under the arch at Durdle Door (Matt Scott). Jayden and Jason overlooking Old Harry Rocks (Matt Scott).
Like a long-necked dinosaur emerging from the sea, Durdle Door is a natural rock formation and gravity-defying archway. After we hiked down the steep hill, Matt, Jayden, and I braved the cold water temperature and swam through the arched gateway into the open sea, which had always been on my bucket list. It was a phenomenal experience I will never forget!
Aerial view of Old Harry Rocks (Sven Hansche/Shutterstock.com). Chalk cliffs of Old Harry Rocks (Jason Sandy).
After driving further eastwards on our meandering journey back to London, we stopped in an area of natural beauty along the coastline in East Dorset. Like a string of glistening white pearls cascading into the sea, Old Harry Rocks are a series of chalk stacks eroded out of the white cliffs by tide and time. They create a natural peninsula that juts into the sea and marks the most eastern point of the Jurassic Coast. Its raw beauty is not easy to get to, but well worth the hour-long hike through farm fields and open meadows lining the coastal path.
Visiting the Jurassic Coast is a real journey through deep time. As you stand on the coastal path high above the beaches below, you can gaze out and just imagine the ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs swimming through the warm waters, hunting for their next meal while dinosaurs quietly graze next to the sea.
Kirsti and Jason in Greenwich, England (Matt Scott).
Jayden and I had an incredible time with Kirsti and Matt, exploring and fossil hunting along the Jurassic Coast and later visiting in London. Although we live on different continents, I feel like I’ve known Kirsti all my life, and I cherish our friendship. I’m especially grateful and forever indebted to Kirsti for her unwavering commitment and creative production of my book, Mudlarks: Treasures of the Thames. If you want to find out about the ancient fossils found in the river, you can read Fantastic Beasts of the Thames.
Learn more in this presentation by Sam Caethoven and Jason Sandy, who took us along to hunt for fossils in England — in Lyme Regis, Charmouth, and the Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site. See breathtaking coastal scenery along with the extraordinary fossils and entire marine reptile skeletons found along the coast.
This article appeared in the Beachcombing Volume 40 January/February 2024.
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