were going on a dinosaur hunt
Every parent at some point will get pulled into Dino-fever as your children discover the T-rex and velociraptors of the Jurassic Park film franchise, or get introduced to the stegosaurus at school or fall a little bit in love with the biggest plant-eater of all time, the brachiosaurus.
national history museum
After your trip to the Natural History Museum in London or the Dinosaur Museum in Dorchester, we would recommend you head to the wonderful Dorset Jurassic coast and go on a fossil hunt of your very own.
You can go hunting at any time of year but between November and April are the best months as the weather causes rougher seas which churned up the beaches and reveal more fossils.
Eyes peeled
The most important tools to bring with you are a curious pair of eyes to search through the stones on the beach. If you are using a special geological hammer to gently split open a rock, you should always wear safety glasses to protect yourself against small chips of rock which can fly off.
You should always go out on the beach when the tide is going out, so you don’t get caught unawares and surprised by the water rapidly coming in.
Just a reminder
Don’t forget to bring strong plastic bags to put fossils in and perhaps some old newspaper to wrap them in first so they don’t get broken on your way home. A camera, notebook, and pen to record your finds, and a mobile phone so you can look up what you’ve discovered and find out more about it.
where the beaches at?
So, where are the best beaches to go to?
The most popular fossil hunting beach in Dorset which it easily accessible for children, with toilets and a café. The most popular find here is an ammonite.
Watton Cliff , West Bay, Dorset
Part of West Cliff this is a brilliant spot for finding brachiopods, crinoids, shark teeth, plant fossils and other micro fossils. To get there, drive to Eype and walk East along the beach.
This is the ideal family fossil hunting destination as it’s very easy to get to, it’s close to Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door and it full of fossils of all kinds.
Be safe and have fun!
Wherever you decide to go on your family adventure, remember to stay clear of the cliffs, watch out for the tides and check the weather before you go!