Fossil Hunting in Lyme Regis

Lyme Regis is more than just a beautiful seaside town, it’s one of the most important sites for fossils in the world.

From David Attenborough’s Sea Dragon to the literally thousands of unique, rare and valuable examples of fossils found every year in the area, it’s fair to say that Lyme Regis is truly a fossil hotspot.

Today, in Lyme Regis, coastal erosion has ensured that those who visit the coast can see an almost continuous sequence of rock formations, covering three crucial eras of world history – the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. It’s these three periods which make up the Mesozoic Era, the age of giant reptiles and dinosaurs, the likes we see in movies and on TV, roughly 66 million years ago.

For those of us with kids, we know just how strong the pull of dinosaurs can be on the little ones, but it’s not just the young who get excited about our planets prehistoric past!

Lyme Regis is the most popular fossil town in the UK with multiple museums, countless shops and more all dedicated to sharing these remarkable glimpses into our shared past. But it’s not just in the museums that you’ll find fossils, because to this day the remains of complete ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and other incredible sea creatures are discovered by kids and parents alike.

At Lyme Bay holidays, we know that many of our guests stay in our cottages in Lyme Regis to go fossil hunting out on the beaches. So, what’s the best way to find a fossil in the area? Let’s take a look at the options.

Go on the Lyme Regis Fossil Walk

When you’re looking for fossils, you need the best eyes possible alongside you to help spot the difference between a valuable find and another pebble. That’s where local geology experts Paddy and Chris come in. Their Fossil Walk tour takes around three hours and is strictly limited to just 20 people per tour. Demand, therefore, is very high but tours are regular, so you’ve always got a shot of getting on board.

Tickets are just £6 for kids and £11 for adults, and each includes a free pass to Lyme Regis Museum, which boasts a wide variety of fossil examples and lots to see and do.

Head down to the beach

Whether you can land yourself a space on the tour or not, we’d always recommend heading out on to Lyme Regis Beach to do a little fossil hunting for yourself. Although your more devoted fossil hunters might bring specialist tools with them, the huge number of fossils in the area means that many superb examples of ammonites can be found with just a little time and dedication.

Over the years the famous beach has yielded a range of spectacular fossils, including giant marine reptiles, intricate crinoids, ammonites and even dinosaur remains. The question is, what will you find?