DatFossilBoy Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 Hello everyone! I am very excited; In 2 weeks I am going fossil hunting on the Jurassic coast of Lyme Regis,Charmouth and the nearby fossil beaches. I have already went to Lyme Regis when I was a kid and all I remember was spending hours flipping stone for small ammonites. I would need some advice... Where are the best places and areas to find fossils,I am really on a vertebrate hunt more than a invertebrate one but it’s cool to come across some aswell. I am considering doing a guided tour with a professional fossil expert from Lyme Regis. Do you have any suggestions/advice/addresses? I would also be looking for the best fossil shops around Lyme Regis and Charmout, I know they are a few, I just don’t know which are the best and worth it. Any English fossil experts? Really Appreciate all the help and suggestions Kind regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 That's a trip I'd love to do someday as well. But I have to weigh collecting competition vs. travel cost and opportunity cost of collecting elsewhere. Best of luck. 1 Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 Maybe @JohnBrewer or possibly @Tidgy's Dad could lend some knowledge (though I know Adam has been away from England for a while). 1 “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 I have been away from England for centuries. But i do know that a must is to visit the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre. Here they can give you advice, leaflets, a guide or group guided tour. https://charmouth.org/chcc/ Charmouth is over the river estuary from Lyme Regis and even better for fossils most times, in my experience. Golden Cap can be excellent. But the best fossils are usually and most easily found on the beach in the shingle and the rock pools, it's here you've the best chance of finding ichthyosaur vertebrae and other rarer vertebrate remains. So get a decent time times table and go at the lowest possible tide as the further out you go, the fewer people will have checked those rock pools. Wrap up warm as it's nearly always cold and often windy and don't waste too much time mucking about near the cliffs though recent mudslides are always worth a look. Good luck! 6 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 @Bobby Rico Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 Hi Adam @Tidgy's Dad covered it very well. I would go to Lyme Regis first and from there you will be able to get on a guited fossil hunt which I would recommend you do. After that Charmouth is next popular but I like Seatown or Burton Bradstock . Burton you do need to know when the clifs last fell but when they does, rich ammonite beds yield incredble finds. For Burton you may have to take a lump hammers and split blocks, or if you are lucky enough to arrive shortly after a fall, there is plenty to be found. Remember to find out The West Dorset fossil collecting code of conduct , access rights and the tide time. I hope this helps. Cheers Bobby 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeargleSchmeargl Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 I really want to go to the UK for some of the same reasons. Want some of the killer ammos I've seen from there! Every single fossil you see is a miracle set in stone, and should be treated as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrewer Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 Just to add to the above info. Paddy’s (Lyme) walk/tours are better than the Charmouth tour but the Heritage Centre at Charmouth is fantastic for info and there’s a good fossil shop there too. Go to Charmouth village and pop into the shop, you’ll see prep work going on and they’ll show you what and how they’re working on if you show interest. Vertebrates: Bottom of Black Ven, most of my ichthyosaur material has come from there or close by. Go when tide is in and follow tide out. Some things are tiny. I’ve got paddle bones and verts of a few mm from there! Golden Cap is ok too. Inverts: Walk from Charmouth to Seatown. It’s a trek and there are obstacles (mud, rocks) so go when tide is going out. You WILL find easily crinoid stems (Pentacrinites) and decent but very fragile belemnites and ammonites. A very productive walk with virtually no tourists so you should get s good yield. When you get to Seatown enjoy a well earned beer and food at the pub. Walking back might be a bit of a killer but a taxi to Charmouth is £20. Remember early morning as tide tide goes out is good as pros and tourists pick the beaches clean. I always collect low grade and partials to give to kids who’re looking or put them in places for kids to find. Makes the world go round in a nice way. ill be be there in August and December. I go at least twice a year. If you can get to The Isle of Wight do it. IMHO it’s better than the Jurassic coast for vertebrates with less tourists looking for fossils. Also the Isle has fossils from many different eras. Hope that helps. 4 John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrewer Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 @DatFossilBoy do you live in the U.K.? If so pm me. Group trip soon John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 Great advice @JohnBrewer I hope to get there at some point this year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DatFossilBoy Posted April 10, 2018 Author Share Posted April 10, 2018 9 hours ago, JohnBrewer said: @DatFossilBoy do you live in the U.K.? If so pm me. Group trip soon No I don’t but I go very often to the south of England and pop to Lyme Regis and Charmouth. Hope to find some good stuff from the 20 fossil shops around there too Kind regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now