Lyme Regis Fossil Walks Will Be Doing Their Guided Fossil Walks Again, From December! 2024,Thank You. Come And Say Hello At Our Fossil Shop At 7 Drake`s Way,Lyme Regis ! DT7 3QP
Let Brandon Lennon, local Lyme Regis professional fossil collector with 30 years experience take you on a guided tour along part of Lyme Bay’s famous Jurassic Coast.Have a fun, informative trip finding your own fossils. For walk times, directions, and more information,click on the buttons on the navigation bar . A private walk can be booked by arrangement online(or by phone)
Brandon and Ian have been featured on various television programmes and magazine articles about the area.
Brandon’s fossils are sold in local shops and on the Internet
( lymeregisfossilsforsale.co.uk) . The largest ammonite he found is in the Cardiff Museum in Wales.
Ian collected fossils from Lyme Regis beaches in the 1950s,
worked as a geologist overseas and has now retired to walk the beaches in this area.
Brandon’s fossils are sold in local shops and on the Internet
( lymeregisfossilsforsale.co.uk) . The largest ammonite he found is in the Cardiff Museum in Wales.
Ian collected fossils from Lyme Regis beaches in the 1950s,
worked as a geologist overseas and has now retired to walk the beaches in this area.
Ian Lennon ,Geologist.
Since being made a World Heritage Site in 2001 the area has attracted more people each year. They come to see the cliffs and shoreline where Mary Anning, the famous 19th century fossil collector worked.The fossil tours go past the site of Mary’s house and before setting off on the walk you will be given a brief talk about her life and the geology of the region. You will then head off either to the west of Lyme or the east, depending upon tidal conditions.
This photograph shows Black Ven , East of Lyme Regis. The guided walk to this area is 2 miles total , out and return. It is one of the best stretches of beach along the south coast for collecting small ammonites and belemnites. Walk times to Black Ven are to coincide with appropriate tides. ( There are no walks during neap tides when there is a danger of being cut-off by the sea. ) . The geology of Church Cliffs is stunning to look at from afar. The cliffs here are dangerous and rockfalls occur ( Mary Anning’s dog called Tray was killed in a rockfall ).We look along the lower beach section for fossils and keep away from mudflows and quicksand.
This photograph is of Monmouth beach, West of Lyme Regis. The walk is 2.5 miles total, out and return. Here there is a large limestone pavement covered with wonderfully detailed ammonites; this is called “ the ammonite graveyard “. We keep to the middle section of the beach as the cliffs are vertical and subject to rockfalls. The furthermost part of the walk, Seven Rock Point , is where we stop and collect. This area is relatively safe but we keep off upper levels because of mudflows and lower levels because of slippery rocks covered in green weed.
The beautiful small ammonites and belemnites that can be sieved for in certain areas of the beach.
As long as you do not dig in the cliffs in situ you are allowed to keep the fossils washed out on the shore. Some fossils must be recorded on a data base at the Charmouth Heritage Centre. These include insects and dinosaur bones. Then for a period of six months the scientific community has an opportunity to ask to study your fossil finds.One young walker aged eight found a fossil stick insect which turned out to be only the second of its type ever found worldwide.
Your questions answered
- Meeting place - Our shop at 7 Drake`s Way, Lyme Regis, DT7 3QP.
- Walk Duration - 2 hours & Fossil Polishing 2 hours ( allow 5 hours car parking )
- Clothing - Wellies or stout footwear. Wet weather gear and warm clothes in winter.
- Food&Drink - Bring applicable snacks and drinks.
- Toilet - Facilities are near the Millennium Clock ,LymeRegis.
- Tools -We provide sieves and plastic beach spades. We do not supply hammers ; we break the rocks for you. ( If you bring your own hammer,please also bring safety spectacles and heavy duty gloves ). We provide a leaflet and adurable plastic bag for the fossil finds.
For private fossil collecting walk times phone 07854377519.Minimum charge for a private walk is £150 thats for up to 10 people.The walk duration is 2 hours .We meet at 7 `Drake'sWay, Lyme Regis,DT7 3QP .Payment is in advance by cheque ,bank transfer or paypal(there is an extra £8 handling fee with paypal payments).If you decide to cancel your trip and tell us 7 working days before the walk date,we may issue a full refund.On the day of your walk we will go fossil collecting what ever the weather throws at us so be prepared.The best fossil collecting conditions are in pretty rough weather because the sea washes out some good fossils!Also now at our shop we can also do some fossil preparation before the fossil walk or afterwards- depending on the weather.
This is an old image in 2001 of our shop in 7 Drake`s Way ,Lyme Regis ,Dorset,DT7 3QP .We are back again in the shop in 2021.This is the meeting place for the private fossil walk.We also do fossil polishing and preparation in our fossil workshop here.On your private fossil walk day you will be offered a chance to polish a fossil before or after the fossil hunting trip.This is dependent on the weather as to when.You will receive an ammonite specimen that you'll be taught how to prepare.The duration of this activity will not be longer than 2 hours.You get to keep the fossil you all will be given .Provided you put a bit of work into it you will come away with a beautifully polished fossil ammonite.
Private walks book up very quickly in advance , especially during the summer months.To avoid disappointment contact us well in advance of your trip to Lyme Regis so we can arrange a walk for you .Fossil walks are arranged around safe tide times so be aware some days are not suitable.The most suitable minimum age for a fossil hunting expedition is five years old.We cannot answer the phone when on a walk.Do not leave an answer phone message about the fossil walks.Sometimes during busy periods the volume of calls are too much so we cannot get back to you.If you have booked a fossil walk with us feel free to send us a reminder E-mail, just before the day you come.We can respond with an idea of the weather and can answer any concerns you might have.Please read the rest of our website and our E-mail signature!
