Lyme Regis to Charmouth Fossil walk

 

Our first full day in East Devon and we cross the border into Lyme Regis in Dorset. It is well known for it's fossils in the cliffs and on the beaches. It lies in Lyme Bay on the English Channel coast. A Royal Charter was granted by King Edward I in 1284 and ' Regis' was added to the town's name. 

It's a Saturday and already it is very busy, we struggle to even get in the car park. We wander downhill to the harbour area. Once again it is a grey and cloudy day, but at least it is dry.

We explore a little and find out that the best beach for fossil hunting is at Charmouth further along the coast. At the moment it is currently cut off by the high tide. So we have a mooch around the charming town centre. There are lots of fossil shops as well as antiques and book shops too, just my thing. We then adjourn to the 'Cobb Arms' (another name for a harbour)for some liquid refreshment.

The tide is in

The tide is out

Suitably refreshed with a pint of Dorset Gold      we set off again along the promenade. Things are looking very different now as the tide has gone out. We can now make our way along the beach towards Charmouth. The pebble beach is already busy with walkers and fossil hunters. Fossils can come from almost anywhere along the Jurassic Coast. Certainly but this stretch between Lyme Regis and Charmouth is regarded as the best. 

Many of the fossil hunters have though come prepared with their hammers and chisels. I think that the most important tool though is your eyes!
 

Busy fossil seekers hard at it!

Thankfully many fossils simply lie exposed amongst the beach pebbles, just waiting to be spotted after some 190 million years. .It's a game of patience though and is strangely addictive. 

The best time is usually after a storm, particularly in the winter when it is quieter. It was on these beaches that one of Lyme's most famous citizens 'Mary Anning' (1799-1847), discovered the first complete 'Ichthyosaurus' to be found in England, and she was just 12-years-old at the time. They, along with 'Plesiosaurs' and other incredible sea creatures are found to this day. 

My luck changes as I find a bullet shaped fossil called a 'Belemnite'. Belemnites are the internal hard parts of a squid-like animal.The spiral shaped Ammonite (a long extinct member of the mollusc family a bit like a nautilus) is more common but is proving somewhat elusive today. I carry on towards Charmouth keeping my eyes open for further treasure.

Golden Cap in the distance

Looking along the beach here, the second cliff you can see is the Golden Cap, the highest point on the South Coast 627ft (191m). Unfortunately I haven't the time to climb today which is a shame. Golden Cap is a high, flat-topped hill of deep orange sandstone on the cliffs between Charmouth and Bridport, and is comprised of two ages of rock from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.with views along the shore to the tip of Portland Bill in one direction and to Start Point in the other. Inland, you can see Pilsdon Pen and as far as Dartmoor.The top of the cliff is made of superficially golden coloured sandstone called the Upper Greensand that formed in the Cretaceous Period about 100 million years ago. (Hence the name).

My fossil collection and another below

Walking back towards Lyme Regis The first cliff you pass on the right is Black Ven, while the second set of cliffs are called the Spittles. Ven’ is a local word for ‘fen’ and refers to the boggy slopes of these constantly shifting and falling cliffs. You can see the layers of clay in both cliffs – these get wet when it rains and new fossils are constantly washing out. The Spittles are where Mary Anning found her famous 'Ichthyosaurus'

I catch up again with Marina, who has perched herself on a rock while I walked to Charmouth. I notice a particularly large boulder close by with a hairline crack. This could be the one perhaps? Arming myself with several slightly smaller boulders I begin my assault on trying to break up the larger object.It reminds me of picking up and throwing a medicine ball repetitively at the floor in the gym. The first dozen or so have little effect and just bounce off. Eventually something has to give, either me or the immovable rock. At last a direct hit and it splits into two! 

There was definitely something there inside the rock, some form of crystal, gray to green colour that was glistening. It was far too big to heavy to carry or fit in the rucksack so I set about smashing it up into smaller pieces. Leaving the majority on the beach I selected a hand sized piece that I would keep for myself.  

Further down the beach we came across a Jurassic Cost Guide. I couldn't wait to show him my piece of treasure. He quickly identified it as 'Calcite' a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate. He went on to say what an excellent find it was, but such a pity that it was only a small part of what would likely have been a huge piece of Calcite originally and that would have been special ......At this point I kept very quiet and thanked him for his help and we continued on our way. 

 

 

 

Things look very different now that tide has fully retreated. The rock pools have been revealed and I even have a little paddle in the sea. The sun has come out as well, so it really is a picture perfect scene down on the shore. Back in the harbour area the beach is packed with those who don't wish to stray too far. 

Our little wander to Charmouth and back was just over  4.5 miles.